Posted on 11/20/2015 7:10:21 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Something really interesting details have been exposed by the material released by Russia’s MoD lately.
Indeed, as you can see in the video below, IRIAF (Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force) F-14 Tomcat interceptors escorted Russian Air Force Tu-95 Bear bombers flying in Iranian airspace during their 9h 30mins missions (from Engels airbase and back, along the Iraq-Iran-Caspian Sea 6,500 km-long corridor) against terrorist targets in Syria.
With the U.S. Navy retiring the legendary F-14 in September 2006, nowadays the IRIAF is the only operator of the Tomcat, a type of aircraft that Tehran has kept airworthy throughout the years in spite of the embargo imposed after the 1979 Revolution.
Not only did the Iranians keep some F-14s in active service but they have also upgraded it with some domestic avionics upgrades and weapons that should extend the life of the last flying Tomcats until 2030.
Everyone hates ISIS except for Obama.
Where did they get the spare parts given the sanctions?
Cannibalized some of them?
Upgrade as they will, an Iranian F-14 is to an F-22 as a Curtiss JN-4 would be to a P-51D.
it’s heartbreaking
you could have typed anything there and I wouldn’t have known if you were lying or not
The x4r blows away the 3fi2. :)
Now I have to go look up EACH and EVERY craft your mentioned!
Feel the need for speed??
Just amazing to see this.
How did the Iranians get a F14 Tomcat?
I imagine they have to reverse engineer the parts.
They were the only customers of the Tomcat; bought about 80 of them in the 70s.
Amazing jet. Amazing they could keep it airworthy.
Like the Brewster Buffalo on Wake Island versus the Mitsubishi Zero? That much difference?
Where did they get the spare parts given the sanctions?
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It’s normal when a foreign country buys an aircraft lot from a US Mfr. to also include many years of spares for components that are time/life-limited items or otherwise have to be replaced due to wear or breakage.
I’m curious how they reverse engineerd the engines when China tried that with Russian engines and the last I heard, never got the hours out of the home brewed engines that they got with the Russian engines.
WHEN WE SELL THIS TYPE OF EQUIPMENT TO ANYONE...why don’t we build in a mechanism whereby we can destroy it???
My message to the Russians: “I don’t speak Russian, but I want to say that many Americans appreciate what you Bears are doing. Obama is a loud mouth coward and he doesn’t have the balls... I am glad the Russians do.”
“How did the Iranians get a F14 Tomcat?”
President Jimmy Carter sold the fleet of F-14 Tomcats to Iran at the request of the Shah. The U.S. Air Force trained much of the pre-1980 Iranian air force. U.S. policy after World War II was to restrain Iran from pursuing hostile territorial claims against the other nations surrounding the Persian Gulf/Arabian Gulf, particularly Saudi Arabia and the united Arab Emirates. This policy was coordinated with the Cold War policy to keep the Soviet Union and Communism out of Iran.
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