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The Lost Potential of the Tomcat
In the 1970s, the US Navy would be elevated to a new standard. The arrival of the first Alpha model F-14 Tomcats in September 1974, and their first deployment to Vietnam with VF-1 and VF-2 signalled the beginning of a new era in air combat.

Roughly coinciding with the arrival of the F-15 and F-16 for the US Air Force, the Tomcat would become an indispensable asset for the Navy until its eventual retirement in 2006. Today the public view the F-14 as a cool looking but outdated relic, its legacy kept alive only by films and its limited use by Iran. However, there were plans to modernise the F-14, which may have allowed it to remain in service like the Eagle or Viper.

CONTENTS
00:00 Intro
00:48 Background
04:54 Foreign Sales
09:20 F-14 Bravo
10:32 F-14 Delta
11:45 Further upgrades
12:54 Super Tomcat upgrade options
17:09 Termination
18:34 Lost Potential?

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