Iranian F-14 Tomcat Ace Reveals His Iraqi MiG-Killing Secrets

[@MOSHAWER55]

As an Iran-Iraq war veteran, involved within the 21 Brigade of the Iranian special Forces (Anti-Guerilla Missions, Pilot rescue Missions) in the 80s, I have to say, that this documentary was one of the nicest of I have ever seen over the Internet in the recent years. Thanks, sir, for the focus and perfect way to tell the story. God bless and keep the good work.

[@119winters5]

I'd like to see some pictures of you during your time in service

[@amortalbeing]

@@119winters5 count me in too

[@TheMapman01]

That's nice man. There is a certain honor, respect there. Sometimes your enemies can be friends in some way. Or at least I would say that I have more in common with soldiers from another military than civilians in my own country. Also, well, we are having trouble here now.. so.. We (many of us) may be getting a little perspective that we have been lacking very soon. Lets hope.

[@ManLikeKitch]

تشکر بسیار از خدمت شما. شما افتخار وطنید.

[@SilentWolf486]

There is no reason the US and Iran should be enemies. The Iranian people are amazing and the culture goes back thousands of years. I would love to experience more from this country and people. I've never understood why we tolerate places like Saudi Arabia, but somehow Iran is "evil". No more brother wars. We're all humans and all part of a greater family. And before anyone complains or says anything silly, I'm a hard line right winger bordering on "alt-right" beliefs and US Patriot. I'd die for my country if needed, and support freedom and justice, but there is NO reason why Iran needs to be our enemy when we casually tolerate so many more questionable countries.

[@georgesalmas4582]

I was a Navy JAG Officer 1974 - 1978 and often did courts martial on ships at sea. On board one of the carriers I remember some of the U.S. Tomcat pilots having large Imperial Iranian Air Force F-14 decals on the doors to their rooms. I asked one about it, and he said it was his way of thanking the Shah for buying enough F-14s to lower the unit cost so the U.S. Navy could afford them. Amazing times.

[@bijan8407]

What a pity that US government betrayed Shah and supported fanatics. Since then middle east has always been unrest.

[@alantoon5708]

In the mid-1970's Bank Melli, the Iranian state bank, underwrote a loan the Grumman that kept Grumman afloat. At the time each Tomcat sold to the Navy was at a loss...

[@Silversmok3]

@Alan Toon there’s a lot more to that story. In early 1974 Grumman asked the Navy for a loan to keep the expensive Tomcat production line open. In August, Grumman execs got busted using the loan money to buy high risk securities instead. The Grumman execs then kept the profits. So Congress de-funded the F-14 in response, effectively cancelling the program at that point. Thing of it was, the Shah had his order of 60 (later expanded to 80) Tomcats in and he didn’t give a damn about US political scandals. He was gonna get his Tomcats , and directed the Iranian bank to stake Grumman so they could fulfill his order. The Navy then forced Congress’ hand- how can the Iranians fly a better plane than the US? Congress put the Tomcat back in the budget, and the US Navy got their planes thanks to a bailout from Tehran. Without that loan, the Tomcat story would have ended in 1975.

[@reallifeengineer7214]

@@Silversmok3 Wow. That’s an amazing story.

[@workingguy-OU812]

@@Silversmok3 Any chance those Grumman execs could be named? I would like to see their families pay it back or be asked to move out of the USA.

[@daniel1982641]

I’ve heard about another Iranian F-14 ace who goes by the name of Jalil Zandi with 11 confirmed aerial victories. Sadly, I believed he died in a car accident outside of Tehran in 2001. May his soul rest in peace. 🙏🏼 He was like the Maverick of Iran. 😎

[@ChoongaLoonga]

He is one of the best pilots in history of military aviation,and best f14 pilot even US confirmed that

[@ghostcreeper243]

He was the last pilot to earned the title ace

[@PeymanBakhsheshkon-uf3zm]

they killed him because he had very nice reputation and he loved shah 🙁

[@sobhan7593]

Also do some research about Mahmoud Eskandari, he was one of the best pilots during the war and interestingly he was died in the car accident at those years too.

[@faali4874]

@@PeymanBakhsheshkon-uf3zmnot because he loved shah! Americans and Mosaad killed him so he doesn’t train new Iranian pilots

[@cyrustenable]

At last a US tomcat pilot acknowledging the bravery and skill and dedication of the Iranian Tomcat pilots . 25 aces is remarkable and they recorded a lot of first world records with their tomcats . Iran was the savour of the Tomcat project . Thank you sir . It is time Iran and US put aside tensions .

