The Grumman F-14 Tomcat has served with the United States Navy and the Imperial Iranian Air Force, then the Islamic Republic of Iran Air ForcePersian Cats How Iranian air crews, cut off from U.S. technical support, used the F-14 against Iraqi attackers after 1979. It operated aboard U.S. aircraft carriers from 1974 to 2006 and remains in service with Iran. In-depth knowledge of its service with Iran is relatively limited.

U.S. Navy service The F-14 primarily conducted air-to-air and reconnaissance missions with the U.S. Navy until the 1990s, when it was also employed as a long-range strike fighter."U.S. Navy 2000 Program Guide." U.S. Navy. Retrieved: 5 August 2012. It saw considerable action in the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf and was used as a strike platform in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq until its final deployment with the United States in 2006.

American withdrawal from Saigon (1975)

The Tomcat made its operational debut during Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of American citizens from Saigon, in April 1975. F-14As from Fighter Squadron 1 (VF-1) and VF-2, operating from , flew combat air patrols over South Vietnam to provide fighter cover for the evacuation route.Jenkins 1997, p. 41.

Cold War intercepts (1976–1992)

VF-142 became the first Atlantic Fleet F-14 squadron to intercept a Soviet Tu-95 "Bear" on 23 April 1976. One of the routine tasks U.S. Navy F-14s performed was intercepting aircraft that approached U.S. carrier groups too closely. Soviet strategic bombers and maritime reconnaissance aircraft regularly patrolled near U.S. carriers during the Cold War and were often escorted away by F-14s.

F-14 Tomcats were the primary multirole fighters mostly intercepting the Tu-95 Bear D aircraft that flew anywhere in the vicinity of U.S. aircraft carriers during the Cold War. U.S. policy was not to let the Bear D come within several hundred miles of an aircraft carrier without an armed escort. During the height of the Cold War, a pair of Bear D aircraft would fly from the Kola peninsula to Cuba every week resulting in frequent intercepts as they passed along the Eastern coast of the United States. During the same time period, annual North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) exercise in the North Sea area elicited daily flights of Bear D aircraft operating in pairs to locate the aircraft carrier(s) in the area. Operations Northern Wedding and Ocean Safari typically brought at least one U.S. Navy carrier into the Greenland–Iceland–United Kingdom (GIUK) gap during the exercise prompting considerable monitoring by Soviet surface ships, submarines, and aircraft. Tomcats were utilized to provide around-the-clock fleet air defense intercepting not only Soviet Bear D aircraft, but also Tu-16 "Badger" maritime strike and M-4 "Bison", An-12 "Cub", and Il-38 "May" surveillance aircraft which routinely attempted to target aircraft carrier battle groups.

In 1976 an F-14 operating from was lost overboard near Scapa Flow sinking in water deep. The U.S. Navy, concerned that the Soviets might recover the wreckage and its AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, launched an underwater recovery operation costing several million dollars to salvage the wreckage.

Operations during the Lebanese Civil War (1976 and 1982–1986)

F-14s provided combat air patrols during Operation Fluid Drive, the evacuation of U.S. citizens from Beirut, Lebanon in 1976."VFA-143 Command History." U.S. Navy. Retrieved: 16 August 2012.

Between 1982 and 1986, F-14s performed combat air patrols and photo-reconnaissance in support of the Multinational Force in Lebanon and U.S. naval operations near the country's coast."VFA-143 Command History." U.S. Navy. Retrieved: 16 August 2012.Gillcrest 1994, p. 138.Peacock 1990, p. 44. Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) missions were used to identify artillery batteries firing on the peacekeeping force and provided target intelligence for naval gunfire support offshore."USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) History." Naval Historic Center. Retrieved: 16 August 2012.

From November 1983 to the Spring of 1984, F-14s from carriers with VF-142 and VF-143, USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) with VF-11 and VF-31 and with VF-14 and VF-32 flew almost daily TARPS missions over Lebanon.Lehman 1988, pp. 320–322."USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) History." 'Naval Historic Center. Retrieved: 16 August 2012. On 3 December 1983, two VF-31 F-14As from John F. Kennedy came under fire from Syrian anti-aircraft artillery and at least ten surface-to-air missiles while conducting a TARPS mission.Zenko, Micah. "When America Attacked Syria." Council on Foreign Relations, 13 February 2012. Retrieved: 16 August 2012. The F-14s were not hit and returned safely to the carrier.Martin and Walcott 1988, p. 140. The next day, Tomcats provided fighter cover for a retaliatory air strike on Syrian positions. On 14 December 1983, Syrian anti-aircraft units fired surface-to-air missiles at a flight VF-32 Swordsmen TARPS F-14 Tomcats. The missiles missed and the U.S. responded with naval gunfire from the battleship , destroying several anti-aircraft sites.

The Syrian Air Force avoided direct confrontation with U.S. forces, although there was at least one instance when F-14s engaged, but did not open fire on, Syrian aircraft.Jenkins 1997, p. 47. Two F-14As from VF-11 engaged eight Syrian MiGs over Lebanon; the section flew cover for a TARPS F-14 and was ready to open fire when the four MiGs that were being targeted flew back toward Syria.http://www.anft.net/f-14/f14-history-combat.htm#lebanon The other MiGs flew through without engaging.http://www.anft.net/f-14/f14-history-combat.htm#lebanon

Attempted rescue of American hostages in Iran (1980)

In April 1980, F-14s from VF-41 and VF-84 participated in an effort to free American hostages in Iran. The attempted rescue was called off during the early stages of execution.

Military operations directed at Libya (1980–1989)

F-14s were involved in multiple U.S. military operations directed at Libya between 1980 and 1989. During this period, F-14s shot down four Libyan Air Force aircraft in two aerial engagements over the Mediterranean Sea.

