FIRST - F-14 To Drop a Bomb in Anger During a Bosnian Deployment
N 33° 50.010 W 116° 30.285
11S E 545824 N 3743805
This F-14 Tomcat fighter aircraft is on display at the Palm Springs Air Museum and claims a FIRST.
Waymark Code: WMGV6K
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 04/10/2013
Views: 9
Visitors to the
Palm Springs Air Museum might see an F-14 Tomcat on display in front of the museum. There are two plaques in front of the F-14 and one of them reads:
GRUMMAN F-14 "TOMCAT"
The F-14 series of aircraft were built by Grumman Aircraft Company, which has a long history of producing famous naval aircraft, including the propeller-driven Wildcat, Hellcat, Tigercat and Bearcat which are of World War II vintage and are a part of the Palm Springs Air Museum collection.
The F-14 Tomcat was designed to be a high speed, all weather carrier-based interceptor. The first aircraft were deployed in 1972 and many of the series continue to be on active duty today. The aircraft has a max gross take-off weight of nearly 75,000 pounds and can reach speeds twice the of sound.
This particular F-14 was assigned to Squadron VF-41, the "Black Aces," who downed two Soviet-built Libiyan Air Force SU-22 "Fitters" during the Gulf of Sidra incident on August 19, 1981. After the F- 14's had their weapons control systems converted to a "multi-mission" capability this very aircraft became the first F-14 to drop a bomb in anger during the Bosnian deployment.
The Palm Springs Air Museum is proud to be able to share this gallant warrior with our visitors."
After doing some research online, I located numerous websites that attribute the VF-41 Squadron 'Black Aces' as the first squadron to deploy air-to-ground bombs in their conflict over Bosnia. One particular website reads:
In late 1995, the F-14 took on a new, and completely different role in military combat over targets in Bosnia... they became bombers. Dubbed "Bombcats", these new bombers dropped LGB "smart bombs" while other aircraft painted the targets with lasers.
On September 6, 1995, NATO decided to start a phase of heavy bombing over Bosnia once the clouds cleared. It started when Bosnian Serbs refused demands set by the United Nations. William Perry, the Secretary of Defense, said "The Serbs will pay a heavy price if they fail to remove heavy weapons from the hills around Sarajevo." For the first time in the History of the F-14 Tomcat (or Bombcat), the fighter was used to bomb Bosnian Serb positions. Flying from the USS Theodore Roosevelt, it was joined by the F-16 and its Navy Counterpart, the F-18 Hornet. Some intended targets included Banja Luka, a Bosnian Serb stronghold northwest of Sarajevo where the Serbs had sophisticated SA-6 anti-aircraft missile launchers and radars.
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Wikipedia also mentions this historical occasion:
In August and September 1995, NATO launched Operation Deliberate Force, and the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and its air wing supported the operation. F-14s from VF-14 and VF-41 participated in strikes. VF-41 is credited with being the first F-14 unit to drop laser-guided bombs in combat when, on 5 September 1995, two F-14As attacked an ammunition dump in eastern Bosnia. The bomb's targets were identified by laser indicators from F/A-18s because the F-14 was not yet cleared to carry the LANTIRN pod. VF-41 alone logged 600 combat hours and 530 sorties during this cruise.
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