FPGA Expert Recreates F-14 Tomcat's Central Air Data Computer in 3D-Printed Model

FPGA and embedded systems expert Alan Taylor has successfully recreated the U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcat's Central Air Data Computer (CADC) using an FPGA, and demonstrated it in a 3D-printed scale model of the aircraft. The CADC, powered by the MP944 microprocessor—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 complete synthesizable VHDL implementations for all six original CADC chips, running on a Spartan-7 FPGA. The MP944, a 20-bit pipelined parallel multi-microprocessor operating at 375 kHz, was classified until 1998. The recreation allows the model's swing wings to function, showcasing the historic chip's capabilities.