Iran's Top Guns - The Last F-14 Tomcat Squadrons

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Iran is the only nation still using the F-14 Tomcat, the fighter made famous by the 1986 movie 'Top Gun'. Find out how Iran obtained these US planes and why they are still in service 50 years later in 2024.
Dr. Mark Felton is a well-known British historian, the author of 22 non-fiction books, including bestsellers 'Zero Night' and 'Castle of the Eagles', both currently being developed into movies in Hollywood. In addition to writing, Mark also appears regularly in television documentaries around the world, including on The History Channel, Netflix, National Geographic, Quest, American Heroes Channel and RMC Decouverte. His books have formed the background to several TV and radio documentaries. More information about Mark can be found at: en.wikipedia.o...
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Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Mark Felton Productions. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Mark Felton Productions does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.
Sources:
- 'The Spies and Arms Smugglers Who Kept Iran’s F-14 Tomcats Flying' by Stephen Witt, Popular Mechanics, March 2, 2023
- 'How Is Iran Still Flying Top-Gun F-14 Tomcats?' by Kris Osborn, US Navy News, June 15, 2023
- 'Iran Flies the F-14 Tomcat Fighter Like in Top Gun: Maverick' by Maya Carlin, The National Interest, October 1, 2024
Credits: US National Archives; Library of Congress; US Navy; Israeli Defense Force

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2 окт 2024

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Комментарии : 322

@Sturgeonmeister 9 часов назад

When I was in US Air Force, I was attending Telephone Maint school from 72-73 and we had 2 Iranians Students, in my Class. We also had Iranians Pilots training at Sheppard.

@richardschafer7858 9 часов назад

Years ago, one of my coworkers was an Iranian Air Force pilot who fled Iran when the Ayatollah took over. Said he flew F-4 Phantoms. This is such an awesome channel.

@servicerifle16 9 часов назад

I had an uncle that worked in Iran for the Bell Helicopter company in technical assistance. He was on one of the last planes out of Iran before the Iranians started taking hostages.

@Johnnycdrums 9 часов назад

When I was in U.S. Navy boot camp there was a whole separate company of Iranians. Later, at "A" school (Naval Station Great Lakes) there were Iranians there as well.

@ndogg20 7 часов назад

Was at Great Lakes for Engineman A school back in 1978 and remember the Iranian students then. They occupied the 3rd level of the berthing building and kept to themselves, would get hostile if you approached them.

@MrTVintro 9 часов назад

Regardless of how you feel about Iran or their government, the fact they've managed to keep these in the air for this long is impressive.

@uziforyoutosay1749 8 часов назад

There are skilled people throughout the world, population statistics prove this out.

@lancerevell5979 8 часов назад

They also still fly those old Northrop F-5 light fighters. An indigenous Iranian fighter jet is actually an upgraded F-5 with some redesign of the airframe.

@clavichord 8 часов назад

Regardless of how you feel about the Westminster regime, the fact that ultra modern and British tax payer funded nuclear trident missile tests utterly failed is also "impressive".. you must admit

@dougieranger 7 часов назад

@@clavichordEvery nation has military failures. Russias recent Satan II ICBM failure for one. It’s how you put these things right and learn from them that counts.

@budnrobots2968 7 часов назад

War is an ultimate testament to humanity. Unfortunately it seems the conflict is natural and secondary to our fundamental circumstances. I have heard this : Your life is only made good through difficulty.

@pouyan225 7 часов назад

Greetings from Iran. I'm an Iranian Pilot (commercial) and enjoy seeing these beautiful marvels of engineering take off and land from time to time. The Aircraft has an special place in heart of Iranian public because of 3 main reasons: 1- It's regarded as a souvenir from the late Shah under whom the country enjoyed peace and prosperity. 2- Iranian public love anything American (Cars, Aircraft, Movies, TV shows, you name it) and have tremendous respect and admirations for American engineering and expertise. 3- The type is credited for saving numerous Iranians from being bombed during Iran-Iraq war. AFAIK there was never any F-14 delivered to Russia (I've heard about it but I believe it's not true) but the Islamist government occupying Iran is stupid enough to do that so there's a possibility. When Iran finally gets liberated from the Islamist regime you guys can travel to Iran and enjoy watching the Tomcats at airshows! ☺

