A report on Grumman A-6 Intruder, Grumman F-14 Tomcat and Yanks Air Museum

KA-6D Intruder of Attack Squadron 34 (VA-34 "Blue Blasters")
A U.S. Navy F-14D conducts a mission over the Persian Gulf-region in 2005.
Preserved North American P-51A Mustang on display
KA-6D Intruder of Attack Squadron 34 (VA-34 "Blue Blasters")
A U.S. Navy F-14D conducts a mission over the Persian Gulf region in 2005.
Preserved North American P-51A Mustang on display
YA2F-1 showing the original tilting tailpipes
The F-111B was designed to fulfill the carrier-based interceptor role, but had weight and performance problems, and was not suited to the types of aerial combat that were predominant over Vietnam
An A-6E landing on the aircraft carrier USS America (CV-66), showing the split airbrakes on the tips of its left wing
Grumman's VFX entry was designed around the TF30 engine, AWG-9 radar and AIM-54 missile intended for the F-111B; this eventually became the F-14A
An A-6E Intruder aircraft assigned to USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69).
VFA-143 "Pukin Dogs" F-14B and F/A-18E Super Hornet in 2005
S-3A Viking, A-6E Intruder, and an EA-6B Prowler aircraft are parked on the flight deck of aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) during a storm.
An F-14D launching an AIM-7 Sparrow; a GBU-10 Paveway II is also carried.
A U.S. Marine Corps A-6 Intruder destroyed by a rocket and mortar bombardment on Da Nang Air Base in 1968 during the Vietnam War
An F-14D(R) from VF-213 flying over Iraq on last Tomcat deployment with LANTIRN pod on starboard wing glove station and LGB underneath fuselage.
An A-6E Intruder prepares for launch aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65)
F-14 Tomcat with wings in asymmetric sweep during testing for this possible in-flight malfunction
A-6A of VMA (AW)-242 in 1975
Rear view of the F-14 showing the area between the engine nacelles
A-6B on the USS Saratoga (CV-60) in 1971
An F-14D prepares to refuel with probe extended.
A-6C of VA-35 Black Panthers
F-14 with landing gear deployed
A KA-6D refueling an F-14A in 1987
F-14 Tomcat carrying an AIM-120 AMRAAM during a 1982 test.
An A-6E SWIP Intruder of VA-34 flying over Spain during Exercise Matador.
Two Iranian Tomcats equipped with multiple missiles, circa 1986, in the midst of a project to adapt I-Hawk surface-to-air missiles for F-14s
Final VA-34 A-6E SWIP Intruder launch from the flight deck of USS George Washington (CVN-73), 1996.
An F-14A of VF-84 Jolly Rogers, in a 1970s color scheme
Norden AN/APQ-148 Radar
An F-14A from VF-114 intercepting a Soviet Tu-95RT "Bear-D" maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
A-6F prototype in 1987
An F-14A of VF-32 during Operation Desert Storm with a KC-135 Stratotanker and two EA-6B Prowlers in the background
US Marine Corps EA-6A Intruder electronics aircraft of VMCJ-2 Playboys aboard USS America in 1974 during a visit to Scotland.
A Navy F-14D flying over the skies of Afghanistan on a precision bombing mission in November 2001.
A-6E Intruder of VA-52, 1981
The last F-14 launch from a carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt on 28 July 2006
A Grumman A-6 Intruder on display at Grumman Memorial Park
Iranian ace Jalil Zandi is credited with shooting down 11 Iraqi aircraft during the Iran–Iraq War, making him the highest scoring F-14 pilot.
An A-6 Intruder on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center.
Formation flight of Iranian Tomcats, 2008
An A-6F Intruder prototype on display at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, New York City
Close-up view of the distinctive afterburner petals of the GE F110 engine
An A-6E Intruder on display at Patuxent River Naval Air Museum
An upgraded F-14D(R) Tomcat with the ROVER transmit antenna circled with USS Theodore Roosevelt in the background
Orthographic projection of an A-6 Intruder
Grumman's proposed F-14 Interceptor for USAF Aerospace Defense Command in 1972 with the simulated "Buzz Code" and Aerospace Defense Command livery and emblem on the tail
A-6 ordnance, 1962
F-14 Tomcat operators as of 2014 (former operators in red)
An IRIAF F-14 Tomcat landing at Mehrabad, Iran.
F-14A Tomcat of NFWS (TOPGUN) NAS Miramar c. 1993
Front view of an F-14A at Yokota Air Base, Tokyo, Japan, 2003
F-14A BuNo 162689 at the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda, California, 2009
An F-14A on display at Grumman Memorial Park in New York
F-14A BuNo 160661 on display at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center's Aviation Challenge facility in Huntsville, Alabama, 2009
YF-14A at the Cradle of Aviation Museum
F-14B at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum
F-14A of VF-84 "Jolly Rogers" at the Museum of Flight
Grumman F-14 Tomcat drawings
F-14A of VF 111 "Sundowners" (USS Carl Vinson)
F-14B from the VF-211 Fighting Checkmates carrying six AIM-54 Phoenix missiles.
Tomcat logo

