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April 2, 2009 Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2009/April/09-nsd-297.html Defendant Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Export Military Aircraft Parts to Iran WASHINGTON – Traian Bujduveanu has pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Florida to a charge of conspiring to illegally export military and dual use aircraft parts to Iran. Bujduveanu appeared on behalf of himself and his now defunct corporation, Orion Aviation, in federal court in Miami today to announce his guilty plea. Bujduveanu’s co-defendant, Hassan Keshari, and his corporation, Kesh Air International, pleaded guilty in January 2009, and are awaiting sentencing. The guilty plea was announced...

<p>Someday you may be invited to fly in the backseat of one of your country's most powerful fighter jets. Many of you already have -- John Elway, John Stockton, Tiger Woods to name a few. If you get this opportunity, let me urge you, with the greatest sincerity....</p>

Two men were recently arrested on charges of conspiring to export military aircraft parts to Iran. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency states Hassan Saied Keshari and Traian Bujduveanu are charged in a federal Criminal Complaint with conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the United States Iran Embargo, and the Arms Export Control Act for their participation in a conspiracy to export US-made military aircraft parts to Iran. According to the affidavit filed in support of the Criminal Complaint, Keshari owns and operates Kesh Air International, a business located in Novato, CA. Bujduveanu owns and operates...

United States Navy Pilot Lieutenant Commander David Burnham and Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) Lieutenant Commander Bruce Defibaugh attached to Fighter Squadron Two (VF-2), bring their [transonic] F-14D "Super Tomcat" through the sound barrier during an air-power demonstration with USS Constellation (CV 64) battlegroup on 10 July 1999. Large or medium photo via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20040818.htm (photo 10). Image ID: 990710-N-6483G-001 PhotographerEnsign John Gay, United States Navy

An Iranian-born United States citizen was sentenced here yesterday in US District Court to two years in prison and six months of home confinement for illegaly exporting US military aircraft parts to Iran via associates in Germany and the United Arab Emirates. Reza Tabib, 52, of Irvine, CA, pleaded guilty in June 2006 to violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which prohibits the export and re-export to Iran of certain items of US origin. The prosecution is the result of a joint investigation by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). In...

Iranian F-14s Fly Again January 31, 2008: The U.S. has now forbidden the sale of any F-14 aircraft components. This is to prevent Iran from getting any parts with which to keep its dwindling fleet of F-14s operational. All surplus F-14s, and F-14 components, must be destroyed. The U.S. Navy has been doing that, since last year, to the retired F-14s it has. It is believed that Iran has restored at least three of its three-decade old F-14A jets to operational status. More F-14As are to be restored this year. There is, however, the matter of credibility and capability. For...

WASHINGTON - President Bush signed legislation Monday prohibiting the Pentagon from selling leftover F-14 fighter jet parts, a move prompted by security gaps in the military's surplus auction. Those gaps made the surplus auction a prime place for Iran to shop for the spares it desperately needs for its Tomcat fleet. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., proposed the ban after The Associated Press reported last year that buyers for Iran, China and other countries exploited weaknesses in Pentagon surplus-sale security to obtain sensitive military equipment including parts for F-14s and other aircraft and for missile components....

Charges: 2 Tried to Export F-14 Parts Oct 7, 2007 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Two Utah men are accused of trying to illegally export surplus pieces of F-14 fighter jets, a plane that is flown only in Iran. Abraham Trujillo, 61, and David Waye, 22, both of Ogden, are alleged to have tried exporting the parts to Canada, but the charges don't specify how they supposedly got the parts and don't list all buyers. Federal agents placed online orders, then intercepted the goods before they made it out of the country, the charges said. Trujillo and Waye were charged...

Pair accused of peddling pieces from F-4, F-14 aircraft over the Internet By Nate Carlisle The Salt Lake Tribune 10/05/2007 12:09:12 PM MDT Federal prosecutors on Friday announced charges against two Ogden men accused of illegally selling parts for fighter jets over the Internet. Abraham Trujillo, 61, and David Waye, 22, both are charged with three counts of illegal arms exporting in federal court in Salt Lake City. The U.S. attorney's office says federal immigration agents discovered a Web site with listings of F-14 parts offered by Trujillo and his Ogden business, NSN Specialists. Over the next several months in...

