London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

The F-14 Tomcat first flew 52 years ago. Here's why the US destroyed them rather than let anyone else buy them.

The F-14 Tomcat first flew 52 years ago. Here's why the US destroyed them rather than let anyone else buy them.

Like many of the United States' foreign-policy decisions over the past 20 years, this one was about Iran.

There was only one foreign customer for the advanced F-14 Tomcat fighter during its heyday: Iran.

The Shah chose to buy 80 Tomcats instead of the F-15 Eagle — and it was a good investment. Even after Imperial Iran gave way to the Islamic Republic of Iran after the 1979 revolution, the Iranian Air Force was still stacked with some of the best Tomcat pilots in the world.

And the US doesn't want any of them in the air ever again.

Iran is the US's ex-girlfriend who we just can't stop thinking about. After the Islamic Revolution, the US could just not leave Iran alone. A major US sticking point was that our ex still had 30 of our best fighter aircraft — and was using them to great effect against our new boo, Iraq, in the Iran-Iraq War.


An F-14D Tomcat over the Persian Gulf in November 2005.

The Iranian air force was so skilled in the Iran-Iraq War that a lone Tomcat could clear the skies of enemy aircraft without firing a shot. Many of the successful downings of Tomcats were at the hands of ground-based SAM batteries ... Iranian SAM batteries.

But the US eventually gets better stuff, no matter how iconic "Top Gun" is. Since the Tomcat, we've had the major advances in fighter technology that led us to develop the F-22 and F-35 fighters, technology so amazing it might seem like magic to some.

So it made sense to retire our fleet of F-14s in 2007, given that we had an air-superiority fighter that had the radar cross-section of a bumblebee and could take out enemy planes before it could physically see them. When Iran got wind of the Tomcat's retirement, you could practically hear the CEO of Northrop Grumman's tummy growling at the idea of parts sales.

But nope. This was 2007, and Iran was still firmly placed in President George W. Bush's "Axis of Evil," along with North Korea. The idea of selling Iran rare F-14 parts so it didn't have to cannibalize its own F-14 inventory was preposterous. It was this concern that led the Pentagon to shred every leftover F-14 Tomcat.
A US Navy F-14D Tomcat over Afghanistan, in November 2001.


Did the US have to take a $38 million plane and reduce it to scrap metal just so Iran couldn't repair its aging fleet? No, according to many national security experts, it did not.

They said the move was more symbolic than practical. F-14 parts were considered sensitive equipment just for this reason, so the US ended all parts sales to anyone, not just Iran, for fear that Iran might get them eventually. But that doesn't matter; there isn't much Iran could do with its F-14s if they were airworthy.

"Those planes as they age are maybe the equivalent of Chevrolets in Cuba. They become relics of a past era," said Larry C. Johnson, a former deputy chief of counterterrorism at the State Department in President George H.W. Bush's administration. "Even if they can put them in the air, they are going to face more advanced weapons systems."

The decision to destroy all the surplus Tomcats was the defense equivalent of taking the house and the car despite not needing or wanting either — a purely spiteful move that makes Tomcat fans wish they would have just donated to museums.
Read the original article on We Are The Mighty. Copyright 2022. Follow We Are The Mighty on Twitter.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×