The Grumman F-14 Tomcat, known as “Top Gun,” is undoubtedly one of America’s most well-known fighter jets. Its retirement in the late 1990s from the US Navy, however, created a series of events that would lead to the federal seizure in 2007 of four F-14s.
On March 6, 2007, customs agents and officials from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service seized four F-14s from around California. Two were taken from the Yanks Air Museum, one from the Planes of Fame Air Museum, and the fourth from Aviation Warehouse at Southern California Logistics Airport. The last of these aircraft had an interesting history, being purchased by TV producer and Marine veteran Donald Bellisario for use in his show JAG. According to a federal court affidavit filed by ICE Agent Joshua Barrett, the aircraft were not processed by U.S. Department of the Navy regulations and were not adequately stripped of military hardware upon retirement at Naval Air Station Point Mugu.
According to the affidavit, the jets, which were retired between 1996 and 1998 – were to have been disassembled and scrapped by a contractor hired by the Navy for that purpose. Instead, they were sold in unauthorized transactions for $2,000-$4,000 each, and the money was given to the Morale Welfare and Recreation Fund at Naval Base Ventura County. The illegal disposal was discovered during an undercover sting operation looking into the possible black market sale of F-14 parts, specifically to Iran, which is the only country that still flies F-14s.
But an ICE spokeswoman, Virginia Kice said that although there was no evidence to indicate the planes were scavenged for parts by nefarious individuals, the lack of demilitarization remains a significant security risk. The affidavit says the F-14s were improperly turned over by the officer responsible for demilitarization and shipped to California Public Recycling, a private company in Oxnard, Calif., to be sold for scrap. However, the F-14 was categorically excluded from being involved in any scrap metal recycling programs.
Donald Bellisario continued by explaining that his F-14 was appropriately acquired through the proper channels of the military and was passed on only when the engines were pulled out and the entire aircraft was demilitarized by the Navy. He spoke about how the aircraft was cut in half and its fuselage welded back together; making the aircraft shell unable to fly but perfectly good for use as a prop. In 2005, the JAG F-14 was sold, along with the other three F-14s, to Aviation Warehouse Inc. for $15,000 from an alleged middleman. The planes then went to museums for $50,000 each.
The F-14s were subsequently stripped and shipped to a military facility in Tucson, Arizona for storage and final demilitarization following seizure.
Through the years 1969 to 1991, the F-14 Tomcat production core comprised a formidable interceptor and air superiority fighter, capable of flying over Mach 2 with a highly sophisticated avionics and weapons system. It flew operations across a multitude of conflicts, such as the Gulf, Iraq, and Afghan Wars, until its retirement in 2006. The Defense Department, at first juncture, was looking to ground all specific parts of the Tomcat but allowed the selling of parts stock. Fears of Iranian acquisition of Tomcat parts led it to its final demise through the shredding of the remaining F-14s.
Several Tomcats remain on display in museums, but the integrity of the wing box – the key structural element – means they can never be returned to flyable condition. The remaining airframes in the U.S. were flown to and stored at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. In 2007, the U.S. Navy announced that the remaining F-14s would be shredded to prevent any components from being acquired by Iran.