F-14, also called Tomcat, two-seat, twin-engine jet fighter built for the U.S. Navy by the Grumman Corporation (now part of the Northrop Grumman Corporation) from 1970 to 1992. As a successor to the F-4 Phantom II, it was designed in the 1960s with the aerodynamic and electronic capacities to defend U.S. aircraft-carrier operations at long ranges against Soviet aircraft and missiles. Delivery to the U.S. Navy began in 1972, and the last F-14 was retired from service in 2006. Before the Islamic revolution in 1979, approximately 80 F-14s were sold to Iran, and a dwindling number were maintained there in various states of readiness despite aging and lack of parts.