Tomcats and Eagles

During the first half of the1970s, two new fighter aircraft entered operational service in the United States: TheNavy'sGrumman F-14 Tomcatandthe AirForce'sMcDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. Thesetwo aircraftwere part ofthe backboneof the tactical air power of the UnitedStates;theirintroduction was accompanied by comprehensive reforms in pilottraining as well as new technologies and weapon systems.Inaddition to the tactical significance of the two aircraft as innovative fighting platforms,however,their development and deploymentshould be viewed within abroadgeopolitical and geostrategic context. Tovyexplains how the F-14 Tomcat and the F-15 Eagle were an integral part of the aerialcomponentof the conventional arms race within the Cold War.He argues that the trend of Soviet advanced weapon systems development created aperceptionof threat to the United States, challenging its conventional military power. Tomcats and Eaglesexplores 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, thesejets were integrated into their armed forces, leading to Israel's use of the F-15 during the First Lebanese War. Finally,the authorprovides an in-depth look at the operation of the F-14 and F-15 in U.S. actions inSoutheast Asia, beginning with the Tanker Wars in the mid-1980s, throughOperationDesert Storm and Operation EnduringFreedom,andending with Operation Iraqi Freedom.