The Israeli Air Force said Saturday that it wiped out several Iranian F-14s, holdovers from a time when Washington and Tehran were on much friendlier terms.
According to The Jerusalem Post, Israel bombed several F-14s parked at an airport in Isfahan, Iran. It was not clear exactly how many F-14s were destroyed.
The F-14 subfleet makes up an important part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, together with the MiG-29, Su-17, F-4, F-5, and Chengdu J-7.
Grumman delivered 79 F-14s to Iran when it was still ruled by the Pahlavi dynasty. At the time, the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was a close ally of the U.S.
When the Islamic Revolution of 1979 overthrew the monarchy, the new regime took control of the aircraft. They saw combat during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88), helping to drive off Iraqi fighter jets and defend Iranian positions in the country’s west.
To this day, the record for the most shootdowns in an F-14 belongs to an Iranian pilot.
In the years since, international sanctions have made it all but impossible for Iran to acquire new Western-made military aircraft, forcing it to rely mainly on its aging pre-1979 fleet. And because spare parts are also covered by the sanctions regime, it is becoming more difficult for the armed forces to maintain their U.S.-made airplanes and keep them operational.
Notably, Iran did not deploy any combat aircraft during its air war with Israel last year. A small number are thought to be in use during the current conflict.
The U.S. Navy retired the F-14 in 2006. The U.S. and Iran remain the only countries to have ever operated the F-14.
