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Iran used F-14As to great effect during the Iraq-Iran conflict. The Tomcat flown by Iranian pilots did exceptionally well against its Soviet and French peers in

Iran used F-14As to great effect during the Iraq-Iran conflict. The Tomcat flown by Iranian pilots did exceptionally well against its Soviet and French peers in the Iraqi Air Force.

sokoloff 4y ago
Fans of the Tomcat might be interested in F-14 RIO Ward Carroll's YouTube channel. Here's an episode covering Iran's usage of the F-14 against Iraq: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3HYrasBB4k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3HYrasBB4k
- eternalban 4y ago
  Listening to the intro, good to point out that the Shah was an accomplished pilot himself and could appreciate the demonstration. -- "`There were several factors which influenced the selection of the F-14. Iran’s northern border with the USSR, and those to the west and southwest with Iraq, are guarded by high mountains. Our Air Defence Command was building radar outposts on many peaks for better radar coverage, but we could never improve the situation with ground-based radar alone. There were too many “blind spots” in this coverage, and the big white domes of our radar stations were also excellent targets, visible from up to 50 miles away. Intelligence information obtained at the time verified that the Soviets would indeed strike them first. `In the south, along the Persian Gulf coast, we had only US-supplied radars, which did not work properly in hot and humid conditions — that is, for ten months of the year — and otherwise also had poor performance, despite several upgrades. All the radars supplied to the IIAF as part of Military Assistance Program projects were far from being top-of-the-line. The Americans gave us what they wanted to give, not what we needed. For two years — 1973-74 — a group of Iranian radar instructor including Col Iradj Ghaffari (the first Iranian tactical radar instructor) studied coverage problems associated with “Radar Sites Reinforcement,” but could not find a solution. Eventually, it was decided that a “flying radar” would eliminate the terrain masking problems. That flying radar would also have to be able to defend itself. It is beyond doubt that during the war with Iraq, the F-14 proved that it was exactly what we needed. `Before these studies were conducted within IIAF circles — at the time we were still flying F-5A/B Freedom Fighters and F-4D Phantom IIs we started looking for a top-of-the-line fighter interceptor. The result of these studies, directed by Gen Mehdi Rouhani, was a requirement for F-14s and AEW aircraft. US briefings on F-14s and F-15s undoubtedly helped us to formulate our requirement. We created the plan to purchase eight AEW aircraft — initially four, followed by four more — and the F-14s. Eventually, four orders were issued — the first for 30 Tomcats and the second for 50. There was one for Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS, followed by one for two communication satellites, which would enable all these aircraft to communicate securely with each other.’ "Unaware that the Iranians had already identified the F-14 as the right aircraft for their unique operational requirements, the US Navy and Grumman started an intensive campaign to ‘sell the Shah’, which included sending the F-14 Program Coordinator of the Chief of Naval Operations, Capt Mitchell, to Tehran twice to brief the Shah and IIAF commanders on the Tomcat’s capabilities. This culminated in a spectacular fly-off in July 1973 at Andrews AFB, Maryland, for the Shah and a group of high-ranking Iranian officers." source: https://theaviationgeekclub.com/former-iiaf-tomcat-pilots-tell-the-true-story-of-why-iran-picked-the-f-14-over-the-f-15/ https://theaviationgeekclub.com/former-iiaf-tomcat-pilots-te... the demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-mrFcsw-Ew https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-mrFcsw-Ew

Iran used F-14As to great effect during the Iraq-Iran conflict. The Tomcat flown by Iranian pilots did exceptionally well against its Soviet and French peers in the Iraqi Air Force.

sokoloff 4y ago

Fans of the Tomcat might be interested in F-14 RIO Ward Carroll's YouTube channel. Here's an episode covering Iran's usage of the F-14 against Iraq: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3HYrasBB4k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3HYrasBB4k

eternalban 4y ago
Listening to the intro, good to point out that the Shah was an accomplished pilot himself and could appreciate the demonstration. -- "`There were several factors which influenced the selection of the F-14. Iran’s northern border with the USSR, and those to the west and southwest with Iraq, are guarded by high mountains. Our Air Defence Command was building radar outposts on many peaks for better radar coverage, but we could never improve the situation with ground-based radar alone. There were too many “blind spots” in this coverage, and the big white domes of our radar stations were also excellent targets, visible from up to 50 miles away. Intelligence information obtained at the time verified that the Soviets would indeed strike them first. `In the south, along the Persian Gulf coast, we had only US-supplied radars, which did not work properly in hot and humid conditions — that is, for ten months of the year — and otherwise also had poor performance, despite several upgrades. All the radars supplied to the IIAF as part of Military Assistance Program projects were far from being top-of-the-line. The Americans gave us what they wanted to give, not what we needed. For two years — 1973-74 — a group of Iranian radar instructor including Col Iradj Ghaffari (the first Iranian tactical radar instructor) studied coverage problems associated with “Radar Sites Reinforcement,” but could not find a solution. Eventually, it was decided that a “flying radar” would eliminate the terrain masking problems. That flying radar would also have to be able to defend itself. It is beyond doubt that during the war with Iraq, the F-14 proved that it was exactly what we needed. `Before these studies were conducted within IIAF circles — at the time we were still flying F-5A/B Freedom Fighters and F-4D Phantom IIs we started looking for a top-of-the-line fighter interceptor. The result of these studies, directed by Gen Mehdi Rouhani, was a requirement for F-14s and AEW aircraft. US briefings on F-14s and F-15s undoubtedly helped us to formulate our requirement. We created the plan to purchase eight AEW aircraft — initially four, followed by four more — and the F-14s. Eventually, four orders were issued — the first for 30 Tomcats and the second for 50. There was one for Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS, followed by one for two communication satellites, which would enable all these aircraft to communicate securely with each other.’ "Unaware that the Iranians had already identified the F-14 as the right aircraft for their unique operational requirements, the US Navy and Grumman started an intensive campaign to ‘sell the Shah’, which included sending the F-14 Program Coordinator of the Chief of Naval Operations, Capt Mitchell, to Tehran twice to brief the Shah and IIAF commanders on the Tomcat’s capabilities. This culminated in a spectacular fly-off in July 1973 at Andrews AFB, Maryland, for the Shah and a group of high-ranking Iranian officers." source: https://theaviationgeekclub.com/former-iiaf-tomcat-pilots-tell-the-true-story-of-why-iran-picked-the-f-14-over-the-f-15/ https://theaviationgeekclub.com/former-iiaf-tomcat-pilots-te... the demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-mrFcsw-Ew https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-mrFcsw-Ew