Iranian F-14 Tomcat History

Scourge of the Iraqi Air Force and Last Survivor of Their Line

Oct 12, 2008

Cut off from support, the 79 F-14 Tomcat fighters in the Iranian air force fought in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war and continue to fly 30 years later.

The last shah of Iran placed a $2 Billion order for the most advanced combat aircraft the world in 1974, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. The order contained an airbase, a huge parts store, 80 F-14A fighters and nearly 714 of its unique AIM-54 Phoenix missile-the only one capable of knocking down an airborne target 100 miles away. Deliveries to the IIAF, Imperial Iran Air Force, began in 1975 from Grumman’s Calverton, NY plant with airframe BuNo 160299. Pilot/RIO training and support was done by the US Navy in conus bases during the same time period. Ultimately 79 of the huge F-14s and 284 Phoenix missiles were delivered by 1979 when the Iranian revolution halted deliveries. Cut off from US-support and suffering from contractor sabotage and a loss of qualified pilots and mechanics, the IRIAF, Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, have continued to operate the F-14s for the past 30 years.

Design of the F-14

The F-14 is large for a fighter aircraft, with full weight being 33,724kg (74,348 pounds) on a 19.10m (62.6ft) long frame with a variable wingspan of 19.45m (63.8ft). To push all this tin the F-14 had two afterburning turbofans that generated 20,900lbs of thrust each, propelling the aircraft to a top speed of mach 2.34. The aircraft was thought to be the only one capable of catching and shooting down Soviet supplied Iraqi MiG-25 Foxbat, the highest and fastest flying fighter of the day. The Tomcat's teeth were provided by its Phoenix missiles (of which it could carry as many as six) as well as AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9 Sidewinder air to air missiles augmented by a 20mm Vulcan cannon for close in dog fighting.

The F-14 in the Iran/Iraq War

The Iranian F-14 force saw much more combat than their US brothers. During the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war IRIAF F-14 drivers claimed some 100~ confirmed victories over Saddam Hussein’s air force. It is known that only 5 of the Iranian F-14s were lost in air to air combat during the war, giving them a very respectable kill ratio of some 20:1. Their victims included both older MiG-21 and 23 series aircraft but also the more advanced Mirage F1 and the vaunted MiG-25. Standing orders to pilots in Saddam Hussein’s air force was that when an F-14 arrived in the sky they were not to engage but to break off and evade combat. The most successful Iranian F-14 pilot was Major Jalal Zandi, who shot down 9 confirmed and 3 unconfirmed Iraqi combat aircraft. Another Iranian F-14 pilot, Major Rahnavard, flying alone attacked a formation of 12 Iraqi MiGs over the Persian Gulf in two separate engagements, downing four aircraft in one day.

Present-Day Operation

The F-14s temperamental TF.30-PW-414 engines and a lack of all official US- support since 1978 (and unofficial support since 1985) has meant that these war machines have been hangar queens. Through cannibalization and ingenuity the IRIAF has continued to keep at least some F-14s operational. As late as 1985 formations of up to 25 F-14s have been observed in flyovers. At least nine have been lost to accidents. It is still thought that Iran maintains about 59 of the original 79 F-14s airframes delivered in the 1970s. Of these at least two squadrons’ worth of aircraft (for the 81st and 82nd TFS) are currently operational. It should be noted that the US Navy, the only other operator of the F-14, retired the last of its 633 delivered aircraft by September 2006. With the exception of about 80 stripped frames donated to aviation museums, the USNs Tomcats are being shredded and melted down so as to not allow any of their parts to make their way to Iran by any means to keep the Iranian F-14s operational.

Cooper, Tom & Farzad Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat Osprey 2004 ISBN 1-84176-787-5

F-14 Tomcat fighter fact file, United States Navy, 5 July 2003. Retrieved 20 January 2007.

The copyright of the article Iranian F-14 Tomcat History in Modern War is owned by Christopher Eger. Permission to republish Iranian F-14 Tomcat History in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.