161163/AJ-205, F-14D VF-213 Black Lions, US Navy, CVW-8, (CVN-71) USS Theodore Roosevelt. Lion 205 is seen here accelerating hard, from 0-180mph in around 200 feet as this Tomcat is launched from the deck during the final daylight event of the day.
The Demon was the Navy's first swept-wing, all-weather, missile-armed fighter. Design work on the F3H began in 1949, but delays due to engine problems resulted in the prototype not flying until 1951 and the first production aircraft didn´t fly until 1953!