Israeli forces destroyed a pair of Iranian F-14 Tomcats, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Monday.
The Defence Blog reports that the jets were parked in Isfahan, Iran, while Israel carried out airstrikes on military targets in the region. According to The War Zone, these F-14s were not parked under hardened shelters.
The IDF claims that these F-14s “were intended to intercept Israeli aircraft.”
RECAP of Our Recent Operations Over Tehran:
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 16, 2025
🛫 Strike on two F-14 fighter jets that were located at an airport in Tehran. These jets were intended to intercept Israeli aircraft.
❌ Thwarted a UAV launch attempt toward Israel.
🎯 Eliminated a launch cell minutes before launch… pic.twitter.com/y1gY7oBz99
Israel continues to batter Iran’s dwindling fleet of fixed-wing aircraft. The Iranian Air Force currently boasts around 15 fighter squadrons.
End of the Tomcat?
The War Zone has continually reported that the most recent conflict between Israel and Iran could spell the end of the F-14’s life. Israel launched its attack against Iran last week.
It remains unclear how many Iranian F-14s remain airworthy, and multiple outlets have reported that the two destroyed on Monday were not operational.
In the 1970s, under the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran sought to modernize its air force and became the only non-U.S. customer for the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. Of the 80 aircraft ordered, 79 were delivered to the Imperial Iranian Air Force before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
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Following the revolution and the subsequent U.S. arms embargo, maintaining the F-14 fleet became a significant challenge for Iran. Cut off from American spare parts, technical support, and training, the IRIAF resorted to cannibalizing parts from damaged or non-operational airframes, reverse-engineering components, and establishing procurement networks to acquire parts on the black market.
Over the decades, Iran has also developed its own domestic upgrade programs for the F-14, reportedly modifying and improving its avionics and weapon systems. Despite these efforts, the number of airworthy Tomcats has dwindled over time due to attrition and the difficulty of sourcing critical components for the aging airframes.
Iran is the only country with the 55-year-old fighter currently in its military fleet. The U.S. Navy officially retired the jet in 2006.
