FPGA Expert Recreates F-14 Tomcat's CADC with MP944 Microprocessor in 3D-Printed Model

FPGA and embedded systems expert Adam Taylor has recreated the U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcat's Central Air Data Computer (CADC) using an FPGA, and tested it in a 3D-printed scale model of the aircraft. The CADC, powered by the MP944 chip—which some argue was the world's first microprocessor, predating Intel's 4004 by over a year—controlled the fighter's swing-wing system and computed flight parameters like altitude, airspeed, and Mach number. Taylor's open-source project includes VHDL implementations for all six original CADC chips, running on a Spartan-7 FPGA. The MP944, a 20-bit pipelined multi-microprocessor operating at 375 kHz, was classified until 1998. The demonstration successfully operated the model's swing-wing feature, highlighting the historical significance of the MP944 in aviation computing.