Iran upgrading its U.S. F-14s, testing GPS-guided smart bombs LONDON — Iran says it has succeeded both in restoring its F-14 fighter-jet fleet to operational service and in developing its own GPS-guided smart bomb. Industry sources said Iranian defense firms have been overhauling and upgrading F-14A fighter-jets. They said the Defense Ministry has overseen a serial production line for F-14 overhaul. The ministry has administered a project by the state-owned Iranian Aircraft Industries Complex to enhance the F-14As, Middle East Newsline reported. The sources said the project began in 2007, and since May three F-14As were upgraded. In 1972, Iran...

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon has mistakenly sold the public about 1,400 aircraft parts that Iran is known to be seeking for its aging fleet of U.S. F-14 "Tomcat" fighter planes, according to a government report. The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, told lawmakers the aircraft parts were subject to controls that should have kept them from the public but that a technical glitch allowed for their sale. The Pentagon suspended the sale of all F-14 related parts, including simple nuts and bolts, in January. But the GAO said the aircraft parts were sold to unidentified...

The Pentagon accidentally sold to the public more than a thousand aircraft parts that could be used on the F-14 fighter jet -- a plane flown only by Iran -- after saying it had halted such sales, government investigators say. In a report obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, says the Defense Department has greatly improved security in its surplus sales program to prevent the improper selling of sensitive items. However, GAO investigators found that roughly 1,400 parts that could be used on F-14 "Tomcat" fighter jets were sold to...

A mechanical monster grabs the F-14 fighter jet and chews through one wing and then another, ripping off the Tomcat's appendages before moving on to its guts. Finally, all that's left is a pile of shredded rubble — like the scraps from a Thanksgiving turkey. Within a workday, a $38 million fighter jet that once soared as a showpiece of U.S. air power can be destroyed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, home to the military's "boneyard" for retired aircraft. The Pentagon is paying a contractor at least $900,000 to destroy old F-14s, a jet affectionately nicknamed "the turkey," rather than...

WASHINGTON - A mechanical monster grabs the F-14 fighter jet and chews through one wing and then another, ripping off the Tomcat's appendages before moving onto its guts. Finally, all that's left is a pile of shredded rubble _ like the scraps from a Thanksgiving turkey. The Pentagon is paying a contractor at least $900,000 to destroy old F-14s, a jet affectionately nicknamed "the turkey," rather than sell the spares at the risk of their falling into the wrong hands, including Iran's. Within a workday, a $38 million fighter jet that once soared as a showpiece of U.S. airpower can...

F-14 Parts, Anyone? How Iran obtains restricted military technology from the Defense Dept. To friends and family, Reza Tabib had seemed an inspiration, proof an immigrant could launch life anew. The son of an Iranian judge, Tabib was a flight instructor at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif. He spoke four languages and could be counted on for level-headed advice, and a laugh. Agents with the Pentagon's Defense Criminal Investigative Service discovered Tabib had another talent: procuring restricted aircraft and missile parts for the Iranian military. On May 7, a federal judge in Santa Ana, Calif., sentenced Tabib, 52,...

Federal agents seized four F-14 Tomcat fighters in San Bernardino County on Tuesday — three from airplane museums — after investigators determined that the jets were not demilitarized and were improperly sold or transferred to private companies, including the producer of the TV show "JAG," authorities said. When the jets were retired in the mid-1990s at the Naval Air Station at Point Mugu, Navy officials failed to ensure that the aircraft were stripped of military hardware, according to a court affidavit filed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Three of the fighter jets then were sold, in "unauthorized...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Tuesday said it had stopped selling surplus parts for the F-14 fighter jet, saying it was the "right thing to do," given congressional concerns that some parts could land in the hands of Iran. Iran, which is facing strong Western opposition to its nuclear program, is the only country still flying the F-14, also called the Tomcat, since the U.S. military retired the plane in July. The Pentagon's Defense Logistics Agency said it halted sales of certain sensitive F-14 parts in February 2006, but the ban now covered all F-14 parts until the government...

