The Israeli Air Force confirmed yesterday that it had struck at least two Iranian F-14 Tomcat fighters in Tehran, destroying both aircraft. The footage released by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) sparked significant reaction on social media, as Iran is the last known operator of the iconic F-14 Tomcat naval fighter—a sad and undeserved end for such renowned aircraft.
Thanks to a video shared by the IAF, it was possible to see at least two F-14 Tomcats destroyed on the ground by precision strikes. In its statement, the IAF noted: “…Today, the Air Force struck a pair of F-14 aircraft at an airport in Tehran, which were intended, among other things, to intercept Air Force planes…”.
Despite the IAF’s claims, the positioning of the aircraft suggests they were decommissioned units that had been stored outdoors for years at Mehrabad Air Base. In satellite images taken prior to the strike, at least two Iranian F-14 Tomcats could be seen parked outside shelters, leading to speculation that these were out-of-service airframes.
Although Iran’s Air Force maintained a handful of Tomcats in service, the majority of the fleet had gradually been cannibalized to sustain the few remaining operational units—a remarkable chapter in aviation history, given these were the last flight-capable F-14As.
The destruction of these F-14 Tomcats, along with recent Israeli airstrikes on Iranian airbases, may mark the end of the Tomcat’s operational life. It is worth remembering that Iran originally acquired at least 79 Grumman F-14A Tomcats in the 1970s, along with several hundred AIM-54 Phoenix long-range air-to-air missiles.
However, the 1979 Revolution dealt a serious blow to the Iranian Air Force due to widespread purges of its officers and technicians. Only over time was it able to rebuild its personnel—key to the long air war fought against Iraq. According to Iranian sources, the F-14 Tomcats scored 159 aerial victories during the Iran-Iraq War.
In the past decade, Iran sought to demonstrate that it still retained the capability to fly a handful of F-14s—not only as a direct challenge to the United States but also as a show of its adaptability in the face of sanctions and restrictions, even if the operational value of the remaining Tomcats was largely symbolic.
Cover image: IAF
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