It’s All Over
…except for the singing.
‘Top Gun’ Fighter Jets End Final Mission
The Navy’s last two squadrons of F-14 Tomcats are heading home, ending the final combat deployment of the Cold War-era fighter jet that flew into the danger zone with Tom Cruise in “Top Gun.”
Damn.
Headin’ into twilight
Spreadin’ out her wings tonight
She got you jumpin’ off the deck
And shovin’ into overdrive
Highway to the Danger Zone
I’ll take you
Right into the Danger Zone…
Military Thingies | tree hugging sister | 
March 7, 2006 10:25 am
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Curse Dick for ordering the tools destroyed. The Tomcat 21 was a helluva better aircraft than the Sewer Hornet. I’ll never forgive him for killing the Super Tomcat.
The pride of Long Island and Grumman Inc. My dad would be very sad to see this day.
Cheney ordered the tooling destroyed? What kind of pathelogical maniac is he? He killed the A-12, the P-4, and now you’re telling me he destroyed the tooling for the F-14? Madness.
He must hate the navy or something.
And his and Rumsfeld’s preoccupation with special forces is a bit worrisome.
What kinda goomba is he/them? Lord. As IF Hornets could do everything, lawn dart pieces of sh*t. I’d sure like to know what McDonnell-Douglas/Boeing et al, has paid out in graft ever since they sent the Intruder to the Rainbow Bridge.
Grumman had submitted several proposals to the Navy to upgrade the Tomcat beyond the D model (such as the Super Tomcat 21, the cheaper QuickStrike version, and the more advanced Attack Super Tomcat 21) but the Super Hornet was chosen as the future Navy attack aircraft instead. Speculation was that Grumman felt they were the only serious option for the Navy to consider and quoted them an inflated estimate for building new F-14s (the airframes already in use were approaching the end of their lives). In an act of reprisal, then-Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney ordered Grumman to destroy the tooling and molds for the F-14. There is some debate whether the destruction was actually carried out in full, however Grumman was acquired by Northrop in 1994 (the F-14 was probably the only program keeping them in business), sealing the fate of the F-14.