Retired from the US Navy’s active fleet on Sept. 22, 2006 after having been replaced by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat was the first of the American teen-series fighters.
These fighters were designed based on experience from air combat against MiG fighters during the Vietnam War. Made famous by the movie Top Gun, the F-14 was created for the US Navy as an interceptor, air superiority, and multi-role combat aircraft.
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 was a Soviet third-generation fighter jet created as an interceptor and fighter-bomber jet. The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 is the main fighter jet of all communist countries and most countries considered to be enemies of the US. The MiG-23 was the fighter jet of Colonel Gaddafi’s Libyan government in 1989. An unapologetic and brash enemy of liberty and the U.S., Colonel Gaddafi’s Libyan government didn’t pass on any opportunity to provoke U.S. forces and to create an international incident.
No enemies in sight during 1989 Tobruk encounter between two F-14 Tomcats of the USS John F. Kennedy and two MiG-23 Floggers of Libya. (YouTube)
As this footage shows, U.S. jets weren’t only provoked, but also followed until they had no chance but to defend themselves. Too bad for the enemy, the U.S. jets too superior to even make it a fair fight.
The F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seater fighter plane designed to attack and destroy enemy aircraft at night and in all weather conditions. It can track up to 24 targets simultaneously with its advanced weapons control system, and attack six targets with Phoenix AIM-54A missiles, while scanning the airspace for other targets at the same time. Other armament includes air intercept missiles, rockets, and bombs.
On the other hand, Muammar Gaddafi, the leader of Libya from 1969 until his violent death in 2011, was branded ‘the mad dog of the Middle East’ by former US President Ronald Reagan for his outlandish clothing, unconventional behavior, and blunt speeches. The fighter aircraft Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 was the first Soviet-made war aircraft that had its first flight in 1967, and was a successor to the MiG-21. A single-engine, single-seat jet, the MiG-23 is also colloquially known as the Flogger.
The Libyan Army operated a vast number of MiG aircraft under the Gaddafi regime. With over 4,500 personnel and more than 36 aircraft, including helicopters, the Libyan Army was one of the most powerful, until the fall of the Gaddafi regime. The MiG-23 was succeeded by the MiG-27 Flogger.
Check out this video to see declassified dogfight footage between an F-14 Tomcat and a MiG-23.
