The US Navy Almost Built a ‘Super’ F-14 Tomcat That Could Supercruise at Mach 1.3 and Hit Mach 2 Speeds With 1,600 Nautical Miles or Range

The US Navy Almost Built a ‘Super’ F-14 Tomcat That Could Supercruise at Mach 1.3 and Hit Mach 2 Speeds With 1,600 Nautical Miles or Range

Grumman pitched the ST-21 in the early 1990s as either a new-build jet or a remanufactured F-14, as the Navy looked for a way forward after the A-12 Avenger II stealth attack jet was canceled in 1991. It would have replaced the Tomcat's troublesome glove vanes, often welded shut in the fleet, with enlarged gloves that improved supersonic handling and carried more fuel, and it would have added navigation and attack FLIR, a new head-up display, an…