Those Persian Cats...
Few words on Grumman F-14 Tomcats of Iran
Hi everybody!
A rather ‘short note’ here, related to one of my - when it comes to combat aircraft - favourite jets. Definitely, favourite aircraft design ever: Grumman F-14 Tomcat. And then Tomcat in service with the Iranian air force - which is bit of my ‘soft spot’: have researched their operations extensively, and published a few related books and articles. Indeed, even now I’m working on a related book-project (see Iran-Iraq Naval War, Volume 3 - a sequel to the Volume 2: during the war with Iraq, Iranian F-14s have played a crucial role in that aspect of the conflict, flying up to 50% - if not more - of their combat sorties with the aim of providing top cover for convoys of merchant ships and, later on, tankers….)
…besides… well, this ‘note’ might also help prevent few (grown-up) people from bursting into tears… 😉
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As should be known, in 1973-1974, Iran ordered 80 Tomcats. 79 were delivered by early 1978: one was kept in the USA for further testing and never delivered. Originally, the fleet was organised into four squadrons: two home-based at the TFB.7 (Shiraz) and two at the TFB.8 (Esfahan).
Some 65 have survived the war with Iraq (fought 1980-1988): no, not 'all the others were shot down'. From memory:
- 2 were lost in pre-war accidents;
- 6 were shot down in combat;
- 1 was shot down while its pilot was defecting to Iraq;
- 2 were shot down by own air defences, and
- 3 were lost in different other accidents.
That left a fleet of 65 as of 1988. Initially, only a handful of these was operational: the situation improved in 2008-2012, when 60+ were overhauled at the IACI facility at Mehrabad (TFB.1), in Tehran (north-western 'corner' of that base). One jet (3-6049) was upgraded to the F-14AM standard, but remained the only one. Meanwhile: 4 F-14s were written off in different accidents between 1992 and 2022.
For most of the mid-2010s, some 40-44 were kept in operational condition.
Ever since, their state deteriorated': essentially, between 2012 and 2024, the IRGC was spending so much for 'saving private Bashar' in Syria, that there was no money for 'saving IRIAF'. Thus, the last three-five years, only some 24 Tomcats were operated on average: less than half of these in FMC condition, the others for training purposes (so-called ‘Tomcat Parvazi’). The rest was stored. Reportedly, the number further decreased in the last two years, pending their withdrawal from service. However, photo-evidence was showing something else in this regards.
Indeed, two F-14s were undergoing overhaul at the IACI facility at TFB.1, as of early this year, and the last known ‘action’ by IRIAF’s F-14s took place on 18 March, when a pair of them forced an MQ-4C reconnaissance UAV of the USA away from the Bushehr area.
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Israeli UAV and air strikes on Mehrabad of the last night have prompted lots of rumours about 'destruction of Iranian F-14s'.
AFAIK, none of IRIAF F-14s was damaged: only F-4E Phantom IIs were identified as operating from TFB.1 yesterday and today. Several of these were involved in intercepts of Israeli UAVs, like this example:
Nominally, nowadays there are still three IRIAF units operating F-14s: 81st, 82nd, and 83rd Tactical Fighter Squadrons - but, all of these are based at TFB.8/Baba'ie, outside Esfahan. That's 'right on the verge of Israel's reach’ - at least when it comes to IASF’s tactical aircraft.
So far, and in that part of Iran, Israel is ‘only’ known to have targeted a facility for production of yellow cake in Esfahan (constructed above the ground, and having only limited hardening, this was highly vulnerable to air strikes). But, there are no reports about strikes on TFB.8. Moreover, earlier today, the IRIAF was quite busy evacuating its jets from bases in north-western and western Iran 'in eastern direction'. Essentially, whatever was flyable, was flown out; whatever was not flyable, was in the process of being made flyable, to be flown out...
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As for their weaponry: IRIAF F-14s are principally armed with Fatter (a local overhaul and upgrade of the AIM-9J Sidewinder). FMC-jets can also be armed with AIM -7E-2 Sparrows (SARH), AIM-23C Sejjil (air-launched variant of MIM-23B I-HAWK, including some equipped with ARH), and Fakkur-90 (overhaul and upgrade of the venerable AIM-54A Phoenix).
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Are Iranian F-14A Tomcats a 'threat' for Israeli jets?
Nominally: no way.
That said, one should keep in mind: when underway over the Tehran area (for example), the IASF jets are 1,500km away from home, and operating with relatively little support (principally that of UAVs; a bit of US intel, too). No doubt, especially F-35s have their own qualities - particularly in regards of their sensors and their ability to provide the pilot with wastly superior situational awareness. There were already a few exercises in which they acted as sort of ‘mini-AWACS’: guiding other fighters.
On the other hand, the IRGCASF has meanwhile scattered its surviving air defence assests (see 'Mosaic Doctrine'), the IRIADF's radar network in western Iran was mauled, but elsewhere, it's meanwhile fully mobilised and ready. Indeed, IRIAF fighters are meanwhile known to have shot down several Israeli UAVs. Finally, don't forget the Houthis almost shot down a US F-35 (and did shot down some 8-9 MQ-9 UAVs), earlier this year, and then with 'much more primitive, ground launched' weaponry...
With other words: never say never.
I'm of the opinion that Iran should have applied to have the Tomcats recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site years ago.
But seriously, I would be objectively disappointed if Israel had hit even one fully operational Iranian jet on the ground. Like Ukraine, Iran should have at least relocated everything that could fly at the first sign of an attack. You don't have to be an officer to know that Israel would quickly gain (most of) air supremacy and that all air bases would be targets.
I wonder what the Israelis' next goals are. They've bombed everything they can find, Iran hasn't collapsed, what now? You can't win a war from the air alone. I'm just waiting for Netanyahu's "mission accomplished" speech, then the whole world will know that the opposite is true.
The F-14, my favourite interceptor. When I was a kid I dream about the Argentine Air Force getting some of them as they were taken out of service. A pure defensive jet, nothing the RAF need to be afraid.
We are getting F-16 instead, 30 years later.