The History Behind Iran's F-14 Tomcat Fleet, And Why It Led To A US Sales Ban

Before the U.S. Navy retired the F-14 Tomcat, it was the premier bomber hunter. Its after-burning turbofan engines –whether General Electric or Pratt & Whitney's power plants– let it exceed two times the speed of sound. The radar-intercept officer (RIO) could track two dozen rival aircraft from nearly 200 miles away with the AWG-9 X-band pulse-doppler radar, making it a real impressive piece of machinery. Then there was its robust armament. The Tomcat had 10 hardpoints that could carry a payload of 14,500 pounds. As the primary fighter jet featured in "Topgun,"  viewers only glimpsed a fraction of what it could do. So when Iran had a chance to acquire a few for itself, it took it.

It's common knowledge that most of the western world isn't on good terms with the Islamic Republic of Iran. That tension started around the '80s, but that didn't stop the Reagan administration from selling parts for the F-14 to Iran. Reagan's heart was in the right place, exchanging Tomcat components for the return of American hostages, as well as some cash. Unfortunately, much of that money went to fund an illegal and off the books campaign to overthrow the Nicaraguan. When Congress discovered these secret efforts, it passed a bill that the then president signed, banning F-14 components from being sold to anyone. This law only made it more difficult for Iran to acquire the parts it needed, though, and it didn't change the fact that it still had an impressive piece of American-made hardware.

Younger generations hear about Iran and instantly think of them as an enemy to the U.S., but that wasn't always the case. America was friendly with the country during the '70s, so when Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the country's leader since 1941, felt tensions rising between Iran and its neighbor Iraq, he requested an American fighter jet from the American president. President Nixon gave him a choice between the F-14 and the F-15 to protect his borders. The F-15 Eagle would eventually become known as a legend of the skies, but the Shah went in a different direction. After seeing what both jets offered during a fly-off at Andrews Air Force Base, he requisitioned 80 Tomcats.

Iran also purchased 714 long-range Phoenix missiles –the most lethal air-to-air missile at the time– as well as training in the Tomcat for Iran's pilots. The Phoenix missile coupled with the radar system gave the Tomcat the ability to eliminate targets from 100 miles away. As you might have figured, Iran didn't remain allies with the U.S. The latter half of the '70s and '80s were a rough time for Iran. The Shah fancied himself a Persian king and made a great deal of changes to the country that his subjects, especially the more religious ones, didn't agree with.

Tensions reached a boiling point when the shah ordered his security forces to open fire on protestors, which killed hundreds of people and injured thousands. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi was overthrown in 1978 by the Ayatollah Khomeini. That's when the now Islamic Republic of Iran view of the western world started to sour more than it already had. The Ayatollah had no joy for the F-14s Iran received and even less trust for their crews. The Tomcats were grounded and the pilots found themselves imprisoned.

However, the Ayatollah sang a different tune as soon as Iraq invaded their country. He realized his country needed planes –even American ones– in the air to defend its borders. The specially trained Iranian pilots took to the air and put their Tomcats to work. The Iranian-piloted Tomcats claimed over 150 Iraqi jets throughout the eight year war. The fighter jet seemed to really resonate with Iran because throughout its lifespan with the American Navy, American pilots only shot down five enemies. Meanwhile, Iranian pilots shot down considerably more in the same amount of time, according to Popular Mechanics.

As time progressed, Iran distanced itself more and more from the United States, which posed an issue for keeping their F-14s operational. They needed parts and components. Acquiring simple components like brake discs was easy enough, but parts for the and engines weren't so much. All of the Tomcats Iran had used the Pratt & Whitney TF30 engines, which needed constant repairs. It wasn't a very good engine. Iran used networks of spies and smugglers who went through Israel, another well-known enemy of Iran, to receive the necessary parts. That supply line eventually fell apart when Hezbollah, a terrorist organization sponsored by the Islamic Republic of Iran, attacked Israel.

These smugglers created an entire smuggling network, using intermediaries to purchase the parts and disguised their destination. After the United States retired the F-14 in 2006, Iran was the only nation operating the plane and became more aggressive with acquiring its components. In 2007, the U.S. government found four non-demilitarized Tomcats sold to private parties. This prompted the Defense Department to hunt down and destroy as many as 633 Tomcats. It's believed that Iran has fewer than 50 still in working order