@krisfrederick5001 8 часов назад

"Ba man sahbat kon ghaz" That's "Talk to me Goose" in Persian. Love the variety and knowledge Dr. Felton

@siliyemoodislam 8 часов назад

Daram sohbat mikonam bahat

@Esi.2024 8 часов назад

دارم صحبت میکنم

@ashlati4616 9 часов назад

One of them Tomcats got stolen not long ago by some US Navy cpt called Pete Mitchell .

@charlescomly1 9 часов назад

I would like to hear the back story on that.

@bryansammis998 9 часов назад

🤣😂😅

@vanceb1 9 часов назад

He traded in for a P-51.

@arekpawlik7013 9 часов назад

They should make a movie about the event. I would watch it.

@thefrecklepuny 8 часов назад

Reminds of a similar story when a couple of Royal Navy pilots stole a Sea Vixen in the 80's and took on some MiG-23's!

@ianbrett3276 8 часов назад

Now Mark lets not forget the 1980 movie The Final Countdown which also featured the legendary F-14 Tomcat 😁

@MehrLovin 7 часов назад

Yeah that is what got me actually

@sidefx996 7 часов назад

Yeah the footage is fantastic, plus they actually use the correct sound of the M61.

@michaelporzio7384 9 часов назад

The F-14 was introduced around the same time as the F-15 and F-16, which are still relevant in modern war. F-14 are still a capable aircraft, the US Navy dropped them because they were very high maintenance aircraft and had limited air to surface capabilities, it was designed for fleet protection not ground attack. The F/A 18 is much more versatile and could do both missions at lower cost. Also, in the hands of Tom Cruise, F-14s are still very deadly.

@wicky383 9 часов назад

Ever hear of the Bomcat?

@michaelporzio7384 9 часов назад

@@wicky383 Yes, a 90s modification of the F14 for ground attack. An after production modification. The F14 was not originally designed for such a role. F/A 18 was.

@tz8785 8 часов назад

Around the same time but maybe just a bit too early to keep up with the other two. There is a Curious Droid video on the F-14 which calls it the last analogue fighter.

@mamarussellthepie3995 8 часов назад

@tz8785 Remember that the (D) was Digital and had FBW in the end! 😊

@Akm72 8 часов назад

@@michaelporzio7384 Apparently that's not true. The F-14 was designed with an air-ground capability from the outset but, in the 1970s, the political preference was for specialised aircraft so the decision was made to focus entirely on the counter-air roles. In the 1990s they just had to dust off the existing AWG-15 fire control system and teach the RIO's to use it. The difficult bit was integrating the LANTIRN laser targeting pod.

@abigaillilac1370 9 часов назад

The F-14 Tomcat had the first microprocessor in it. That was classified, so people thought the first microprocessor was the Intel 4004 for a long time. Nope, the US government was a few years early!

@moappleseider1699 8 часов назад

Almost every single bit of 'new technology" we get in the civilian world has been invented, tested, perfected, or at least used by the military for years before we get or hear about it.

@juuuxie2631 8 часов назад

Never in a million years did I'd think I'd hear my favorite historian talk about my favorite aircraft. Absolutely made my day

@t16205 7 часов назад

Such a beautiful jet

@MrIwan18 9 часов назад

Stil a beauty the Tomcat, thank you for yet another great episode Mark!

@MrXdmp 9 часов назад

Thanks Dr. Felton!

@aaron6178 9 часов назад

Fascinating stuff! Thanks Mark! One of my bosses back in the day was US Marine aviator on exchange. He loved the Tomcat. Just a durable and reliable beast in his opinion. Spent many hours in horrendous conditions in the Western Pacific. Cool Stuff.

@arad1255 7 часов назад

As an Iranian, thank you very much for making another informative video about my country. Although they are old, it still makes you feel proud to see them flying because they are the heroes of a long and bloody war. Thank you very much.❤

@vanceb1 8 часов назад

You mean the Grumman Iron Works made an airplane that lasted over 50 years? Those guys sure knew how to build them.

