F-14's in Vietnam War

[pilotyip]

Someone had commented that the board was getting stale same old stuff, so I thought I would post a new thread, the question is, did the F-14 ever fly armed combat missions over Vietnam?

 

[NEDude]

Can't say for sure, but I am pretty sure that it did not. I think it was still in development and trials when the American involvement ended.

 

[jarhead]

Three early F-14As were delivered in the autumn of 1972 to VX-4 at NAS Point Mugu, California for operational evaluation. The replacement squadron VF-124 at NAS Miramar received its first Tomcats in June of 1972. The job of VF-124 was to train Tomcat crews for duty with operational carrier-based squadrons. The first two operational Tomcat squadrons were VF-1 Wolfpack and VF-2 Bounty Hunters, both based at NAS Miramar. These units deployed aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in mid-1974.

 

[StrykerFL]

Delivery of the first combat Tomcat was made in June 1972 and the first deployment of VF-1 Wolf Pack and VF-2 Bounty Hunter (the first two squadron of the Tomcat) was on CVN-65 USS Enterprise.

The last troops departed Vietnam in August 1972 ending all U.S. involvement.

 

[414Flyer]

F-14s did fly CAP over South Vietnam in 75, possibly late 74 too, from the Enterprise.

 

[Boomhauer]

Tomcat’s official intro to the fleet occurred on October 14 1972 with commissioning of two squadrons VF-1 and VF-2. But neither one of the squadrons were new in fact both were the oldest in the Navy.

The F-14's were put sea for the first time in an operational deployment aboard the Big E, September 17, 1974 and it was on this deployment the Tomcat DID fly CAP for the withdrawal from Vietnam in 1975.

Boomhauer

 

[EagleRJ]

I've seen people wearing flight jackets that would suggest they flew the F-14 in Vietnam, with the 101st Airborne. That must have been after their tour in the China-Burma-India theatre!

Seriously, though. Did the North Vietnamese ever try to mount an air attack against our assets off the coast? The Navy might not have seen a need to rush the new fleet-defence fighter into service if there wasn't a threat to counter.

 

[JimNtexas]

I can confirm that F-14s flew CAP for the evaulation of Siagon.

They did a number of hook ID passes on some of my Wild Weasel instructors.

Any AA pilots can ask Jay Suggs for the details.

 

[jarhead]

What were they "evaluating"?