Thus, when the A-6E was scheduled for retirement, its precision strike mission was initially taken over by the Grumman F-14 Tomcat equipped with a LANTIRN pod.

- Grumman A-6 Intruder

Grumman A-6E Intruder

- Yanks Air Museum

Grumman F-14A Tomcat

- Yanks Air Museum

In the 1990s, with the pending retirement of the Grumman A-6 Intruder, the F-14 air-to-ground program was resurrected.

- Grumman F-14 Tomcat

155644 – Yanks Air Museum, Chino, California

- Grumman A-6 Intruder

158985 – Yanks Air Museum, Chino, California.

- Grumman F-14 Tomcat
KA-6D Intruder of Attack Squadron 34 (VA-34 "Blue Blasters")

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A U.S. Navy F/A-18C in flight

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet

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Twin-engine, supersonic, all-weather, carrier-capable, multirole combat jet, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft .

Twin-engine, supersonic, all-weather, carrier-capable, multirole combat jet, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft .

A U.S. Navy F/A-18C in flight
A U.S. Navy F/A-18C in flight
YF-16 and YF-17 prototypes being tested by the U.S. Air Force
The Northrop YF-17 Cobra was developed into the carrier-capable F/A-18.
First preproduction F-18A in October 1978
US Navy F/A-18C during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2002
F/A-18C Hornet performing a high-g pull-up. The high angle of attack causes powerful vortices to form at the leading edge extensions.
F/A-18C Hornet in transonic flight producing flow-induced vapor cone
Exhaust nozzles of an RAAF F/A-18
An F/A-18A Hornet from VFA-132 Privateers in flight, circa 1985
Blue Angels' No. 6 F/A-18A
NF101, an F/A-18A Hornet assigned to VFA-195 Dambusters aboard the USS Midway, CV-41 in the 1991 Gulf War.
F/A-18C of VFA-192 taking off from USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) in 2005
Three RAAF F/A-18As in 2013
Canadian CF-188A Hornet off Hawaii. Note the "false cockpit" on the underside of the aircraft for confusing enemy pilots during dogfights.
Finnish Air Force F/A-18 at Rissala Airport
An F/A-18 of the Kuwaiti Air Force
RMAF F/A-18D returning to base after a national day flypast
EF-18 A taking off and banking to the left on 2015
Hugo Wolf F/A-18C full-scale training simulator, X-5099
Swiss Air Force Hornet F/A-18C at RIAT 2019
An F/A-18B Hornet assigned to the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School
A Marine F/A-18D of VMFAT-101 prepares for takeoff
A VFA-11 F/A-18F Super Hornet performing evasive maneuvers during an air power demonstration above USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75)
X-53, NASA's modified F/A-18
F/A-18C of the Swiss Air Force taxis for takeoff
F/A-18 operators are in blue
Royal Malaysian Air Force Boeing F/A-18 Hornet during Cope Taufan 2012
U.S. Navy F/A-18C from VFA-131 launches from French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle off the Virginia Capes.
F/A-18A Hornets in various color schemes
F/A-18B Hornets in various color schemes
An F/A-18A Hornet on display at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum.
F/A-18A on display at the Air Zoo
3-view drawing of the F/A-18 Hornet
VX-4 F/A-18 with ten AIM-120 AMRAAMs and two AIM-9 Sidewinders
M61 Vulcan on display at Miramar Airshow
An US Marine Corps F/A-18C of VMFA-323, launches off the flight deck of the USS Nimitz.
Marines perform maintenance on an F/A-18D of VMFA-242

Its versatility and reliability have proven it to be a valuable carrier asset, though it has been criticized for its lack of range and payload compared to its earlier contemporaries, such as the Grumman F-14 Tomcat in the fighter and strike fighter role, and the Grumman A-6 Intruder and LTV A-7 Corsair II in the attack role.

161943 – In Blue Angels #7 markings at Yanks Air Museum, Chino, California.