@Blackadder75 7 часов назад

wait till you learn about B-52s........

@LupusAries 7 часов назад

@@Blackadder75 Yeaaahhhhh, buuuutttt.....the Tomcat ist a Fighter so it faces much Higher G-loads, which Stresses the airframe more, which leads much more Fatigue Cracks. The B-52's flight Regime ist much gentler in the airframe. And all B-52 Curre tly in Service are B-52Hs builz from 1961 to 1962. So narely 14-16 years older than the Iranian F-14 and with OEM Support. If you Take the much more punishing flight Regime, the Lack of OEM Support, Lack of spätes, daily Combat Missions for 8 years, that makes the Iranian Tomcat's longevity much more impressive.

@Hippie.J 7 часов назад

My brother helped build the B1 bomber for Rockwell international back in the 80s,

@h.y1855 7 часов назад

Big fan of your unbiased channel for years.❤ from iran.

@davidjames2083 9 часов назад

*What a remarkably timely and apposite post Mark. **_CHEERS!_* 👍😎🥃

@r2gelfand 9 часов назад

I can only imagine the maintenance issues that come about from operating a 50 year old aircraft.

@Riceball01 9 часов назад

A 50 year old aircraft that's long run out of spare parts and high level maintenance and factory support at that.

@bryansammis998 8 часов назад

@@r2gelfand that’s probably why the USAF is upgrading its B-52 fleet

@lancerevell5979 8 часов назад

And with decades outdated avionics! There are NO replacement parts.

@grumpyboomer61 8 часов назад

I'm curious as to how many hours are on the airframes. Especially the wing boxes, spars, and pivot gear for the swing wings.

@williamlloyd3769 9 часов назад

Ironically, in 50 years museums will be buying F-14 out of Iran for their static collections

@rogerw3818 8 часов назад

I sure hope so. In fact, such a program could be the starting point of dialog between the nations.

@scockery 7 часов назад

If there are any museums in 50 years.

@renelogtenberg141 9 часов назад

Great video. Thanks Dr. Felton

@davedice4688 8 часов назад

Incredible video. It’s nice to see the big fighter still getting some love.

@SafetyProMalta 8 часов назад

Always enjoyed the brief mention in Red Storm Rising of the Iranian F14's

@TimHunold 7 часов назад

I met a guy in Beverly Hills at a local hangout here and met one of these former pilots. Really nice dude, we bump into each other around town a lot. French/Iranian.

@Theseus9-cl7ol 9 часов назад

🎵 Highway to the Danger Zone 🎶

@IrishManJT 7 часов назад

It is a great technical achievement on the part of Iranian aviation engineers to have kept a very complex fighter, the F14, going for the last 50 years especially without any external support. Nothing short of amazing IMO.

@asafun 9 часов назад

Back in the day, Israel was evaluating the F15 and the F14. They tested them both in the US. In the end, they chose the F15.

@namratakeshri5799 9 часов назад

Very modern video on your channel you usually upload ww2 and earlier videos I loved it

@EnigmaticPenguin 9 часов назад

A video by my favourite history channel on my favourite plane. Christmas came early this year!

@sandiahead 9 часов назад

Perfectly logical reasons but I have to think they enjoy the "screw you" factor as well.

@moappleseider1699 8 часов назад

Oh absolutely, you know they do. Same with North Korea keeping the USS Pueblo

@thefrecklepuny 9 часов назад

Be aware that an F-14 will only be able to reach max speed in a clean condition. In a useful combat configuration with missiles and fuel tanks, it'll be no faster and indeed probably slower than an F-35, which can carry a stealth optimised weapon load internally.

@adamsteele6148 9 часов назад

The tomcat is extremely deadly in the right pilot hands. It's ability to turn is amazing and it's fast as hell.

@alexrompen805 9 часов назад

In 1982 sure.... but unless you expect F-35 and F-16 pilots to laugh themselves to death, its not doing much against modern planes since it would be shot down before it even knew an opponent was there.

