This Crazy Video Of An F-14 Tomcat Blasting By Another At High-Altitude Will Make Your Day

Updated Jul 14, 2020 12:18 PM EDT

Many people regard the F-14 Tomcat as the coolest jet the U.S. Navy ever flew and a video clip making the rounds online only helps to endorse that feeling. Few fighter aircraft stir the emotions like the big Grumman fighter , even though the type was retired from American service nearly 14 years ago.

This footage, seen below, that has surfaced on Twitter is pure aviation gold and it captures an incredible moment as an F-14D makes a close, high speed, pass to overtake another Tomcat, possibly the flight leader or wingman. The jet’s wings are fully swept for a very high-speed pass followed by a sharp crossing maneuver.

The clip is a particularly dynamic moment from the final cruise video made by Navy Fighter Squadron 31 (VF-31), the “Tomcatters,” filmed during the final weeks of Navy F-14 operations in 2006. The full video, which is well worth watching, is available below.

The aircraft in the video clip on Twitter is BuNo 164603, which was first delivered on May 29, 1992, to Fighter Squadron 124 (VF-124), the “Gunfighters,” but ended its flying career as “Bandwagon 101” in a specially-painted retro scheme with VF-31. The latter squadron was one of the last two operational Navy Tomcat units, flying alongside Fighter Squadron (VF-213), the “Black Lions.” The “Tomcatters’ official radio callsign is “Bandwagon.”

With wings swept, “Bandwagon 101” makes a high-speed pass., U.S. Navy/PM3C Christopher B. Long

These two units had the honor of making the final operational deployment with the F-14 in 2005-2006 as part of Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt . Both squadrons returned to their home at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, in March 2006, to see out the final months of Tomcat operations.

“Bandwagon 101” prepares to launch from the USS Theodore Roosevelt on February 7, 2006, during the F-14D’s final cruise., U.S. Navy/PM3C Michael D. Cole

Aircrews from the “Tomcatters” return to NAS Oceana on March 10, 2006 having completed the final Tomcat deployment., U.S. Navy/PM2C Steven King

F-14s still fly today in Iran with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, but the U.S Navy officially said goodbye to the Tomcat on September 22, 2006, with a “sundown Ceremony” at Oceana.

Officially, the final flight of a Tomcat in U.S Navy service fell to the actual jet in this video clip, the smartly-painted BuNo 164603, which on Oct. 4, 2006, made one final journey to Farmingdale Republic Airport, New York. It is now displayed outside the Northrop Grumman plant in Bethpage, New York, Grumman’s original headquarters and where F-14 major assemblies were manufactured .

While the Navy Tomcats are long retired, they are still awe-inspiring beasts to watch in action, as evidenced in this fantastic clip.

Contact the author: Jamie@thedrive.com

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更新于美国东部时间2020年7月14日下午12:18

许多人认为F-14“雄猫”战斗机是美国海军有史以来最酷的战机，一段在网上流传的视频更是印证了这种看法。尽管这款格鲁曼公司的大型战斗机已从美国海军退役近14年，但很少有战斗机能像它一样激起人们的情感。

这段在推特上流传的视频堪称航空界的瑰宝，它捕捉到了一个令人难以置信的瞬间：一架F-14D战机以极高的速度近距离超越另一架“雄猫”战机，后者可能是长机或僚机。为了完成高速掠过，这架战机的机翼完全后掠，随后又进行了一次急转弯。

这段视频节选自海军第31战斗机中队（VF-31，绰号“雄猫”）在2006年海军F-14战斗机最后几周执行任务期间拍摄的最后一次巡航视频，画面极具动感。完整视频（非常值得一看）可在下方观看。

推特视频片段中的飞机是BuNo 164603，它于1992年5月29日首次交付给第124战斗机中队（VF-124），绰号“枪手”。但其飞行生涯的终点是VF-31中队，该中队以“Bandwagon 101”的呼号，采用特殊的复古涂装。VF-31中队是海军最后两个仍在服役的F-14“雄猫”战斗机部队之一，与VF-213战斗机中队（VF-213），绰号“黑狮”并肩作战。“雄猫”的官方无线电呼号是“Bandwagon”。

“Bandwagon 101”号飞机机翼后掠，高速掠过。（美国海军/三级军士长克里斯托弗·B·朗摄）

这两个中队荣幸地在 2005-2006 年作为第八舰载航空联队 (CVW-8) 的一部分，在“西奥多·罗斯福”号航空母舰上完成了 F-14 的最后一次作战部署。这两个中队于 2006 年 3 月返回位于弗吉尼亚州奥希阿纳海军航空站的基地，完成了“雄猫”战机的最后几个月作战任务。

2006年2月7日，在F-14D战斗机的最后一次巡航期间，“Bandwagon 101”号准备从“西奥多·罗斯福”号航空母舰上起飞。（美国海军/三级军士长迈克尔·D·科尔摄）

2006年3月10日，完成最后一次“雄猫”战斗机部署任务后，“雄猫”战斗机机组人员返回奥希阿纳海军航空站。（美国海军/二级军士长史蒂文·金摄）

F-14 战斗机至今仍在伊朗伊斯兰共和国空军服役，但美国海军于 2006 年 9 月 22 日在奥希阿纳举行“日落仪式”，正式向“雄猫”战斗机告别。

官方记录显示，美国海军最后一架“雄猫”战斗机正是视频中这架涂装精美的BuNo 164603，它于2006年10月4日完成了最后一次飞行，抵达纽约州法明代尔共和国机场。如今，它陈列在纽约州贝斯佩奇的诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司工厂外，该工厂是格鲁曼公司的原总部所在地，也是F-14战斗机主要部件的生产地。

虽然海军的雄猫战斗机早已退役，但它们在战场上的表现仍然令人叹为观止，这段精彩的视频就证明了这一点。

联系作者：Jamie@thedrive.com

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