Thanks to the illegal sale of F-14 parts to nations that wheel and deal with Iran, they've managed to restore three of their F-14A Tomcat fighters to operational status.
What a darn shame.
Iran was sold 79 Tomcats during the reign of the Shah; following the Islamic Revolution of 1979, sales of the aircraft and spare parts were permanently suspended. The F-14s saw extensive action during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s. Then the parts started running out and many of their F-14s were cannibalized for spare parts. Eventually most of the F-14s were grounded, and Iran began an illicit smuggling program to acquire F-14 parts.
The good news is that the avionics aboard are ancient, so they won't pose too much of a threat if they go up against the U.S. Navy or Air Force. A first-generation F-14A is no match for an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet or an F-22 Raptor.
Still, what a shame.
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