@MarkFeltonProductions 8 часов назад

TBF, I think the F-16 is as old as the F-14.

@adamsteele6148 8 часов назад

@@alexrompen805 incorrect. With that radar it can see and dodge missiles. Especially with updated avionics. This isn't the 1970s anymore. Iran has the best trained f14 pilots in the world I would not mess with them.

@alexrompen805 8 часов назад

@MarkFeltonProductions its close, but it is newer and better, they basically looked at the F-14 and improved what faults it had and improved the aerodynamics and gave it a smaller profile while being able to go just as fast.

@adamsteele6148 8 часов назад

@@MarkFeltonProductions 8 years difference. The f16 has a very different fighting profile than the f14. It can out rate it with the right pilot.

@billpark8988 9 часов назад

As good as the plane may be, all things being equal, the pilot is the deciding factor.

@darkjudge8786 9 часов назад

Think about what you just said. If the plane is different then all things aren't equal. Your sentence is logically inconsistent and will lead to the implosion of the universe in 3...2...1 Muppet

@timothypowell6298 8 часов назад

@@darkjudge8786 they are going to be times when the pilot is key . For exsample ground attack aircraft the warthogs they take a high degree of skill to fly and use in close surpport of troops on the ground .

@guyperson6567 7 часов назад

@@timothypowell6298it is indeed the warthog pilot commiting friendly fire and not the plane

@jsldj 8 часов назад

"It's not the plane. It's the pilot." Capt. Pete Mitchell

@Penekamp11 9 часов назад

A very timely piece.

@johnkingeef855 9 часов назад

"I feel the need for speed" Iran 1989 "I hope we land today" Iran 2024.

@Theseus9-cl7ol 9 часов назад

Lolz 😆

@BlueLightningHawk 8 часов назад

This vehicle was recently added to War Thunder as part of an event. That is why everyone is talking about it right now, lol.

@akula9713 7 часов назад

To be fair the RAF flew old Buccaneers and Tornadoes during the second gulf war. Vulcans surprised a lot of people. It’s not the aircraft so much, but the crew and tactics used.

@Andrew08893 8 часов назад

Great episode Mark

@stevenscoggins170 8 часов назад

Grumman made really sturdy airframes.

@kurmayyuzbasmustafakemal9184 9 часов назад

F-14 : The ultimate bang for your buck

@petunized 8 часов назад

When you are under embargo and don't have access to Su-35

@struck2soon 8 часов назад

The Iranian airforce is like an aviation museum!

@Katmando376 8 часов назад

Yes I served in the 🇮🇷 Iranian Air Force as a Pilot before the 1979 Revolution ✈️

@BagusWidyanto_HappyIn1997 9 часов назад

The arrival of Su-35 could potentially allowed Iran to retire their Tomcats. One of them is now a museum exhibits in Tehran

@johnwkindig1613 9 часов назад

It is important to note, the F-15, F-16, and even the Mig-29, all still frontline fighters in major nations to this day (and still being produced), are of the same or similar age. The design of the F-14 is capable enough to equip nations still, IF and only IF it continues to receive updated weapons and avionic packages like the US inventory of F-15 and F-16s. While Iran is capable of doing that itself, it cannot build entirely new airframes, thus, age and attrition is taking over. The US has F-15s and F-16s in service, but not the same original airframes built in the 70's and 80's, those airframes did not have necessary updates, and over the years the airframes themselves fatigue. No matter how diligent the maintenance and updates made for the F-14's, they will continue to become more and more unreliable, until they are no longer cost effective to operate.

@TOMCATnbr 9 часов назад

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="365">6:05</a> and that is a massive crime against humanity 😭

@cedricbaccay633 8 часов назад

The F14 is such a beautiful plane!

@madaricgoran8937 7 часов назад

Another great one from our Doctor! Thanks!

@scottallpress3818 7 часов назад

Still a very good looking plane and still formidable .

@ReviveHF 8 часов назад

We may need to thank Warthunder for adding the avatar picture of Jalil Zandi and the Iranian F-14 jet, because this is one of the most obscure piece of history.

