"Few airctaft of tyhe Cold War era have attained such cult status and adoration among those who flew it, wanted to fly it, or kept it flying as the mighty Grumman F-14 Tomcat. As big, bold and brash as the Top Gun film in which it played the starring role in 1986, the US Navy's ultimate fleet fighter epitomised what naval avitaion was all about through the jet's three decades of service. Although acquired as a single-mission interceptor, the Tomcat had evolved into a multi-role precision strike bomber by the time it was retired by the fleet in 2006."--Back cover.