Pentagon Halts Sale of F-14 Parts Tuesday January 30, 2007 11:31 PM By SHARON THEIMER Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon said Tuesday it had halted sales of spare parts from its recently retired F-14 fighter jet fleet, even as lawmakers pledged tougher oversight of the military's surplus sales to stop buyers for Iran and other countries from acquiring gear. Sales of F-14 parts were suspended last Friday pending a comprehensive review, said Defense Logistics Agency spokesman Jack Hooper said. ``It was the prudent thing to do,'' he said. The review will examine Pentagon policy for handling the...

With the final retirement of the Tomcat in the fall of last year, no airworthy examples of Grumman’s ultimate ‘Cold War’ fighter now remain in active service with the US Navy. However, some 70 plus airframes are on display at various museums in 25 states from Florida in the southeast to Washington in the northwest -- and Hawaii is due to receive an ex-VF-31 jet in 2007. Yet despite the F-14 performing on a global stage for more than 30 years, the only Tomcats to be found outside of the USA are the 44 A-models currently operated by the Islamic...

Awesome, beautiful view of twenty-two U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcat fighters with Carrier Air Wing 8 (CVW-8) flying in formation -- "The Wedge Formation" -- over NAS Oceana on 10 March 2006. Photographer: Paul Tiller, http://www.outermarker.co.uk The Story and More CVW-8 Homecoming Photos by Paul Tiller "The Last Cat home... is not a pussy!" (http://www.outermarker.co.uk/Articles/CVW8/cvw8.htm)http://www.outermarker.co.uk/Articles/CVW8/cvw8a.htm (photo gallery)

ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Russia handed over to China a destroyer equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry on Thursday, finalising a $1.5 billion deal analysts say boosts Beijing's clout in its stand-off with Taiwan. "The handover act was signed today, and a Chinese flag was hoisted on the ship," a Russian defence industry source told Reuters, requesting anonymity. The warship was the fourth Project 956E 'Sovremenny' (Modern) class destroyer built at the Northern Shipyard in Russia's second city St Petersburg and sold to China under a 2002 deal through Russia's state arms trader Rosoboronexport. In the late 1990s China bought two...

060115-N-7571S-002 Persian Gulf, 15 January 2006 - An F-14D Tomcat assigned to the "Tomcatters" of Fighter Squadron Three One (VF-31) sits parked on the flight deck aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Photographer Lithographer's Mate 3rd Class Jonathan Snyder, United States Navy Viahttp://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=31253http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/photos/060115-N-7571S-002.jpg

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The F-14 Tomcat, the dogfighting Cold War fighter jet immortalized in the movie "Top Gun," made its ceremonial final flight Friday in a display that suggested the timing was right for retirement. Pilot Lt. Cmdr. David Faehnle and radar intercept officer Lt. Cmdr. Robert Gentry gave a final salute from inside their cockpit before aircraft no. 102 taxied down the runway and out of sight at Oceana Naval Air Station. The plane that actually took off as thousands applauded and whistled, however, was aircraft no. 107, with Lt. Cmdr. Chris Richard at the controls and intercept...

CNN Pipeline #4 showing live feed of last USN F-14 Tomcat flight. Crew is turning on engines now.

The Tomcat Sunset Committee is a nonprofit, nonfederal entity established to plan and execute the farewell ceremonies for the F-14 Tomcat in September, 2006. The Committee is chaired by Rear Admiral Fred Lewis, USN (Ret) and includes retired military and industry representatives associated with the Tomcat legacy. snip Ratheon and Northrop Grumman are the main sponsors of this event. See the website for details. Here's an awesome video of the Tomcat Goodbye to a great aircraft!

Iran's Mix-and-Match Air Force Still May Have Bite Aviation Week & Space Technology 09/11/2006 Authors: Douglas Barrie and Andy Nativi Israel's 1981 strike against Iraq's Osirak nuclear site was achieved without loss of any aircraft. But it is far from guaranteed that an attack intended to degrade any Iranian nuclear weapons program would have the same outcome. The Iranian air force inventory is a mix of Western, Russian and Chinese combat aircraft--most of them obsolescent. Any spares for Western aircraft will have to be bought surreptitiously, or be work-arounds found using local technology because an arms embargo remains in place....

