Iran’s F-14s Are Still Flying (Somehow) But Will Be Replaced: The Iranian Air Force is still flying the 1970s version of the F-14, although their capabilities are questionable.
But if the aircraft is maintained (a big if), the Tomcats, called Persian Cats in Iran, have the speed to threaten anything in the sky. The F-14 could reach speeds of Mach 2.3.
But how much life can be left in these F-14 engines and airframes? There have been reports of the Iranians creating spare parts by reverse engineering them to keep the aircraft flying. But you can inject only so much life into these airframes before they wear out.
While the F-14s are much faster than the F-35I that Israel flies, it should be noted that the F-35 could engage the Persian Cats from long range before the F-14 got close enough to use their speed advantage. However, during Israel’s October airstrikes in Iran, we didn’t hear of any F-14 squadrons scrambling, something the stealth factor of the F-35 obviously played a factor.
How Did Iran Get The F-14?
That is a question that many people ask. During the 1970s, Iran was a key US ally in the Middle East under the Shah of Iran. The Shah wanted to modernize his Air Force. And the F-14 was chosen.
Iran signed a deal with Grumman to procure 80 aircraft with training and support in 1972. The first Tomcat deliveries arrived in 1974, and by the 1979 Iranian Revolution, 79 of the 80 ordered F-14s had been delivered.
However, the revolution with Ayatollah Khomeini and the ensuing US Embassy hostage crisis abruptly ended military and political relations between the two nations.
With no access to US spare parts or maintenance support, Iran faced significant challenges in sustaining its fleet.
Nevertheless, they were able to reverse engineer and domestically manufacture parts and have managed to keep their F-14s operational.
Loopholes In US Law, Black Market, Supplied Iran With Parts Also
When the last F-14 was retired in 2006, the Navy sent the last 165 Tomcats left to the “boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.
The DoD had intended to destroy spare parts unique to the Tomcat but sell thousands of others that could be used on other aircraft. It suspended sales of all Tomcat parts after the AP reported in January of 2007 that buyers for Iran, China, and other countries had exploited gaps in surplus-sale security to acquire sensitive US military gear, including F-14 parts.
Intermediaries for the countries misrepresented themselves to gain access to the Pentagon’s surplus sales or bought sensitive surplus from US companies that had acquired it from Pentagon auctions that were forbidden for export.
Investigators also found some sensitive items “accidentally” slipping into surplus auctions rather than being destroyed as required. So, the Pentagon slammed the door on Iran’s parts purchasers by shredding the F-14s, then combing through the scraps to make sure nothing useful remained.
The Russians Are Selling Iran Su-35s To Replace The F-14
Iran is replacing its aging F-14 Persian cat fighters with Russian-made Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E aircraft.
The first two Su-35s were delivered to Iran in December. The Iranian air force was embarrassed by Israeli conventional and stealth fighters that destroyed Iran’s air defenses and other military targets, including a nuclear research facility, in October 2024.
The F-14s are fifty years old and need to be retired. The Su-35 has superior avionics, a new Irbis-E radar, and modern thrust-vectoring engines.
This was a political win for Russia and Iran, who collectively got to thumb their noses at Washington as a way for the Iranians to circumvent Western sanctions to improve their air force, and for Moscow, which got much-needed cash.
Russia is also trying to find someone to sell their stealth fighters to, and the Iranians would also be a big target for that program.
About the Author:
Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 19FortyFive, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
