With its back to the wall, being the last operator of the mighty Grumman F-14 Tomcat in the world, Iran did not have better than woeful experience in keeping air defense components operationally effective. The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force has been successful in continuing the operation of these legendary fighter interceptors, whose annual budget reduced over the past five years by a deep margin. At the heart of Iran’s air defense strategy remains the F-14 Tomcat, but how has the nation kept these aging aircraft operational?
The 1979 Islamic Revolution did a complete about-face on the directions of Iran’s military procurement programs. Among many deals annulled by the Islamic government were additional F-14As and AIM-54A Phoenix missiles to arm them. Notwithstanding all this, Iran has shown remarkable tenacity in keeping their Tomcat fleet flying.
Still listed on the inventory of the IRIAF are sixty-two F-14As, about 45 of which are still flying in one or another state of operational readiness, an achievement for the Tomcat. Absent a suitable replacement, Tomcats over the Persian Gulf, Straits of Hormuz, and central Iranian Plateau keep on. Units fitted with modest indigenous upgrades will be able to continue service into the mid-2030s.
It is almost akin to a Cold War spy thriller, the story of Iran’s F-14s, purchased mid-70s exclusively to counter the Soviet threat, has come to epitomize Iranian defiance. Equipped with deadly radar and Phoenix missiles during the 1980s Iran-Iraq War, the F-14s sent chills down the spines of even the opposing force’s pilots; they retreated more than they ever attacked.
Iran has kept these vintage interceptors flying through a combination of stored parts, reverse engineering, and the procurement of components from black markets. The U.S. Navy, which retired its F-14s in 2006 and by 2009 had scrapped the fleet to make sure no parts reached Iran, did nothing to stop the IRIAF. Iran has even started to manufacture its spare parts and also expressed an interest in upgrading its airborne Tomcat fleet back to over half of its original strength as part of Project BABAIEE.
Perhaps the most impressive of these adaptations has been the refitting of surface-to-air missiles as air-to-air variants and the development of an indigenous version of the Phoenix missile, the Fakour-90. But even this best effort may not allow the missiles and radars of the F-14s, allegedly fitted with Iranian components, to be competitive with the most modern technology that could be fielded by any potential foes.
There are periodic photographs on social media in which one can see stripped-down Tomcats going through extensive overhauls and refurbishments. These provide views of how, if at all, such aircraft could feasibly be maintained under the harshest of sanctions.
Iran’s ability to keep its F-14s flying speaks volumes regarding a resourceful Iran pressing on for air superiority with dated machinery. The F-14s of Iran would undeniably stand no chance, given the outdated systems and domestic adjustments in modern warfare, against a new breed of fighter jets and weapon systems that are becoming more focused on networking. It does put a question mark over their actual effectiveness, especially when pitched against sophisticated opponents like the US, which can utilize advanced radar and air-to-air missiles designed for network-centric warfare.