if confirmed, their loss would close the book on a decades-long saga that saw their unprecedented sale in the 1970s to a Middle Eastern ally — a move that only a few years later would land them in the hands of a virulently anti-U.S. regime.
Tehran's relentless effort to keep them flying in the face of a U.S. embargo eventually led to a long-running spare parts smuggling ring. When the U.S. replaced its F-14s, the issue was still such a high concern that it prompted the Pentagon to destroy them to make sure that Iran could never gain access to their components.
It's unclear if the story of the F-14s is completely over.
Earlier this month, Israel said it destroyed "several" F-14s on the ground. But not everyone agrees that they are gone. Cooper is skeptical. "Some of what the Israelis have shown us about the destruction of Iranian Tomcats is absolutely 100% wooden decoys," he says. "If you know where to search for them, you can actually see them standing in the same place for two, three, four or five years."
Still, only about 10 F-14s were operational at the onset of the current conflict.
Earlier this month, Israel said it destroyed "several" F-14s on the ground. But not everyone agrees that they are gone. Cooper is skeptical. "Some of what the Israelis have shown us about the destruction of Iranian Tomcats is absolutely 100% wooden decoys," he says. "If you know where to search for them, you can actually see them standing in the same place for two, three, four or five years."
Still, only about 10 F-14s were operational at the onset of the current conflict.
Coincidentally, I posted about the Iran F14 issue just 3 months ago https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-us-navy-destroyed-most-of-its.html
