AN / AWG - 9 The AN / AWG - 9 and AN / APG - 71 radars are all - weather , multi - mode X - Band pulse doppler radar systems used in the F - 14 Tomcat . It is a very long - range air - to - air system with the capability of guiding several AIM - 54 Phoenix or AIM - 120 AMRAAM missiles at the same time using its track while scan mode . The primary difference between the AWG - 9 and APG - 71 is the replacement of the former ' s analog electronics with all - digital units . Both the AWG - 9 and APG - 71 were designed and manufactured by Hughes Aircraft ; contractor support is now being provided by Raytheon . The AWG - 9 was originally developed for the failed Naval F - 111B program . The AN / AWG - 9 offers a variety of air - to - air modes including long - range continuous wave velocity search , range - while - search at shorter ranges , and the first use of an airborne track - while - scan mode with the ability to track up to 24 airborne targets , display 18 of them on the cockpit displays , and launch against 6 of them at the same time . This function was originally designed to allow the Tomcat to shoot down formations of bombers at long range . The AWG - 9 was the result of a series of Navy programs to build what was known as a " fleet - defense fighter " ; an aircraft armed with extremely long - range radars and missiles that would be able to engage formations of enemy aircraft well - away from aircraft carrier s . Their first attempt was the F6D Missileer , which combined Westinghouse ' s AN / APQ - 81 pulse doppler radar with the Bendix AAM - N - 10 Eagle missile . The Missileer was a relatively simple aircraft , and when planners expressed doubts about its ability to survive after firing its missiles , the Missileer was canceled and the Navy started looking for higher - performance alternatives . At the same time , the U . S Air Force had been working on a similar long - range interceptor project of their own , the XF - 108 Rapier . The Rapier had much better performance than the Missileer , although its AIM - 47 Falcon and AN / ASG - 18 radar , both from Hughes , were somewhat less advanced than their Navy counterparts . The entire system was also very expensive , and the Rapier was canceled , replaced by the hopefully less - expensive Lockheed YF - 12 adapted from the Lockheed A - 12 spy plane . This project was also canceled as the strategic threat moved from bombers to ICBM ' s . The same was not true for the Navy , where the threat remained manned aircraft and early anti - ship missile s . Hughes suggested that the AN / ASG - 18 and AIM - 47 could be adapted for the Navy in slightly modified form , adding additional tracking capability while reducing the size of the radar antenna to a size more suitable for carrier aircraft . The result was the AN / AWG - 9 radar and Phoenix missile . All that was needed was a suitable airframe , which led to the Navy ' s involvement in the F - 111B program . Although the radar and missile systems started to mature ( after the better part of a decade at this point ) the F - 111B proved to be considerably overweight and had marginal performance , especially in engine - out situations . At the same time , real - world combat over Vietnam was proving that the idea of the all - missile fighter was simply not viable , and any fighter design would have to be able to dogfight with guns , which the F - 111 was simply not suited to . This should not be surprising given the F - 111 ' s genesis as a tactical bomber and interdictor . After many years in development and arguing with Congress , the Navy finally started development of a new aircraft specifically tailored to their needs . The new aircraft emerged as the F - 14 , armed with the same AWG - 9 / AIM - 47 outfit originally intended for the F - 111B . On the F - 14 , the AWG - 9 is capable of detecting bomber - sized targets at ranges exceeding 100 miles ( 160 km ) , and its doppler system allows it to have look - down , shoot - down capabilities . Track - while - scan capability is provided by an Intel 8080 8 - bit microprocessor ; programming it is accomplished using an 8 - bit Assembly code . Hughes delivered enough AWG - 9 systems and spares to equip approximately 600 F - 14A / B aircraft for the Navy , and an additional 78 aircraft for the Iranian Air Force . All of the Navy systems have been retired ; the status of the Iranian systems is unknown , but it is believed that they are still in service . AN / APG - 71 . The APG - 71 was a 1980s upgrade of the AWG - 9 for use on the F - 14D . It incorporates technology and common modules developed for the APG - 70 radar used in the F - 15E Strike Eagle , providing significant improvements in ( digital ) processing speed , mode flexibility , clutter rejection , and detection range . The system features a low - sidelobe antenna , a sidelobe - blanking guard channel , and monopulse angle tracking ; all of which are intended to make the radar less vulnerable to jamming . The system itself is capable of a 460 mile ( 740 km ) range , but the antenna design limits this to only 230 miles ( 370 km ) . Use of datalinked data allows two or more F - 14D ' s to operate the system at its maximum range . Hughes delivered enough APG - 71 radars and spares to equip 55 F - 14Ds before the program was scaled back as a cost - cutting measure and eventually canceled . The F - 14 was officially retired from United States Navy service on September 22 , 2006 , with the last flight occurring October 4 , 2006 . The last navy squadron utilizing the F - 14 was VF - 31 .