Book excerpt: Designed as the ultimate long range fleet defence fighter interceptor for the US Navy, the Tomcat entered frontline service in 1973 as a replacement for the legendary F-4 Phantom II. The F-14 achieved its first aerial victories, against the Libyan Arab Republic Air Force, in August 1981, and went on to see action in Operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Deliberate Force, Enduring Freedom and, finally, Iraqi Freedom. Employed primarily as a precision bomber with the US Navy from the late 1990s until its retirement in 2006, the F-14 remains in service today with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force --Book Jacket.