PUBLISHED on August 25, 2025, 4:59 pm EDT: Key Points and Summary – Even after its U.S. retirement in 2006, the iconic F-14 Tomcat lived on as the prized possession of the Iranian Air Force.
-Fearing that spare parts would fall into Tehran’s hands, the Pentagon took the extreme step of shredding its own retired fleet.
-For decades, Iran went to incredible lengths to keep its Tomcats flying, cannibalizing airframes, reverse-engineering components, and smuggling parts to maintain its most capable interceptor.
-The jet’s powerful radar and long-range missiles made it a vital asset, a legacy that only now appears to be ending.
F-14 Tomcat: The American Relic Iran Can’t Quit
When the Grumman F-14 Tomcat was officially retired on September 22, 2006, it ended 36 years of service and signaled the end of an era for a truly iconic American aircraft. Replaced by the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, the Tomcat ultimately proved too costly to maintain and repair.
The Navy saw the Super Hornet as a more reliable, modern, and less expensive option, with the aircraft taking over both fleet air-defense and strike roles on carriers. Recognizing the power of the old platform, however, the U.S. Department of Defense took action to prevent spare parts reaching Iran.
In January 2007, the U.S. government confirmed that the sale of spare parts would be banned entirely over concerns about Iran rebuilding older units in its fleet – and in July that same year, the majority of America’s F-14s were destroyed out of an abundance of caution.
Reports from the time described how the Pentagon paid a contractor at least $900,000 to destroy the old F-14s. The remaining aircraft were stripped down to bare metal at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.
“The Defense Department had intended to destroy spare parts unique to the F-14 but sell thousands of others that could be used on other aircraft. It suspended sales of all Tomcat parts after The Associated Press reported in January that buyers for Iran, China and other countries had exploited gaps in surplus-sale security to acquire sensitive U.S. military gear, including F-14 parts,” a CBS News report from the time explains.
I Visited an F-14 Tomcat Fighter Yesterday
But not every Tomcat was destroyed – and one of them can be found at the Empire State Aerosciences Museum in Glenville, New York. The museum, which was established in 1984 and sits on the grounds of the Schenectady County Airport in Glenville, is home to a number of recognizable American, British, and Russian aircraft – but it’s the F-14 Tomcat that is most instantly recognizable for visitors entering the museum’s main hangar.
In fact, it’s the first thing I noticed when I visited last week. Even as a Brit, I found myself walking straight past the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy aircraft featured in the same hangar and looking straight at the Tomcat; truly one of America’s most iconic military aircraft. And it’s not just because of how it looks, either. Sure, this is a good-looking aircraft, but there’s a reason Iran held on to it for so long after the United States gave up on it.
Iran’s 79 Tomcats were delivered in the 1970s – and as of 2025, Iran was the world’s only remaining F-14 operator. Tehran refused to let go of the aging platform because of its long range and noted radar prowess. The Tomcat’s AN/AWG-9 radar and AIM-54 Phoenix missile system meant the Tomcat remained Iran’s most important airborne interceptor for some time, proving invaluable as one of the country’s most reliable defenses against aerial threats.
When U.S. support disappeared following the 1979 Revolution, Iranians cannibalized airframes, reverse-engineered parts, and even smuggled in whatever parts they could find through clandestine arms networks, including in Iran-Contra-era deals. During the Iran-Iraq War, the remaining Tomcats proved their worth, protecting Tehran’s energy infrastructure and scoring air kills. But just as the United States was forced to give up on the platform, so too will Iran.
In June, Israeli drone strikes destroyed two Iranian F-14s on the ground. And while it’s unclear whether the aircraft were operational or simply grounded relics, the strikes were a sign that Iran’s reliance on the F-14 is coming – or has come – to an end.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York who writes frequently for National Security Journal. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
More Military
The F-117 Stealth Fighter Won’t Stay Retired
