F-14 Tomcat

DESCRIPTION: The F-14 Tomcat is another carrier-based fighter bomber. The two-seat plane has been a workhorse for the Navy for more than two decades. The Navy began upgrading the F-14 in 1995, adding bigger engines and improved avionics.

ANYTHING NEW? The venerable F-14 was just an air-to-air fighter during the Persian Gulf War, but it's now been outfitted with the capacity to drop 2,000-pound laser-guided bombs. It's also been informally dubbed the "Bombcat."

Equipping the F-14 with smart-bomb capability has greatly increased the firepower of the U.S. aircraft carriers.