@johnjacobs1625 8 часов назад

Hi Dr Mark!! I had one Iranian in my A School Class at Millington Tenn. His Name was Oscar!! & he told me he had to serve 20 years. JJ VF-142 75-79 TOMCATS baby

@francoluissotomayor3123 9 часов назад

I needed this rn

@victorbeauvois 9 часов назад

Always very interesting and factual

@angryskimaskman3332 9 часов назад

I've seen that thumbnail before...

@HamanKarn567 8 часов назад

I always liked using them in the Ace Combat video games. Now I know obviously those aren't the most accurate representations since they can hold like 60 missiles and bombs but still it was fun and that was all that mattered.

@maxkourosh278 8 часов назад

Thank you Mark for a great video.

@douglasmiller1467 8 часов назад

We had al the support in the world on the Connie and the Tomcats were always broken. Top speed is impressive on the F-14 but burn time is very short.

@barryobee1544 9 часов назад

Another great video

@TS-mo6pn 7 часов назад

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="469">7:49</a> Catchy tune.

@BengtHansves 9 часов назад

Greece is still flying F4 "Phantom"

@MarkFeltonProductions 9 часов назад

And I believe Turkey as well.

@creauspssrb627 8 часов назад

They are the last countries to fly them as japan retired their F4's in 2021

@TP-ym1xe 7 часов назад

And for those that remember, in the film Executive Decision, made in 1996, they display the last serving US F-14 squadron.

@kuukeli 9 часов назад

thank you

@Tada101 9 часов назад

lol is the thumbnail ripped from war thunder?

@Death_Trooper-177 9 часов назад

Yes

@namratakeshri5799 9 часов назад

True

@Tada101 9 часов назад

@@Death_Trooper-177 I thought I recognized it

@HeroesInTheSky11 8 часов назад

yeah, from the recent event, glad I got mine

@jamesgarman4788 8 часов назад

Great topic! These F-14A's are from the late 1970's I can only imagine they are installing Russian or Chinese radar systems in their fleet. Many thanks for posting Dr. Mark!

@toddewire13 9 часов назад

As far as publicly known they have updated their f-14s electronic wise an engine wise

@insideoutsideupsidedown2218 8 часов назад

No they haven't

@topnax8803 7 часов назад

Yes!, that is the truth

@rolandjaycutter3504 9 часов назад

I like to call Iranian F-14s 'Cannibal Cats' do to how they're maintained.

@cjay2 9 часов назад

It's 'due' not 'do'.

@uziforyoutosay1749 9 часов назад

Wait….I thought the story would be about Me262 squadron called “Fritz die Katze” used by Iran.

@Bubba-Fudd-bulletsmith 8 часов назад

I like the music at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="470">7:50</a>

@sailordude2094 7 часов назад

When my Navy cruiser went into the Gulf in the 80s, the Iranian F-14s were listed as a credible threat on the CIC board. Of course my carrier group had a few of its own. I later served in ground comms with USN F-14s in Iraq in 2004 before they were retired. Thanks for the history Mark! BTW, happy 100th birthday Mr. President Jimmy Carter. He had a big hand in Iran's current situation, probably approved the sale in the 70s, lol.

@samuelj2408 7 часов назад

big hand? in destroying it and its miss-management ,leading to the non friendly middle east you see it , carter's and Zbigniew "Zbig" Brzezinski decisions essentially caused a butterfly effect that you can see its negative consequences to this day in the entire world.

@jonholland6067 7 часов назад

In 1977 my English father was running the surface finishing facility, near Tehran, that supported the Iranian airforce. Iranian air craft industries I believe it was called.

@dammad8584 8 часов назад

This sounds like a military/political thriller movie..."best of the best"..ty Mark Felton

@Russojap2 7 часов назад

Very interesting, as usual! Greetings from East Tennessee 🤠

@djzrobzombie2813 9 часов назад

What's up skid Marks???

