November 14, 2025
Chip wars, not dogfights
First Microprocessor – 50th Anniversary 2020
F-14’s ‘first microprocessor’ claim sparks nerd war — commenters say it’s a micro‑poser
TLDR: The F-14 Tomcat’s MP944 chip set is touted as the “first microprocessor,” a secret flight-control brain from 1968–1970. Commenters push back, arguing a true microprocessor is a single programmable chip, calling this historic engineering but not “first”—turning the anniversary into a spicy semantics showdown.
An anniversary site is claiming the F‑14 Tomcat’s secret flight-control chips — the MP944 set inside the Central Air Data Computer — were the world’s first “microprocessor.” Built from 1968–1970, these tiny silicon brains steered wings and displays, ran dual-redundant checks, and stayed classified until 1997. The photos scream retro sci‑fi, and firstmicroprocessor.com leans hard on “first!” — complete with tales of sensors, converters, and a chip set that saved pilots mid‑air. CADC means the plane’s air data computer, basically the autopilot’s brain, built for brutal missions.
But the internet jury isn’t buying it. Commenters are waving the rulebook: a true microprocessor lives on a single chip and is programmable. As user klelatti snaps, “this wasn’t a microprocessor.” dboreham adds the salt: this was more packaging of existing designs than invention — “history not written by the victors,” plus a zinger about “can you make me one of these on a chip?” Cue meme‑wars: microprocessor vs micro‑poser, Top Gun vibes vs nerd fact‑checking, and links to Ken Shirriff’s overview of the real contenders. Some say “respect the engineering,” others call the “first” label marketing nostalgia. Verdict: epic hardware, spicy semantics — and the comments are flying faster than a Tomcat.
Key Points
- •The MP944, a 20-bit MOS-LSI microprocessor chip set, was designed from 1968 to 1970 for the US Navy’s F-14A Tomcat.
- •The chip set formed the core of the Central Air Data Computer (CADC), controlling aircraft surfaces and pilot displays with redundant, self-testing capability.
- •Inputs to the CADC included pressure sensors, pilot analog/digital inputs, and a temperature probe; outputs managed wings, maneuver flaps, glove vanes, and flight displays.
- •The CADC integrated quartz sensors, 16-bit ADC/DAC converters, the MOS-LSI chip set, and a power unit, developed by a team from Garrett AiResearch and American Microsystems.
- •Publication of a 1971 design paper by Ray Holt was blocked by the U.S. Navy, with a second denial in 1985; the article references April 1997 clearance activity (text truncated).