Fighter Squadron 1 (VF-1) was a fighter squadron of the United States Navy. Originally established on 14 October 1972 it was disestablished on 30 September 1993. It was the fifth US Navy squadron to be designated VF-1.[1] Known as the "Wolfpack" the squadron saw combat during the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm. The squadron was de-activated and its personnel reassigned in 1993 when its carrier, USS Ranger, was decommissioned.  The squadron made the first Tomcat cruise on USS Enterprise (CVN-65) from September 1974. The end of this cruise saw the Tomcat's conflict debut, as VF-1 and VF-2 flew air patrols over Saigon in April 1975 to cover the final evacuation of US personnel. During 1976 and 1977 VF-1 (along with VF-2) took part in trials of prospective new camouflage schemes for the Tomcat. While I am unsure as to how many aircraft were actually repainted, one I definitely know about is BuNo. 158979, at the time VF-1's CAG bird. The scheme was devised by aviation artist Keith Ferris in an attempt to break up the aircraft outline. Due to it's look it became known as "splinter" scheme. While it was originally intended to make the aircraft less visible, I believe that trials showed it to have the opposite effect, the sharp edges and high contrast in the pattern actually making aircraft more visible! The colours used were dark grey, FS36118, on the top and tails, with a medium grey, FS36231, on the top and bottom surfaces. The remainder of the aircraft, the sides and areas of top and bottom, were painted in a mix of light grey, FS16440 (90%), and white, FS17875 (10%).  VF-1 then changed from CVW-14 to CVW-2, entailing a move of carrier to the USS Ranger (CV-61) in September 1980. The squadron flew several successful cruises then shifted to USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) for a single cruise in 1984. In 1984 VF-1 achieved the impressive total of 22,000 hours of flying without accident. By 1986 VF-1 had returned to Ranger and was still with the carrier when she participated in Desert Storm in 1991. A plane from the squadron scored the F-14's only air to air kill of the war when NE-103 (BuNo.162603) shot down an Iraqi Mil Mi-8 Hip using an AIM-9 Sidewinder. With the decommissioning of Ranger in 1993 the squadron was left without a carrier assignment and so operated out of NAS Miramar. I believe at one point the squadron was due to convert to the F-14D Super Tomcat, however, due to a lack of airframes and the Navy's decision to reduce the number of F-14 squadrons per carrier from two to one, VF-1 was disestablished on the 1st October 1993. Traditionally VF-1's markings have been very colourful, reflecting the Wolfpack theme strongly. Below can be seen an image of their CAG aircraft in an early, full colour scheme. At this time the tailcode was carried on the inside of the vertical tails. The later low vis schemes removed almost all of the colour, until in the end all that was left was the wolf's head on the tail in low vis grey. At times the tailcode was carried behind the wolf's head, between the horizontal lines on the outisde of the tail, while other periods saw it shifted to the more usual inside tail position. 

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program following the collapse of the F-111B project. The F-14 was the first of the American teen-series fighters, which were designed incorporating the experience of air combat against MiG fighters during the Vietnam War. The F-14 first flew in December 1970 and made its first deployment in 1974 with the U.S. Navy aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65), replacing the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The F-14 served as the U.S. Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter, fleet defense interceptor and tactical aerial reconnaissance platform. In the 1990s, it added the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) pod system and began performing precision ground-attack missions. The Tomcat was retired from the U.S. Navy's active fleet on 22 September 2006, having been supplanted by the Boeing F/A-18E and F Super Hornets. The F-14 remains in service with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, having been exported to Iran in 1976, when the U.S. had amicable diplomatic relations with Iran.

General Characteristics:

• Overall Length: 62 feet 9 inches (18.9 meters)
• Wingspan: 64 feet (19 meters) unswept; 38 feet (11.4 meters) swept 
• Height: 16 feet (4.8 meters)
• Weight: 43,600 lb (19,777 kg) (F-14B)
• Speed: Mach 2+ 
• Ceiling: 50,000+ feet 
• Range: 1600 nm 
• Power Plants: 
• F-14A: (2) TF30-414A Afterburning Turbofans with over 40,000 lb Total Thrust, 
• F-14B/D: (2) F110-GE400 Afterburning Turbofans with over 54,000 lb Total Thrust. 
• Sensors: Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) LANTIRN Targeting System
• Armament: Up to 13,000 pounds to include four Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) [F-14D], AIM-54 Phoenix missile, AIM 7 Sparrow missile, AIM 9 Sidewinder missile , air-to-ground precision strike ordnance, and one M61A1/A2 Vulcan 20mm cannon.
• Crew: Two (pilot and radar intercept officer)
• Contractor: Northrop Grumman
• Date Deployed: First flight: December 1970 

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