The 10 Most Badass F-14 Tomcat Paint Schemes

These rankings were created using the Mooch Tally – a scientific and proprietary algorithm that takes into consideration four different factors – the overlook of the paint scheme, the squadron patch, the helmet tape job, and finally the squadron nickname and the tactical callsign. 

10. VF-114 Aardvarks

Coming in with a Mooch Tally (MT) of 28.4 are the VF-114 Aardvarks. The plane’s tactical callsign is “Linfield” and features an orange stripe on the nose. It looks great both on the Hu-33 and 55 and the logo has great wearability. The Aardvarks were disestablished in April 1993. 

9. VF-33 Starfighters

VF-33 Starfighters have an MT of 29.7 with the tactical call sign “Root Beer”. With an excellent nose art affectionately called the “compressor stall” by the crew, the star and lightning bolt logo looks excellent on the helmet. They were disestablished in October 1993. 

8. VF-142 Ghostriders

The Ghostriders have an MT of 31 with callsign “Dakota”. The logo looks great on the tail, in both high and low visibility, and all models of the helmet. They were disestablished in April 1995. 

7. VF-102 Diamondbacks

Coming in at number 7 with a Mooch Tally of 32.5 are the VF-102 Diamondbacks. The tactical callsign is “Diamondback” – the only one on the list with the same callsign as the squadron nickname. The big snake around the logo looks great on the tail. It also has a cool stripe on the forward part of the fuselage. 

It also has three diamonds on the plane’s shoulder, drop tanks, and helmet. They’re currently forward deployed aboard the USS Ronald Reagan. 

6. VF-101 Grim Reapers

The Grim Reapers’ tactical callsign is “Gunfighter”. They have a rich WWII heritage and features an amazing logo that looks awesome in both high and low visibility. 

The group was brought to life again at Eglin AFB to be an F-35 Training Squadron, but they were decommissioned shortly after a few years.

5. VF-31 Tomcatters

At number 5 with an MT of 35.5, Tomcatters have a tactical callsign “Bandwagon”. They also used a popular cartoon character which is Felix the Cat carrying a bomb. Like the Grim Reapers, they also have a rich WWII heritage.

They were the last flying Tomcat squadron. 

4. VF-143 Pukin’ Dogs

Pukin Dogs’ had an MT 36 with tactical callsign “Taproom”. The tail design had alpha golf painted on the inside of the rudders, which allowed the griffin or the pukin’ dog to be bigger. 

To this day, Pukin’ Dogs are still around as a Super Hornet squadron, transitioning from the Tomcat in 2005. 

3. VF-111 Sundowners

The Sundowners have an MT of 37 and tactical callsign “Old Nick”. The shark mouth is badass, and the helmet designs are great. However, it lost a few points on the emblem. They were disestablished in March 1995. 

2. VF-1 Wolfpack

The Wolfpack has an MT of 39 with callsign “Wichita”. It was the first Tomcat squadron, and the original paint scheme is arguably the best Tomcat design. They were disestablished in October 1993. 

1. VF-84 Jolly Rogers

With a perfect MT of 40, the Jolly Rogers have the tactical callsign “Victory”. There’s also something about the swagger of the skull and bones that makes it the perfect emblem for the Tomcat squadron. It also has a rich WWII heritage as well. 

The VF-4 was morphed into VF-103 during the Tomcat downsizing years. These planes live on as a Super Hornet squadron where they transitioned from the F-14 to the Super Hornet in December 2004.