Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!newstop!sun!amdcad!amdcad!military From: U38956%uicvm.uic.edu@OHSTVMA.ACS.OHIO-STATE.EDU Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Air to Air F-16 vs. F-18 Message-ID: <1991May22.035210.28439@amd.com> Date: 21 May 91 17:09:38 GMT Sender: military@amd.com Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago Lines: 63 Approved: military@amd.com From: In regards to the prior article stating that Iran and Iraq both had F-14 Tomcats. . . In actuality only Iran had F-14 Tomcats. When the Shah of Iran was still in power, he was being harassed by the Soviets' continued flyovers over Iranian airspace with MiG-25 Foxbats. To counter the problem, the Shah asked Iran's then-ally the United States for an aircraft to counter the problem. The answer was the F-14 Tomcat, which at the time was still relatively new (ca. 1975). As a result, a total of 80 F-14A's were ordered by the Shah, of which 79 were delivered along with support personnel, technicians, etc. The US, anticipating the political unrest in Iran, sub- sequently degraded the Iranian version of the Tomcat before delivery (To obvious good effect). A "lower" grade version of the AWG-9 radar and AIM-54 Pheonix missile system was retained, however. You may have seen pictures of the Iranian Tomcats. They were painted in desert type camoflauge and were missing the door to the refueling probe. The sensor under the nose was different as well. The plane was still basically labelled in English, and even the tailhook was retained. When the Shah lost power and Khomeini was in, the Tomcats had IIAF painted on them for "Imperial Iranian Air Force". They were then pressed into service in the 9 year war with Iraq. Fortunately, the technicians and flight instructors for the Tomcat left Iran after the Ayatollah was coming into power, which made for Tomcats with no spare parts, poor maintenance, and a dwindling supply of Pheonix missiles, which were degraded to begin with and are probably all gone. Parts now come in by black market, but it still is not enough to keep up the Tomcat. Also, in the war with Iraq, the Iraqi have claimed to have shot down a great number of Iranian F-14's--whether or not the counts are as high as they claim (recall their claim in Operation Desert Storm for downed aircraft). In one particular instance, an Iranian defected to the Soviet Union in his F-14 Tomcat. After he landed, the Tomcat was impounded and neither him or the F-14 were heard from again. Good thing it was a degraded version, but I wouldn't put it past the Soviets applying what technology they could get out of that F-14 into their own (MiG-29, Su-27 possibly?) In terms of Iraq, well, no F-14's were ever ordered by Iraq, nor were any delivered. If some Iranian Tomcats were shot down by Iraq, I doubt the Iraqi are flying them today. ie, there are no Iraqi Tomcats. By the way, in terms of the F-14's from Iran carrying anti-ship weaponry there is some more support for that claim. When the USS Vincennes shot down that Iranian Airbus, they did so thinking it was an Iranian F-14 trying to attack them. So, I think they did anticipate its ability to carry air-to-ground weaponry. And in case you were wondering about the 80th Iranian Tomcat that was never delivered--it is being used today by the US Navy and from what I understand it still carries the desrt camoflauge. Check Six, Bones U38956@uicvm.bitnet SN0521911227