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The left wing on the S and I think X are painted flat black due to the cameras used to photograph missiles in flight! In order to cut down on reflections the flat black is used, much as the use of a flat olive or black was used on the inboard side of the engines was used on B-17 or P-38'sWonder why the engines where painted black on the "S"?
As the lettering below the NH on the tail shows, VF-114 was assigned to CVW-11 aboard CVN-65 USS Enterprise at the time of the pictured intercept.Starboard view of an U.S. Navy F-14A Tomcat, Fighter Squadron (VF)-114, Aardvarks, Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar,
California, alongside a Soviet TU-95RT Bear D (Tupolev) maritime patrol aircraft, Jan 1 1983.
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I used to watch them all the time, flying over South Ogden as they flew their landing pattern from southbound overflight, turning east towards the mountains, then circling north, west, then south for final approach to the north end of the runway.On January 1, 1973, the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command activated the 508th Tactical Fighter Group at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. While operating at Hill AFB, the 508th Tactical Fighter Group flew the F-105 Thunderchief.
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