The F-14 Tomcat Fighter Made Its Combat Record Flying for Iran

The F-14 Tomcat Fighter Made Its Combat Record Flying for Iran

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat earned its dramatic combat reputation flying for Iran, not America. The United States sold 78 F-14s to Iran during the pre-revolution Shah era. Iranian F-14 pilots reportedly shot down 130+ Iraqi aircraft during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War — substantially exceeding the U.S. Navy F-14 fleet’s modest five air-to-air kills. The F/A-18 Hornet that replaced the Tomcat costs $17,000 per flight hour vs. the F-14’s $35,000-$40,00…

A U.S. Navy F-14D Tomcat Might Return to the Skies Thanks to Congress’ “Maverick Act”

Three U.S. Navy F-14D Tomcats would be transferred to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Commission in Huntsville, Alabama, and one might be made flyable again, following the approval of the “Maverick Act.” The U.S. Congress is voting on a new bill which might see a F-14D Tomcat return to the skies 20 years after it was retired. The bill, notably called the “Maverick Act,” was introduced by Senator Tim Sheehy, co-sponsored by Sen. Mark Kelly, on M…