F-14 loaded with Six Phoenix and Two Sidewinders

Description

Lovingly called “the big fighter” by it’s crews, the F-14 was the premier air to air platform from its inception in the early 1970’s until it retired in 2006.  The airframe was designed specifically for fleet air defense, meaning it had to be fast and maneuverable, carry a lot of fuel for extended ranges, be the best.  Equipped with the powerful AWG-9 radar system and the AIM-54 Phoenix missile system it did all those things, better than anything else in the sky.  With the AWG-9 and the AIM-54, the Tomcat could track and engage multiple targets at very long range.  Heater captures a F-14A of VF-21 showing it’s belly with a full load of 6 AIM-54 Phoenix and 2 AIM-9 Sidewinders.