F-22 Raptor Vs F-14 Tomcat: Legendary US Fighters Compared (2025)

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat was one of the first operational fourth-generation jet fighters when it entered service with the United States Navy (USN) on September 22, 1974. Meanwhile, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation air superiority fighter that entered service with the United States Air Force on December 15, 2005.

Photo: Robert Sullivan | Flickr

When compared side by side, both aircraft appear to be significant compared to planes like the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. This is because they both have two large afterburning turbofan engines, whereas the F-16 has a single Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 turbofan afterburning engine. The F-14 Tomcat and the F-22 Raptor are similar in appearance, which was done on purpose to help enhance overall aerodynamic performance and to give the F-22 Raptor better stealth-like properties.

The main differences between the F-14 Tomcat and the F-22 Raptor are:

• The Grumman F-14 Tomcat has two crew, a pilot and a radar intercept officer, while a single pilot operates the Lockheed Martin F-22.
• The Grumman F-14 Tomcat was designed to operate from USN aircraft carriers, while the Lockheed Martin F-22 was built for the USAF to fly to and from military airfields.
• The Lockheed Martin F-22 is a stealth fighter, whereas the Grumman F-14 Tomcat is not.
• When fully extended, the retractable wings on the Grumman F-14 Tomcat have a higher aspect ratio, which allows the aircraft to handle better at slower speeds.
• The F-22 Raptors wing is smaller than the F-14 Tomcat for stealth reasons.
• The F-22 Raptors weapons bay is located forward of its two side-by-side Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 augmented turbofans.
• On the F-14 Tomcat, the two General Electric F110-GE-400 afterburning turbofans are spaced apart to allow the aircraft to carry four AIM-54 Phoenix missiles.

About the Grumman F-14 Tomcat

In the late 1950s, the United States Navy (USN) wanted a long-range fighter-interceptor to protect its carrier battle groups from Soviet anti-ship missiles. To achieve this, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara invited the USN to participate in the United States Air Force (USAF) Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) program. The idea was to build a joint aircraft that both services could use while lowering the cost of two separate aircraft.

Photo: Alan Wilson | Wikimedia Commons

The shared design never happened because the USAF wanted a plane that could be used for ground attack, while the USN wanted an agile, highly maneuverable fighter jet. Eventually, Grumman was awarded the contract for what would become the Grumman F14 Tomcat. The USAF, meanwhile, contracted with McDonnell Douglas to build the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle.

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat first made its maiden flight on December 21, 1970, just 22 months after Grumman was awarded the contract. It entered service in September 1974 aboard the USS Enterprise, just in time to participate in the American withdrawal from Saigon. Throughout its production, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat received constant upgrades and was used in the 1986 hit movie Topgun.

Specifications and General characteristics of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Performance

About the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor

The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is a twin-engine, all-weather stealth fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) to replace its McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. At the time, intelligence indicated that the Soviet Union had developed new surface-to-air missile systems and that the Americans would need stealth aircraft to avoid them.

Photo: USAF

Called the YF-22, what would become the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor made its maiden flight in Palmdale, California, on September 22, 1990, before several prototypes were sent to Edwards Air Force Base in California for further testing. Because the F-22 was built to counter Soviet air defenses and next-generation fighters like the Sukhoi Su-27 and the MiG-29 when the Soviet Union collapsed in December 1991, it greatly impacted defense spending.

Initially, the USAF hoped to procure as many as 750 F-22 Raptors, but over the coming years, this kept getting carved back, and by the time production stopped in 2011, only 187 Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors were built.

After entering service with the USAF in December 2005, several pilots reported losing conciseness when performing high-g maneuvers. The BRAG valve used to inflate the pilot's vest was defective and restricted oxygen flow to the brain. The problem was addressed, and the F-22 was used in combat for the first time in 2014 to bomb Islamic State targets in Syria.

In 2011, the government canceled the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor program in favor of the less costly Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. Unlike the F-35, the F-22 has never been sold to friendly nations and, to this day, remains active in the USAF.

Specifications and General characteristics of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor

Performance