combat aircraft

An F/A-18F Super Hornet of VFA-

‘Red Rippers’ lands on the flight deck

of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S.

Truman (CVN 75). US Navy/MCSS

Rebekah A. Watkins

04 October 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net

COMBAT EDGE // FIND US ON

A

s the US Navy’s primary

leet ighter for more

than three decades, the

mighty Tomcat plied

its trade from arguably the

world’s harshest operational

environment — 4.5 acres of

‘sovereign and mobile American

territory’ known as a carrier

light deck. The F-14 sufered

its fair share of losses during

30-plus years of service, and in

this issue Tony Holmes examines

the sometimes eye-watering

attrition endured by long-term

Tomcat operator VF-213 ‘Black

Lions’ in a two-part feature for

Combat Aircraft.

CONTRIBUTOR OF THE MONTH

TONY HOLMES