Photo #1: 060728-N-7241L-026 Atlantic Ocean (July 28, 2006) - An F-14D Tomcat, aircraft number 100, assigned to the "Tomcatters" of Fighter Squadron Three One (VF-31) makes a near supersonic fly-by above the flight deck of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). The F-14 will officially retire in September 2006, after 32 years of service to the fleet. Theodore Roosevelt is completing Joint Task Force Exercises with USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Laird (RELEASED). Caption Source: http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=37555 - Big Image Link: http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/photos/060728-N-7241L-026.jpg Photo #2: 060728-N-7241L-015 Atlantic Ocean (July 28, 2006)...

Jane Melia and Charlie Coughlan look at the tail section of an F-14 Tomcat from Oceana Naval Air Station that washed ashore at Long Strand near Owenahincha, Ireland, on May 5. DENIS MINIHANE PHOTOS / THE IRISH EXAMINER By JACK DORSEY, The Virginian-Pilot © May 10, 2006 NORFOLK — A tail section from an F-14 Tomcat discovered on a beach in Ireland came from an Oceana-based plane that crashed 3½ years ago off Key West, Fla., the Navy confirmed Tuesday. How it got at least 4,900 miles away, no one knows for certain.As if it had been a corked...

NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- The last F-14 Tomcat to fly a combat mission over Iraq made its final flight from USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) to Naval Air Station Pensacola April 13. The Tomcat will be immortalized at the National Museum of Naval Aviation here as the final decommissioning stages close and training for its replacement, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, continue. “Bittersweet,” is how Lt. Cmdr. Mark Stufflebeem, the aircraft’s pilot, referred to the final mission. “We were the last aircraft from our squadron to leave, because we’ve had aircraft go to a lot of museums around...

from the "Modern Marvels" of the History Channel website: October 7, 2001: Missiles from lethal US jets rain down onto Afghanistan. One powerful and deadly plane led the majority of the assaults--the F-14 Tomcat, the world's most complete military fighter. No other fighter jet carries the F-14's unique combination of weapons. Its state-of-the-art system can spot an oncoming enemy plane at almost 200 miles. Its radar can detect targets as low as 50 feet and as high as 80,000 feet and does so three times faster than the radar of any other fighter jet. TVPG

Awesome video of a truly awesome jet! F-14 Video

'Top Gun' Jets Retired By U.S. Navy F-14s To Be Replaced By Super Hornets POSTED: 5:52 pm EST March 10, 2006 UPDATED: 7:18 pm EST March 10, 2006 VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The last two squadrons of the Tomcat -- the sleek, Cold War fighter jet -- returned home from their final deployment Friday, two decades after the warplanes were glamorized in the 1986 Tom Cruise movie "Top Gun." All 22 Tomcats of fighter squadrons VF-213 and VF-31 arrived in style, flying together in a wedge formation over Oceana Naval Air Station as hundreds of sailors and their family and...

ASSOCIATED PRESS VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- There will be no more dogfights for the Tomcat. The last two squadrons of the sleek, Cold War fighter jet returned home from their final deployment Friday, two decades after the warplanes were glamorized in the 1986 Tom Cruise movie "Top Gun." All 22 Tomcats of fighter squadrons VF-213 and VF-31 arrived in style, flying together in a wedge formation over Oceana Naval Air Station as hundreds of sailors and their family and friends cheered. Some wore T-shirts reading "Tomcats Forever" and a banner proclaimed, "Last Fly-In, Baby!" "We're putting the premier fighter to...

<p>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. The Tomcats will be replaced by F/A-18 Super Hornets.</p>

051230-N-7241L-006 Persian Gulf (Dec. 30, 2005) - An F-14D Tomcat assigned to the "Tomcatters" of Fighter Squadron Three One (VF-31) performs a high-speed fly-by past USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). The nuclear powered aircraft carrier and embarked Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) are underway on a regularly scheduled deployment conducting maritime security operations (MSO) and close-air-support missions under Operation Iraqi Freedom.U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate Airman Apprentice Nathan Laird (RELEASED)

PATUXENT RIVER , Md., Dec. 6, 2005 – For a people who first heard of it while they lived under Soviet influence, this U.S. Navy fighter aircraft is of great public interest. Polish citizens invariably know it by name. Employees of PZL-Swidnik even refer to it with a hint of ownership – the F-14 Tomcat. " The recent agreement paves the way for the eventual creation of long-term technical and economic benefits that will produce dividends for both the U.S. and Poland." Czes Covington A business bridge between the U.S. Navy’s F-14 program and a Polish aerospace company is in...

