F-14 Tomcat Fans Are Eating Good
- Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza
- 29 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 2 minutes ago
Fans of this swing wing sweetheart have been getting quite a few updates in the past weeks
You know... when you look across social media, dev logs and YouTube videos since June 2026, there have been a lot of updates related to the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. This may seem like a setup to discuss the absolute fumble Gaijin Entertainment had implementing the F-14D Super Tomcat in War Thunder, but that is a deeper developer issue that deserves it own article. Fortunately for Tomcat fans, there is a lot more going on with the F-14 outside of that.
Digital Combat Simulator
On July 24th, 2026, Heatblur Simulations released the F-14B(U) Tomcat for DCS World. This significant upgrade shows the 'Bombcat' in its most advanced configuration. With new Digital Flight Control System to enhance flight performance, improved Jester computer Radar Intercept Officer interface, modernized digital displays enhancing situation awareness, navigation and Radar Intercept Officer duties and integration of GPS guided weapons, this expression of the Tomcat is now the most advanced and most well simulated representation of this aircraft civilians can access. Yes, it is not an F-14D, but it is as close as anyone has gotten to providing a simulator level one so far.
However, owning the B(U) is not a requirement for people to enjoy the Tomcat in Digital Combat Simulator. Purchasing the standard F-14A/B Tomcat will give access to multiple variants that have been in development since 2019: the F-14A Early, F-14A Export, F-14A Late and the F-14B.
Aggressors Fantasy Air Combat
Introduced on December 31st, 2023, the E/A-14Z Warecat was a part of early promotional material for Aggressors F.A.C. Most of the work on this still in development indie flight game has mainly focused on the core of the game with other player controlled and computer-controlled vehicles seen. The most recent update about the E/A-14Z is going to be of interest for Tomcat fans.
On July 22nd, 2026, developer Sanikatt announced that the aircraft will have a human voiced female or male Weapon System Officer with more than 200 voice lines. The early test video uses robotic text-to-voice, but it is great hearing the back seater not just calling out surface level things for the sake of being cool. The information provided will remind people of Digital Combat Simulator style Jester RIO call outs about enemy positions, whether the player is in danger, if a target was struck or missed, distances to targeted enemies, etc.
Video: Aggressors FAC early WSO test video (Developer Post).
Battlefield 6
On August 18th, 2026, Battlefield 6 introduced a Top Gun collaboration and two-seater fighter jets. The "legally distinct" Tomcat in this game is known as the F-74 Seacat. It provides one of the most arcadey representations of the F-14 in recent memory. The pilot has control over the 20mm cannon, short-range air-to-air missiles, countermeasures and three manual wing sweep settings. Adjusting wing sweep does change how the aircraft flies, giving it significant advantages at certain air speeds, but the pilot must know when to use them.
The rear seat Radar Intercept Officer brings more defensive countermeasures, and a helmet mounted display to use two types of active radar homing missiles. The ARH-7 mimics the AIM-7 Sparrow in that it mainly targets aircraft in forward hemisphere of the Seacat. The ARH-45 mimics the AIM-54 Phoenix, but it can be launched over the shoulder at aircraft directly behind the Seacat.
With both crew members able to attack targets independently, a well crewed F-74 is an air-to-air menace. Though it still lacks the extensive air to ground capabilities its multirole totally-not-a-Super Hornet counterpart has.
Gunship 4
Truthfully, I do not know a lot about the Gunship series from Phanotek Games. What is pulling me deeper into learning about the series and developer has been their F-14 Tomcat development. On June 1st, 2026, Gunship IV added a playable, work in progress build of the Tomcat with limited computer RIO ability. Since then, their F-14 has continued rapid development. There are many videos of it in combat from both the pilot seat and RIO seat.
On August 8th, 2026, it was the primary aircraft in the first 42 minutes of an extensive virtual reality build playtest. It seems like I may end up on Gunship 4 sooner than later to give it a fair shake.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
After the many preview events in June 2026, there is a decent amount of information that implies the first playthrough of Ace Combat 8's single player campaign will be story related aircraft locked. With the story mainly taking place on an aircraft carrier, this implies that only naval aircraft would be used in the story. Or at least for a significant amount of the story. Currently the F-14D Super Tomcat is the only variant of the Tomcat in the base game. Besides the aircraft cannon and kill-everything Standard Missiles, its special weapons are Long-range air-to-air missiles and semi-active air-to-air missiles supplemented by guided bombs. This is a familiar configuration Ace Combat fans have seen the F-14 in since the 2000s.
With the Ace Combat 8 naval aircraft roster including the Dassault Rafale and F-35 Lightning II, this positions the Super Tomcat as a potentially early story fighter that will carry players for quite some time. According to the Deluxe Edition trailer, pre-orders of the game will give players the F-14A Tomcat as bonus content. While the older F-14A probably will not be too much different from the Super Tomcat in this game, it is another way to get that interceptor fix.
Swing Wing Sweetheart
In the real world, this naval interceptor was built to deter strategic bombers hundreds of miles away from carrier battle groups in the 1970s. Near the end of its career it was known as a long-range platform for precision guided bombs and Forward Air Controller-Airborne missions. Couple that with the Top Gun movies, the engineering marvel of variable wing sweep technology, the AIM-54 Phoenix and a mysterious combat record in the Middle East. The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is now enshrined into a type of Valhalla for aviation enthusiasts.
This translates to it frequently appearing in the games and simulators even now. The aircraft is either devoutly simulated to the smallest of details or its frequently seen going toe-to-toe with even the most dangerous real 5th generation fighters or science fiction super weapons.
There are hundreds of aircraft that have come and gone from the collective memory of humanity. Whether you love the Tomcat or think its hype is overblown, you can close your eyes and see it appear in your mind. That alone says so much about its legacy. Let's see where the big cat turns up next.
About the Writer
Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [Read Staff Profile]
