I'm with you on that, @@TheLastColdBeer. I miss the F-14 Tomcat, too.
The one and only time I saw one fly was about 14 years ago during an airshow here in Alaska.
Beautiful plane, and I love the "swing wings." As big as it is, it us surprisingly nimble.
And you are correct, sir, about the big ring of defense afforded by the Tomcat's 100-nautical-mile rangePhoenix missiles. The Tomcat could simultaneously target 6 enemy aircraft and have its 6 missiles streaking toward them at the same time. The Tomcat also had an incredible radar system.
The F/A-18 Hornet doesn't have that capability.
Alas, the F-14, with it's many parts, was difficult to maintain; e.g., it required 4 hours of maintenance for every hour it spent in the air.
The Hornet, with its "modular" design, requires less than half that.
The Tomcat is indeed one of my favorites. Ayaq