Despite never having been built, the Grumman Super Tomcat-21 (ST21) remains a point of fascination in aviation circles. ST21 symbolizes what could have been an exceptional evolution of a legendary aircraft. Poised to potentially outmatch contemporary fighters in key areas, including range, speed, and payload, the ST21 would have ensured that the Navy’s need for speed was maintained while living up to the legendary standards created by the highly successful 1986 film, Top Gun, in which the F-14 Tomcat was the unofficial star. 

The genesis of the Super Tomcat 21 can be traced back to the early 1990s, following the cancellation of the A-12 Avenger II program due to cost overruns and technical challenges. With the end of the Cold War, American defense priorities drastically shifted. No longer engaged in a titanic ideological death struggle with a near-peer rival, like the Soviet Union, the United States could afford to unburden itself of some of the hectic responsibilities it had taken to beat the Soviets in the Cold War. 

Knowing that the F-14’s days were numbered and that the Navy was looking for a warbird to bridge the gap between the outgoing A-6 Intruder and the incoming F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, Grumman saw a significant opportunity to reinvent their iconic F-14 Tomcat for the new millennium. The ST21 was envisioned as a comprehensive upgrade to the F-14D, focusing on enhancing performance, reliability, and multi-role capabilities. 

The Proposal

Grumman proposed that the ST21 be powered by GE F110-GE-129 engines, thereby maintaining the F-14’s excellent supercruise function. While in supercruise, the F-14 could fly at supersonic speeds without afterburners, thereby extending the range and reducing the fuel consumption. The Super Tomcat-21 would have taken this capacity and put it into hyperdrive. 

Indeed, the pilot and his ECO would have probably felt like they were Han Solo and Chewbacca pushing the Millennium Falcon into hyperspace. 

Enlarged leading-edge root extensions (LERX) for increased fuel capacity and improved handling, modified control surfaces, and the elimination of problematic glove veins for better maintenance and performance were Grumman’s answers for the aerodynamics of the ST21. Learning from the weaknesses of the F-14, the engineers were committed to throwing out the handful of bad parts about the original Tomcat and keeping the best bits. 

As for the avionics package, an upgraded AN/APG-71 radar would have been installed, and that would have evolved eventually in an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. Such a system would have increased the bird’s target acquisition and tracking capabilities. It would have provided the pilot with increased situational awareness, too. That, of course, is a highly desired feature while in a dogfight. 

ST21 would have come with advanced digital flight control systems and a wide-angle heads-up display (HUD) for better pilot visibility. Many of these features, by the way, were installed in future American warplanes, such as America’s vaunted fifth-generation warplane series (the F-22A Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II).

Super Tomcat was to come with an impressive armaments package. It would have carried a broad arsenal of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions, such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM. ST21 would have been a formidable multi-role fighter continued the great tradition and lived up to the high standards set by the F-14 Tomcat. 

What Might Have Been…

America’s would-be Super Tomcat-21 would have been more than just a technological marvel. Indeed, this bird would have delivered strong strategic positioning for the United States Navy. ST21 was meant to be capable of maintaining air superiority and conducting precision strikes. 

Ironically, this dual capability made the ST21 more relevant to the post-Cold War era than it would have even been during the Cold War. That’s because throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, while America enjoyed its “unipolar moment,” when it was the uncontested global hegemon, America’s military increasingly found itself engaged in missions where it needed to conduct airstrikes while maintaining its air dominance.

Ultimately, though, the Navy opted to go with the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet was chosen for its cheapness and simpler maintenance requirements. But, if the Super Tomcat-21 had been chosen, the Navy would have had the world’s best naval warplane ever. Sure, the F/A-18 E/F is good. The Navy seems to be committed to its successor, the F-35 Lightning II, but none could have touched the beauty and brilliance of the Super Tomcat. 

Brandon J. Weichert, a National Interest national security analyst, is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, the Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is available for purchase wherever books are sold. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

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