@brianna3340 9 часов назад

💀

@FoulOwl2112 8 часов назад

Damn things must have the RCS of a small sports arena

@irongeneral7861 7 часов назад

Thank you, sir!

@l.b.7543 7 часов назад

My dad went to the Navy War College with a few Iranians back in the early 1970s

@l.b.7543 7 часов назад

Also ironic- our heritage goes back to Iran in 1730s

@rogerw3818 8 часов назад

TOMCATS! As long as Pete Mitchell draws breath, beware of the Tomcat. TOMCATS!

@thewise3551 8 часов назад

I had the honour of actually flying one of these back in the day in Microsoft flight simulator X.

@shaider1982 8 часов назад

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="360">6:00</a> this is painful to see but necessary to avoid helping Iran maintain F14's

@ronaryel6445 7 часов назад

The Iranian purchase of 80 F-14s was key to the US Navy's being able to afford the fighter jet. Development costs led to a per-airplane price that the Navy could not afford on its own. The Shah purchase not only got him the world's first "superfighter," it subsidized the US Navy's purchase.

@thomasfx3190 7 часов назад

The Iranian F-14 had the AN/AWG-9 radar which they used in the war against Iran in the 80's to great effect. Apparently, the Iraqi Tomcats would lock up Iran's MiG-21 and MiG-25 aircraft beyond 100 miles and the MiGs would turn tail and run because they didnt want to tangle with the F-14.

@rickyhenry4958 7 часов назад

Most badass jet of all time in my opinion

@JFDA5458 7 часов назад

"The current Iranian air force is not configured for a fight with Israel or the United States" A master piece of British understatement.

@edwardmond5523 7 часов назад

Interesting information..!

@christianpethukov8155 8 часов назад

Great video, unexpected topic.

@Sequentialaccount 7 часов назад

Really enjoyed this video, this has been a topic on my mind since the F-14AM was added to war thunder. Can we expect a video on Houthi F-4’s?

@scottessery100 8 часов назад

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="425">7:05</a> haven’t you seen top gun maverick

@BV-fr8bf 9 часов назад

It's airframe age that is the ultimate problem.

@MariaPaley 8 часов назад

I know a bit different but in Cuba you see 70 yr old American cars rumbling around strong!

@fkier5963 9 часов назад

Always thought it strange that they bought a naval carrier based aircraft considering they didn't have carriers, and that naval aircraft often need to be heavier due to needing stronger landing gear, arrestor hooks, etc. and thus sometimes not quite have the performance of a purely land based aircraft (I know that is probably controversial, but with aircraft, weight is everything). Why they didn't go for a land based aircraft must be an interesting story as well...

@WALTERBROADDUS 9 часов назад

The f-14 had a fly off versus the f-15 and was more impressive.

@lriper4702 7 часов назад

Unfortunately USN, destroyed all their F14s, including the static displays, non of them have engines installed. In the future no F-14 could participate in an air show…

@olivetheguy2234 7 часов назад

gotta love the war thunder pic

@salar.92 9 часов назад

mr.felton please make a video about iran hypersonic strike tel aviv

@kimwit1307 8 часов назад

It's not just about upgrading the planes. At some point the airframes themselves will become too 'tired' to keep functioning at combat-level.

@Embarking-on-a-new-adventure 8 часов назад

The Netherlands only stopped last week flying the F-16.

@lillexus5589 8 часов назад

They have sent them to Israel though, ain't it.

@Embarking-on-a-new-adventure 7 часов назад

@@lillexus5589 No the current ones are mostly send to Uktaine in the next couple of months.

@9Apilot 7 часов назад

Keeping the Tomcats operational is a massive flex on the USA. CAD and 3D printing have probably helped restore more aircraft to service. They probably get help from China. There’s a term in the aircraft industry called “Chinese blueprint” which means to manufacture something from a sample. China is, of course, very good at reverse engineering. They have also redesigned systems locally. One thing they were very proud of was their braking systems and how they were superior to OEM. The Tomcat was designed to operate from aircraft carriers and use tail hooks instead of brakes. So they left some room for improvement perhaps. Now how they keep the TF-30s going is beyond me.