One might see Iran still operating F-14 Tomcat and F-4 Phantom within that tapestry of global military aviation and the talk of geopolitical intrigue and technical resilience.
These aircraft, made in America and up until now the symbols of U.S. air superiority, are at the heart of Iran’s air defense strategy, where the country avows complex relationships with the West.
Still, the newest and the most powerful, the F-14 Tomcat, is taken as the most advanced and sophisticated fighter, which the Iranian Air Force uses.
This aircraft was procured by Iran in the early 1970s after it was chosen by the Shah of Iran, seeking to strengthen his military’s position against regional threats rather than the F-15 Eagle.
It was displayed at Andrews Air Force Base, where it culminated in an order of 80 Tomcats and a large stockpile of Phoenix missiles.
However, things greatly changed when the Iranian Revolution of 1979 arrived when the new government immediately put the elite fighter pilots in second-class status.
The Iran-Iraq War began in 1980 but showed quite clearly the need for these pilots and their jets since Iranian F-14s proved deadly to Iraq forces.
Maintaining these aircraft has not been a small task. Iran’s self-sufficiency program, begun in 1982, concentrated on the production of relatively simple components in-country. The F-14’s complexity, however, required a far more clandestine approach.
A network of smugglers and arms dealers sprang into being, with surprising contributors like Israeli brokers and, during the Iran-Contra affair, even elements within the Reagan Administration.
The underground trade continued to thrive even as the United States sought to dismantle the practice by junking surplus F-14s and in legislation banning the sale of parts.
Side by side with the Tomcat is the F-4 Phantom, another stalwart of the Iranian air fleet. The Phantom is a third-generation all-weather jet fighter that has been an icon of U.S. military operations from the Vietnam War to the Gulf War.
Iran bought all three variants of the F-4: F-4D, F-4E, and RF-4E during the Shah’s regime.
Many of these aircraft are serviceable today, having flown their missions in 2014 against ISIS.
It remains something of a mystery why Iran came to rely on these aging aircraft in the first place without getting an end to their pariah status or an end to international sanctions.
Moves to upgrade its fleet, including reported purchases of Russian Sukhoi Su-35s, have proven nothing if not confusing and logistically problematic, representing, at least, the nuances of Iranian defense procurement.
The endurance of the F-14 and F-4 in the arsenal of Iran would show how historical moments of alliance, adaptation of technologies, and the habitual shadow of geopolitical tensions play along.