How is Iran Flying Upgraded F-14 Tomcats?

By Maya Carlin

Iran is flying the F-14 Tomcat, the same plane Tom Cruise piloted in the original Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick. A complicated history leads to how Iran obtained the U.S.-made fighter and how they keep the old planes flying.

The American-made Northrop Grumman F-14 Tomcat fighter jet was already widely recognized when the platform made its debut in the 1986 film Top Gun. As the most powerful and lethal interceptor jet ever built at the time, the F-14 was rightfully the true icon of the classic blockbuster.

The Tomcat entered service with the U.S. Navy in 1972 and was meant to replace its predecessor, the F-4 Phantom fighter.

The Tomcat featured many improvements, including advanced dog-fighting capabilities, agility and the ability to perform both long-range interception and air-superiority missions.

Multirole Mission

This mission set became abundantly important in the 1970’s as U.S.-Soviet tensions began to escalate. Eager to garner support from the region, President Nixon visited the Iranian head of state, Mohamed Reza Shah, and set up the deal that would give Imperial Iran 79 operational Tomcats.

The F-14 fighter jet was the ideal aircraft for Iranian pilots, as it effectively challenged the Soviet MiG-25R Foxbat jets over Iranian territory. The Tomcat was the equivalent to the F-22 today, the most superior and advanced aircraft in the sky.

F-14: Aging in the Air

The U.S. soon regretted allowing Iran to become the only other country to operate the fourth-generation fighter jets. In 1979, monarchical rule was abruptly squashed in Iran when fundamentalist Shiite clerics seized control over the country under the leadership of Ayatollah Ruhollah Kohmeini.