". . . The True Tomcat Believers still couldn't quite bring themselves to accept that this was the last time they would see their favorite aircraft on display, but indeed this demonstration ship departed from Oceana on the day after the airshow, on its way to the Castle Air Museum in California." The Linkhttp://www.richard-seaman.com/Aircraft/AirShows/Oceana2005/Highlights

End of an Era, the F-14 tomcat makes its final public appearance. VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- The venerable F-14 Tomcat took a final bow with a boom at its last air show Sept. 16-18 at Naval Air Station Oceana, Va. The classic Northrup Grumman fighter jet that rose to prominence in the 1986 hit film "Top Gun" and has worn U.S. Navy colors since its first test flight in 1970 attracted a legion of fans from around the world at its public goodbye. “It’s basically a bittersweet day for us,” said Lt. Cortney Kinna, an F-14 naval flight officer...

An F-14 Tomcat fighter jet was set in place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Monday in ceremonies marking an important milestone in construction of the Air Force One Pavilion, which is expected to open in the fall. Addressing a crowd of hundreds of guests, Rear Adm. David J. Venlet said the Air Force One exhibit and others at the library and museum tell the story of President Reagan's legacy. "It does a great job of highlighting the military's impact in the defense of freedom," said Venlet, who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for action in the Gulf...

SIMI VALLEY- An F-14 Tomcat fighter jet will be hoisted into a permanent display area next week close to the nearly completed Air Force One Pavilion at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. The 30,000-pound Northrop Grumman aircraft will be carried by a crane outside the pavilion in a ceremony celebrating Reagan's "peace through strength" strategy and marking a milestone in the making of the Air Force One Pavilion. "This is the last of the really large artifacts coming to the library to complete the Air Force One Pavilion," said Melissa Giller, director of communications for the Reagan Library....

United States Navy (USN) F-14B Tomcat assigned to the "Swordsmen" of Fighter Squadron Three Two (VF-32)with its stylish Prandtl-Glauert condensation cloud on March 30, 2005 in the Mediterranean Sea. The PhotographerPhotographer's Mate 3rd Class Justin S. Osborne, USNThe SourceNavy NewsStand - Eye on the Fleet Photo Gallery, USNhttp://www.news.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=23503, USN Image ID: 050330-N-0382O-503 The Big Image Linkhttp://www.news.navy.mil/management/photodb/photos/050330-N-0382O-503.jpg

The title of the Big-Boys.com piece is "I Gotta Get Me One of These!" If you're into airplanes at all, one look at the video for this 6' long jet-powered F-14 Tomcat in full test-flight mode will have you uttering similar sentiments. http://www.big-boys.com/articles/f14model.html This is AWESOME!

Farewell and welcome on Oceana's runways The Virginian-Pilot © April 8, 2005 Few sights compare to that of an F-14 Tomcat soaring through the blue sky above Virginia Beach. Residents and tourists alike delight in glimpsing the jets wheeling and plummeting over the ocean, or rocketing full tilt from the NAS Oceana runways, their distinctive delta-winged shape more reminiscent of a sci-fi fighter plane than a U.S. Navy workhorse. The F-14's grace and elegant design almost always elicit a pause, a sigh, a pointed finger or a sense of wonder at how a triangle can fly. The Tomcat is an...

Now this message for America's most famous athletes: Someday you may be invited to fly in the backseat of one of your country's most powerful fighter jets. Many of you already have -- John Elway, John Stockton, Tiger Woods to name a few. If you get this opportunity, let me urge you, with the greatest sincerity.... Move to Guam. Change your name. Fake your own death. Whatever you do, do not go. I know. The U.S. Navy invited me to try it. I was thrilled. I was pumped. I was toast! I should've known when they told me my pilot...

