Iran Ordered 80 Made in the USA F-14 Tomcat Fighters Under the Shah and Took Delivery of 79 Before the 1979 Revolution. By 1986 Only 25 Were Still Operational. Israeli Strikes on Isfahan in March Destroyed at Least 2 More, and Nobody Outside Iran Knows Whether Any Are Still Flying.
The Shah bought the F-14 Tomcat because he wanted something that could reach Soviet reconnaissance aircraft at long range, and paid roughly $2 billion for 80 of them and hundreds of AIM-54 Phoenix missiles.
By: 19fortyfive.com
