Tomcats and Eagles: The Development of the F-14 and F-15 in the Cold War

During the first half of the?1970s, two new fighter aircraft entered operational service in the United States: The?Navy's?Grumman F-14 Tomcat?and?the Air?Force's?McDonnell Douglas F-15?Eagle. These?two aircraft?were part of?the backbone?of the tactical air power of the United?States;?their?introduction was accompanied by comprehensive reforms in pilot?training as well as new technologies and weapon systems.?In?addition to the tactical significance of the two aircraft as innovative fighting platforms,?however,?their development and deployment?should be viewed within a?broad?geopolitical and geostrategic context.??

Tovy?explains how the F-14 Tomcat and the F-15 Eagle were an integral part of the aerial?component?of the conventional arms race within the Cold War.?He argues that the trend of Soviet advanced weapon systems development created a?perception?of threat to the United States, challenging its conventional military power. Tomcats and Eagles?explores how the Vietnam War accelerated the need for advanced fighter-interceptors, and that the lessons learned from aerial combat in Vietnam had a significant impact on the design and operational characteristics of the F-15.?The author reveals that after F-14s were sold to Iran and F-15s to Israel in the second half of the 1970s, these?jets were integrated into their armed forces, leading to Israel's use of the F-15 during the First Lebanese War. Finally,?the author?provides an in-depth look at the operation of the F-14 and F-15 in U.S. actions in?Southeast Asia, beginning with the Tanker Wars in the mid-1980s, through?Operation?Desert Storm and Operation Enduring?Freedom,?and?ending with Operation Iraqi Freedom.