Why the Super Tomcat 21 Was Not to Be: Designed to Incorporate the Air Combat Experience Learned During the Vietnam War

During its three decades in service with the United States Navy, the F-14 Tomcat more than lived up to the role it was initially designed for, drawing both praise and notoriety throughout its career. It first emerged as the American “Teen Series” fighter jets that would include the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the F/A-18 Hornet.

The carrier-based multi-role fighter was developed after the United States Congress halted the development of the F-111B variant within the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) program. While the goal of that effort was to supply both the U.S. Air Force and the United States Navy with planes tailored to the unique needs of their individual services, the Navy opted out.

The F-111B, having been modified to meet Navy mission requirements, was deemed too heavy for carrier operations, and the program was canceled in April 1968. Subsequently, the Navy initiated a new design contest for what became the VFX program, with two primary competitors being McDonnell Douglas and Grumman. Grumman’s design won out, and it paved the way for what would be known as the “Tomcat.”

The F-14, which made its first flight in 1970, arrived as a supersonic, twin-engine, variable-sweep wing, two-seat fighter designed to engage enemy aircraft in all weather conditions as well as at night.

F-14: Old Cat, With New Tricks There had been multiple efforts to greatly improve this “hep cat” over the course of its multiple lives. That included the F-14D Super Tomcat, the final variant, which was notable for being able to outperform even the F/A-18 Super Hornet in certain combat loads more easily than its predecessors. It featured extensive changes to the avionics and displays.

The aircraft was designed to be the definitive Tomcat, but the United States Navy did not have plans to look at the F-14D Super Tomcats after the Super Hornet. “The F-14D yes, it would have been very capable and turn performance (with equivalent combat loads the Tomcat was actually better than the F/A-18), but truly understanding what could have been is to look at the Super Tomcat 21,” Kevin Massey, former US Naval Test Pilot School and TOPGUN Graduate, was quoted as saying.

F-14 Tomcat. The image was taken at National Air and Space Museum on October 1, 2022. Image by 19FortyFive.

Massey further suggests that the ST21 (Super Tomcat for the 21st Century) would have added more fuel capacity and even an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar that had been developed for the canceled A-12 attack aircraft. It was supposed to be called the Tomcat Quick Strike, which was meant to upgrade the existing F-14s by providing them with high-end navigation and targeting pods similar to the United States Air Force’s LANTIRN system as well as upgraded ground attack modes for the F-14D’s APG-71 Radar. These modifications could have given Tomcat true supersonic all-weather capability, speed, and maneuverability in an air-to-ground role, and possibly acceleration. As with the Tomcat Quick Strike, the new ST21 would have been able to be adapted to carry more advanced air-to-ground weapons, sustain speed, and possibly accelerate.