#f14a tomcat

[chrisrobe96]

IRIAF F-14As seen carrying the multi-mission weapon load which comprises of 4x Aim-54A Phoenix, 2x Aim-7E-4s and 2x Aim-9Ps.

This weapon load was commonly seen early in the Iran-Iraq war but this would change later on by removing two of the Aim-54As as combat experience taught the Iranians that four of the Phoenix missiles would hamper the F-14s manoeuvring characteristics should it get involved in a dogfight due to their size and weight, also it was found that only one missile fired at a Iraqi formation would send the rest of the aircraft fleeing in fear, meaning two was more than enough. Also there was the issue of only 224 Phoenix missiles were available in Iran after the US stopped deliveries.

There is nothing like a F-14 carrying a large load of Phoenix missiles, what a look!

[chrisrobe96]

Iranian F-14A Tomcat 3-6020 seen outside one of the hardened aircraft hangers at Khatami Air Base in 1986.

What makes this photograph particularly interesting is the two MK 83 Bombs mounted under the forward Phoenix pallets, showing the the Iranians were actually experimenting with the concept of the “Bombcat” at the same time the US were doing the same with their F-14A+ Cats. The Iranians however would not make this a standard weapon load for their Tomcats as they were very aware of their precious value, only using them on special and important bombing missions, leaving the regular strike roles to their F-4E/D Phantoms and F-5E/F Tigers.

[chrisrobe96]

Old colors!

In February 2017, F-14A-GR with the ID 3-6039 of the IRIAF was photographed landing at Tehran Mehrabad Airport in Iran, but what’s special? It’s still in the original “Asia Minor” camouflage!

This is remarkable given virtually all of the IRIAF’s F-14As are in the modern Blue-Grey camouflage that replaced the desert camouflage back in the 1990s when the Tomcats underwent overhauls at IACI.

Closer examination shows the camouflage is rather faded and discoloured in some places, this is a strong suggestion that this particular aircraft has recently been taken from storage and re-activated for service, meaning it’s been in storage since the 1980s, likely a victim of lack of spare parts which grounded a lot of the IRIAF Tomcats in the closing years of the war with Iraq. 3-6039 is known to have shot down a Iraqi Mirage F-1EQ from long range using an Aim-54A Phoenix on the 20th February 1987.

Also taking a closer look reveals a canopy in the modern grey color telling us this is not the original canopy, probably the original deteriorated or was damaged. But regardless it’s so cool to have seen this camouflage so recently, even faded this camouflage looks so good on the Tomcat!

This will probably not last long as she will most likely be repainted Into the modern blue-grey colors before being entered into service with the IRIAF, but given the tomcats lost this color scheme over 20 years ago it’s nice to see it again briefly, a throwback to the era of the Iranian Tomcats fighting desperately to keep their people safe from a much larger enemy Air Force during the dark days of the Iran-Iraq war.

[chrisrobe96]

The odd one out

Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuNo. 160378 is seen on display in 1999. Apart from the fact it was never updated to the B or D variant due to its status as a test aircraft this Tomcat seems very ordinary, except from when it was built it had a very different destination.....

F-14A-GR BuNo. 160378 was in fact the 80th and last Tomcat ordered by Iran under Contract Persian King and was scheduled to be delivered in 1979. This aircraft would have entered service as 3-6080.

This last aircraft was actually held back at Grumman as they were going to experiment with converting the Iranian Tomcats to the USAF Boom style of refuelling rather than the probe and basket type that was standard. This would have been useful as it would match up to other aircraft already in IIAF service that used the boom system and mean less specific equipment needed for the Tomcats. However in 1979 the Islamic revolution swept the US-Friendly Shah from power, bringing an end to Contract Persian King and the aircraft was neither converted or delivered to Iran as the regime that took over had no intention to maintain a relationship with the United States. Following these events BuNo. 160378 was put into storage at AMARC in Arizona in 1979.

7 years later in 1986 this Tomcat was refurbished, re-activated and brought up to US Navy standards and was issued to the Pacific Missile test center in November 1987

BuNo. 160378 is seen here in 1989, a few years after it’s re-activation and it’s clear it remaind In it’s Iranian Asia Minor Camouflage for some time in US Navy test service!