An F-14 "Tomcat" fighter jet assigned to the "Jolly Rogers" of Fighter Squadron One Zero Three (VF-103), September 26, 2002, United States Navy. Photographer: Journalist 2nd Class David Valdez, United States Navy Original U.S. Navy source: http://www.news.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=2827 (has more information) and http://www.news.navy.mil/management/photodb/photos/020926-N-2781V-170.jpg (big image) Above photo from: Dr. Mark S. Cramer's "Gallery of Fluid Mechanics" WWW site (http://GalleryofFluidMechanics.com), the Prandtl-Glauert Gallery (An Eerie Condensation Cloud), http://www.GalleryOfFluidMechanics.com/conden/eerief14.htm and http://www.GalleryOfFluidMechanics.com/conden/ef14b.htmPhoto caption from: ChamorroBible.org WWW site's "Photograph of the Day" for August 17, 2004 (Part 1 of 2, photo #5), http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20040817.htmExplanation for this scary Prandtl-Glauert condensation cloud: "P-G Clouds" tutorial by Dr....

    Official U.S. Navy file photo of an F-14D Tomcat assigned to Fighter Squadron (VF) 31. The return of the squadron marks the final deployment of the F-14 Tomcat to the Pacific Coast. View Larger Download HiRes   Tomcatters Return from Pacific DeploymentStory Number: NNS041029-01Release Date: 10/29/2004 7:24:00 AMFrom Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet Public AffairsNORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The “Tomcatters” of Fighter Squadron (VF) 31 will return to their home base at Naval Air Station Oceana Oct. 31, following a five-month deployment to the Western Pacific aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN...

Officer in charge of Tomcat squadron relieved of duties The Virginian-Pilot © October 18, 2004 Last updated: 1:13 PM The commanding officer of an F-14 Tomcat squadron assigned to the carrier John F. Kennedy in the Persian Gulf was relieved of command Sunday. Cmdr. Guy Maiden, who has led the “Jolly Rogers” since Sept. 1, was relieved for an undisclosed “liberty incident,” said Mike Maus, deputy public affairs officer for the Atlantic Fleet Naval Air Force, headquartered in Norfolk. The action was taken by Rear Adm. Barry McCullough , commander of the Kennedy Strike Group, aboard the Kennedy, which is...

Navy Retires AIM-54 Phoenix Missile For media backgrounder and chronology of events visit http://pao.navair.navy.mil/Press_Releases/ Program Executive Office for Tactical Aircraft, NAVAIR, Patuxent River, MD After 30 years of highly accomplished service, the U.S. Navy is retiring its first long-range air-to-air missile, the AIM-54 Phoenix. The U.S. Navy’s F-14 Tomcat is the only operational aircraft that carried the Phoenix missile. "As we retire the AIM-54 Phoenix missile, we pay tribute to the men and women of Naval Aviation, Grumman and Hughes who designed, tested and operationally employed the Phoenix for over 30 years. Since the earliest days of carrier aviation, air...

The Virginian-Pilot © September 13, 2004 Last updated: 8:56 AM Cmdr. Dave “Mongo” Koss checks an F/A-18 at Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach. Photos by Bill Tiernan/The Virginian-Pilot. VIRGINIA BEACH — The Navy has long stressed training the way it fights. But at Oceana Naval Air Station, that is no longer the case. It has been years since the base’s Navy pilots have been able to practice like they fight, and the gulf between the two is growing. The reason: jet noise. The chief purpose of Oceana, the Navy’s East Coast master jet base, is to train...

ONBOARD USS JOHN C. STENNIS, Sasebo, Japan — The U.S. Navy’s meanest, fastest and most agile fighter jet, nearing retirement, is deployed in the western Pacific Ocean for the last time. The Grumman F-14, which entered military service in 1972, also is a movie star. At least for aviation aficionados, it upstaged actors including Tom Cruise in the film “Top Gun.” Pilots flying the F-14s are from Fighter Squadron Three One, or VF-31, from Virginia Beach, Va. The VF-31 Tomcatters, also known as the “Felix the Cat” squadron, now are embarked on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis....