What is the wing sweep range of the F-14?

Short answer

Between 20° and 68° in flight. The wing automatically takes any angle between 20 and 68 degrees depending on changing mission demands. When the aircraft is parked, the wings can oversweep to 75°. The outer wing pivots, 17 feet 10 inches apart, sit inside a large fixed wing glove.

Published: November 1, 2026 · Updated: November 1, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

What is the wing sweep range of the F-14?

F-14A Tomcat over Iraq during Southern Watch

Twenty degrees open, 68 swept

The F-14's wing sweep can be varied between 20° and 68° in flight. The wing can automatically take any angle between 20 and 68 degrees depending on the changing demands of the mission. When the aircraft is parked, the wings can oversweep to 75°.

The pivot and the center box

A large fixed wing glove carries the outer wing pivot, with the two pivots set 17 feet 10 inches apart. The wing's central carry-through structure is a single electron-beam-welded piece of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy, with a span of 6.71 m. About 25% of the aircraft's structure is titanium, including the wing box, the pivots, and the upper and lower wing skins.

Built to take it

The wing box was made of titanium and electron-beam welded at Grumman's facility in Bethpage, Long Island. It was so strong that in many F-14 accidents it was the only part of the airframe left intact.