| Aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Registration / Serial: | 160403 |
| Military Code: | AJ-104 |
| Aircraft Original Type: | Grumman F-14 Tomcat |
| Aircraft Generic Type: | Grumman F-14 Tomcat |
| Aircraft Version: | Grumman F-14A Tomcat |
| C/n (msn): | 259 |
| Operator Titles: | USA - Navy |
| Unit Markings: | VF-41 |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| City / Airport: | Virginia Beach - Oceana NAS / Apollo Soucek FieldMap |
| Region / Country: | Virginia, United States |
| Airport Codes: | ICAO: KNTU IATA: NTU Local: NTU Other: - |
| Photo Date: | 19 September 1987 |
| Photo by: | Stephan de Bruijn |
| Photo ID: | 251820 |
| Photo Comment |
|---|
|
A Sukhoi killer at NAS Oceana. This VF-41 "Black Aces" Tomcat (at that time coded AJ-102) shot down a Libyan Su-22 over the Gulf of Sidra, off the coast of Libya, on 19 August 1981. This engagement marked the first USA versus Libya air-to-air engagement. 160403 flew that combat mission together with 160390 (AJ-107) when two Libyan Su-22 Fitters fired upon the Tomcats. The two F-14s subsequently shot down both Su-22s. 160403 received a kill-marking that was still visible six years later. The Tomcat is now preserved at Midland-Odessa (TX). This photo is copyright © Stephan de Bruijn, and may not be used or published in any way without permission. It was added on 9 June 2020, and has since been viewed 2889 times. |