12 Fun Facts About The F-14 Tomcat

1) The F-14 made its first flight nearly 48 years ago, on December 21, 1970.

2) The F-14 was the largest and heaviest US fighter to fly from an aircraft carrier.

3) Depending on wing sweep, the fuselage provides between 40-60% of the total lift for the F-14.

4) The F-14 was the only launch platform for the AIMG-54 Phoenix missile, and it could carry up to 6 of the 1,000 pound missiles at a time.

5) The F-14 had one of the most powerful radars available at the time - it was able to track up to 24 targets at once.

6) The F-14 had incredible flexibility - it served as the Navy's maritime air superiority fighter, fleet defense interceptor, and aerial reconnaissance platform. That's three very different roles for one jet.

7) The only country currently operating the F-14 is...Iran.

8) The F-14s were exported to Iran in 1976, when the US had positive diplomatic relations with the country.

9) The F-14s wings can be 'overswept' to 75 degrees to save space on aircraft carriers.

10) During testing, an F-14 was landed on an aircraft carrier with an asymmetrical wing sweep.

11) The F-14 doesn't have ailerons. Instead, it uses wing spoilers at low speeds, and differential 'tailerons' at high speed.

12) The last F-14 combat mission was flown in 2006, but the 'Tomcat' is still one of the most unique, impressive, and fastest military aircraft ever built.

• By Colin Cutler