US Navy saying goodbye to venerable F-14 fighter

Washington - The US Navy began a series of ceremonies on Thursday to celebrate the F-14, as the pilot favourite that served on aircraft carriers for three decades heads into retirement. The last of the F-14 Tomcats still in service were being flown at Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia as part of the goodbye ceremonies that would last into Friday, a Navy spokeswoman said. The fighter jet was made famous by the 1986 film Top Gun starring Tom Cruise, but was more recognized by pilots for its speed, versatility and ability to carry a broad array of weapons. First flown in 1970 and introduced to the Navy's fleet in the middle of that decade, F-14s were involved in confrontations with Libya and saw action in Lebanon, the first Gulf War, the Bosnian wars, Afghanistan and the second war with Iraq. The F-14 features an adjustable sweep wing, two engines and can reach speeds above Mach 2 using powerful afterburners. The wing could be swept all the way back for flying at high speeds and forward to increase manoeuvrability in dogfights. The F/A-18 Hornets have been gradually replacing the F-14s as the Navy's main fighter since the early 1990s. The F-14 was manufactured by Grumman Aerospace, which merged with Northrop Aircraft in 1994 to become Northrop Grumman. © 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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US Navy saying goodbye to venerable F-14 fighter

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