Under the legislation, the U.S. Navy would transfer F-14D aircraft bearing bureau numbers 164341, 164602 and 159437 to the Alabama museum facility for preservation work. One of the aircraft could potentially be restored to flying condition.
The U.S. Navy has also been directed to provide technical documentation and spare parts required for the preservation and restoration effort. The aircraft are currently stored at the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group facility, commonly known as AMARG, at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
The legislation’s name references the 1986 film Top Gun, in which actor Tom Cruise portrayed naval aviator Pete “Maverick” Mitchell while flying the F-14 Tomcat. A sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, was released in 2022, and the U.S. Navy awarded Cruise the Distinguished Public Service Award in 2024 for his support of the service.
The F-14 Tomcat served as the U.S. Navy’s primary carrier-based fighter aircraft for approximately three decades after entering service in 1972. The aircraft achieved its first combat success in 1981 when two Libyan Su-22 aircraft were shot down.
F-14s later participated in operations during the Gulf War as well as conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The aircraft was retired from active U.S. Navy service in 2006.
Most retired F-14 aircraft were ordered destroyed after reports emerged that Iran had obtained used spare parts for its remaining fleet of Tomcats. Iran purchased 80 F-14 aircraft during the 1970s, although the current operational status of those aircraft remains unclear.
By 2024, only eight F-14 aircraft remained at the Davis-Monthan storage facility, according to the report. The facility also stores nearly 300 retired F-15 fighter aircraft.