Later on the aircraft would be used by the Naval Air Warfare Center and then by the Weapons Test Squadron based at Point Mugu. Along the way the aircraft was re-painted into the standard US Navy low-visibility grey (probably in the 1990s)

BuNo. 160378 is seen here on display again in 2001. Amazed me how it stayed in the original A configuration, even retaining the TF-30 414 Engines years after the GE 110 took over although it’s role as a weapons test aircraft meant it probably wasn’t necessary to fit the newer jet engines. I’ve been unable to find the end fate of the aircraft but I’d imagine it was probably decommissioned from service in 2006 or earlier along with the rest of the US Navy tomcat fleet. It was most likely shredded in keeping with US government policy of scrapping all the tomcats to ensure no parts made it to Iran to help its own Tomcat force. I’ve heard that apparently at numerous times Iran had requested the aircraft be delivered (most likely during the Iran-Iraq war to help with combat losses) but this request unsurprisingly turned down.

But this is this is the fate of the Persian Cat that never was, instead living its life out in storage and in testing, a much more quiet life compared to its brethren who would be on the front lines of a particularly violent and drawn out conflict with a number being destroyed

[chrisrobe96]

F-14A Tomcat Pilots of the IRIAF

These group of pilots and WSOs were probably some of the best crews of their time, despite most of them starting the war in prison and in some cases to be executed by the new Islamic Republic for their association of being part of the Shah’s favourite military branch (the IIAF), despite having to recover their skills after not flying for 18 months in some cases, despite their F-14s not always being 100% functional and despite facing a overwhelmingly larger Air Force being supported by most Nations with new aircraft and weapons and being on their own with little support and working with only what they had in country, these never stopped them from challenging the Iraqi Air Force and rightly deserving the respect of being fantastic combat pilots.

These pilots stood their ground and never ran from a fight, even when outnumbered and used their fantastic training and the awesome combat capabilities of their Tomcats to become the most lethal fighters in the skies if the Iran-Iraq war, and were incredibly efficient with fighting at long range with the Aim-54As and closer range dogfights using Aim-7Es and Aim-9s whilst exploiting the low level low speed manoeuvring advantage of the Tomcat to out-do any Iraqi aircraft who dared challenge them.

Part of the reason I have become so interested in the Iranian Tomcats is not only because of their incredible and violent combat service that is not often covered but also because these men I feel don’t get the respect they deserve, men who bore the brunt of the air war and yet are written off or have their achievements purposely scrubbed or ignored by sources here in the wrst simply because they fight for a country who most don’t get along with. I say this without getting political, these were simply incredible pilots who risked their lives and in some cases paid the highest price for their service to protect their country and their people. If these had been combat pilots of another country they would be praised as heros, but because this is Iran they are seen as evil.

I don’t care what people will think of this, in my opinion these guys were some of the best damn pilots of their time!

[chrisrobe96]

A former IIAF Grumman F-14A Tomcat is pulled out of storage in late 1980/early 1981 to be re-actived for participation in the Iran-Iraq war.

A number of Iranian F-14As went into the air war still wearing markings of the former IIAF (Imperial Iranian Air Force) as the IRIAF had yet to recover from the chaos of the Revolution, although after the Iraqi invasion in September 1980 efforts were made to bring the armed forces back into a state of battle-readiness, including freeing much needed aircrew and technicians from imprisonment.

By 1981 the Tomcat fleet had mostly organised itself and got an incredible 60 of its 76 Aircraft operational, its crews and technicians had got back their skills after quick refresher training and a number of technical issues like getting the Aim 9P Sidewinders and the Aim 7E-4 Sparrows to work correctly with the Tomcat’s Weapon control system had been resolved, the F-14s would soon start their defensive strategy that would make them Iraq’s worst nightmare.

[chrisrobe96]

A rather interesting advert produced by Grumman sometime after 1974/75 asking for American F-14 Tomcat pilots and Weapon Sysrem Operators to apply as instructors in Iran to aid in the introduction of the 80 F-14A-GRs being delivered to the Imperial Iranian Air Force under Contract Persian King which started in 1974.

What I find interesting is it asked for air crew with 1500+ hours of experience in the Tomcat which is a lot given the aircraft had only entered service a year earlier with the US Navy in 1974, would pilots have accumulated that many hours in such a short amount of time?

Regardless it’s a really cool advert from the time period, showing the vast scale of the introduction of a complex aircraft like the Tomcat to another country, but the instructors did a superb job as not did the Iranian aircrew qualify in good time but their fantastic combat skills used later in the air war during the Iran-Iraq war shows they were trained to excellently high standards.