On 21 September 1980, three F-14s from John F. Kennedy challenged eight Libyan fighters attempting to intercept a U.S. Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance plane two hundred miles from the Libyan coast.Stanik 2003, p. 30. The Libyans disengaged once confronted by the U.S. fighters.

In the summer of 1981, F-14s from VF-41 and VF-84 performed combat air patrols in support of Freedom of Navigation operations in the Gulf of Sidra. Thirty-five pairs of Libyan Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers were intercepted and driven away from the U.S. fleet by F-14s from and F-4 "Phantom IIs" from on the first day of operations. The following day, on 19 August 1981, two Libyan Su-22 "Fitters" opened fire on two VF-41 F-14As with an AA-2 "Atoll" missile. The missile failed to hit either of the F-14s and the American pilots destroyed both Libyan aircraft with AIM-9L "Sidewinder" missiles. The USS Biddle Association USS Biddle (DLG/CG-34), 28 September 2007. Retrieved: 10 November 2010. These were the first aerial combat victories in U.S. Navy F-14s and the first for the U.S. since the Vietnam War.

From 24 July to 14 August 1983, F-14s assigned to USS Dwight D. Eisenhower were involved in Operation Arid Farmer, the code-name for U.S. military assistance to Sudan, Egypt and the government of Hissène Habré of Chad during the Chadian-Libyan conflict. F-14s performed combat air patrols over waters in and near the Gulf of Sidra during the operation. Several flights of Libyan fighters were intercepted with neither side opening fire.Cooper, Tom. ACIG Journal, Air Combat Information Group, 12 October 2007. Retrieved: 10 November 2010.

F-14As from VF-102 came under fire from Libyan SA-5 surface-to-air missiles over the Gulf of Sidra during Freedom of Navigation exercises as part of Operation Attain Document on 24 March 1986. The missiles did not hit the F-14s. Later the same day, F-14As from VF-33 intercepted two Libyan MiG-25 "Foxbats" heading toward the U.S. naval force. The Libyans were outmaneuvered by the Tomcats, which got behind the MiG-25s, but the Americans did not receive permission to open fire.Cooper, Tom. "Comment by Tom Cooper." Tomcat Sunset Forums. Retrieved: 26 October 2010. These events and several more surface-to-air missile launches prompted the U.S. Navy to initiate Operation Prairie Fire. F-14 Tomcats provided fighter cover during the operation.

On 15 April 1986, F-14s from VF-33, VF-102, VF-74 and VF-103 participated in Operation El Dorado Canyon, providing fighter cover for a series of air strikes against targets within Libya.

On 4 January 1989, two F-14As from VF-32 assigned to John F. Kennedy shot down two Libyan MiG-23 "Floggers" off the coast of Libya. The Libyan fighters appeared to be maneuvering for a missile firing position when the Americans concluded they were under attack.Thompson 1997, p. 32. The MiG-23s were shot down with AIM-7 "Sparrow" and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.

Somali anti-aircraft fire incident (1983) In April 1983, two F-14As from VF-102, operating from , were fired on by Somali anti-aircraft units with an SA-2 Guideline while on a photo-reconnaissance mission over the port of Berbera in the Gulf of Aden. The Tomcats were on a prearranged mission at the request of the Somali government but were mistaken for attacking Ethiopian MiG-23s."Command History, 1983." Fighter Squadron One Hundred Two, U.S. Navy. Retrieved: 16 August 2012. The F-14s were not hit and were able to complete the mission.

Invasion of Grenada (1983)

F-14s from VF-14 and VF-32, operating from USS Independence, flew combat air patrols and reconnaissance missions in support of Operation Urgent Fury, the U.S. invasion of Grenada in 1983. Tomcats from both squadrons provided fighter cover for Navy attack aircraft. TARPS-equipped F-14s from VF-32 also performed photo-mapping and post-strike damage assessment missions.

MS Achille Lauro incident (1985)

From 8 to 10 October 1985, F-14s from participated in operations involving the hijacked Italian cruise liner, . F-14As from VF-74 and VF-103 performed combat air patrols with the additional task of monitoring activity on the sea around Achille Lauro.Gillcrest 1994, p. 142. Members of the U.S. National Security Council devised a plan that involved using Saratogas F-14s to intercept an aircraft that was to carry the hijackers to safety after U.S. intelligence discovered Egyptian authorities were preparing to put the hijackers on an EgyptAir 737 being flown to Tunisia.Martin and Walcott 1988, p. 244.Heymann, Philip and Vlad Jenkins. "Achille Lauro Hijacking (Abstract)." JFK School of Government, Harvard University, 1 January 1988. Retrieved: 11 November 2010.

On 10 October 1985, F-14As were launched from Saratoga to perform the intercept. The 737's exact takeoff time, route and altitude were unknown;"A Hijack on the High Seas:- Part Two." BBC, 8 May 2002. Retrieved: 11 November 2010. so the plan involved crisscrossing the airliners's expected flight path over the Mediterranean Sea with an E-2C identifying contacts for the F-14s to perform positive identification on. The F-14s positively identified the correct airliner after four interceptions at night. The Tomcats formed up on the EgyptAir 737 and a U.S. Navy EA-6B jammed all of the airliner's communications except to the F-14s and E-2C. With the implied threat of a shoot-down, the 737's pilot chose to land at the NATO base in Sigonella, Sicily, where the airliner was quickly surrounded by U.S. and Italian security personnel."The 1985 Achille Lauro affair." Home of M.A.T.S. Retrieved: 11 November 2010.

Intervention in the "Tanker War" (1987–1988)