[@BobSmith-uu5kj]

He is not an ex Tomcat pilot. He is an ex Tomcat RIO.

[@magosryzak7477]

That won't happen until Iran stops screaming 'Death to America!' every 5 seconds. (Hyperbole but I will not trust a nation to have our back when they openly state they do not like us and would cause damage when possible.)

[@euphan123]

@@BobSmith-uu5kj what is that? NVM, the Brazilian Air-force, am I right?

[@moonasha]

@@euphan123 the RIO operates the radar and handles other stuff to take workload off the pilot. Also operates as a second pair of eyes in a dogfight, on ejection duty while the pilot flies, and so on

[@aryair1411]

@@moonasha According to some Iranian pilots, the task of "Rio" is more important than Tomcat pilot.

[@farhadtabarrok9858]

Kudos to you sir for such an objectiv, accurate and unbiased assessment of Iranian Tomcats in action. I happened to have flown with MANY Iranian ex-tomcat pilots during my career as an airline pilot in Iran and I have tremendous respect for them. I am fully aware of how hard they worked to defend Iran from Iraqi aggression in the 1980s with severe handicaps. Their training days in the US was almost always a topic of discussion on our flights and applying tactics they had learned in the US ultimately produced the number of aces that we see in various documents. Wishing you an amazing 2022 and looking forward to your next videos!

[@katamarankatamaranovich9986]

On his 4th kill he told his RIO to count altitude aloud every second, that is why he pulled out just in time, and mig didn't. Also he said, he was sad that that pilot didn't eject, 'cause he was a good pilot.

[@DIYDaveT]

Not that good a pilot it seems since he dirt napped himself like that.

[@bearb1asting]

Link to video?

[@katamarankatamaranovich9986]

@@bearb1asting kzbin.info/www/bejne/eoConYOvbKiZe5I

[@KingKiavash]

@@DIYDaveT Yeah, you're definitely a better pilot than he was, youtube scrub.

[@DIYDaveT]

@@KingKiavash The fact that I can respond to your silly taunt means that yes, in fact I am.

[@MaximGhost]

The Shah also bought Bell Helicopters (Hueys & Cobras). My dad just left the U.S. Army as a trained helicopter avionic tech during the Vietnam War and he was contracted by Bell along with other ex-Vietnam vets to maintain the helicopters in southern Isfahan from 1975 to 1979. Entire American families moved and lived there. During the last year we lived in Shahin Shahr just north of Isfahan along with Grumman contractors and their families. Shahin Shahr was like an American military base (fenced off with armed Iranian soldiers for security) where Bell and Grumman families lived and we kids went to Americanized schools in this Americanized community. That all ended when the Iranian Revolution kicked off and then we all had to leave back to stateside. I was 10 years old when we left Iran.

[@W1ldTangent]

Iran is a beautiful country, and everyone I have ever met from there has been a decent enough person. It's too bad about the leadership though.

[@teslastellar]

Do you have any photos from the time you might be able to upload?

[@Citadin]

@@W1ldTangent we have our own issues with our leadership as well, to say the least...

[@stonecoldmunchin]

Maxim, My father and our family also lived in Iran. He was there with Bell helicopter as an instructor pilot trying to teach Iranians to fly Hueys. I was 8 when we left Iran in a hurry.

[@NoahSpurrier]

We had a family friend who was a commercial pilot. He said Iran was one of his favorite places to visit. I was a kid. He gave me some Iranian money. Kids always like to see money from other countries.

[@rockhopper01]

I was an avionics tech on Marine A-6E Intruders, and the perceived danger of Iranian F-14’s had an interesting effect on our jets. The electronic countermeasures aboard A-6’s were incapable of of alerting and defending our aircrews of detection by the F-14’s and their Phoenix missiles’ radars. As a result, we installed a pair of off-the-shelf Tandy “fuzz-busters” from Radio Shack on the dashboard in the cockpit. We would get gripes from the crew saying the “fuzz-busters” would go crazy as the jet was taxiing to and from the runways. Well yeah, that’s because PMO is out there clocking people’s speed on the roads around the field! 😁

[@richbuckley6917]

When the Gun sight wound’t work, a guesstimate drawn on the HUD with a grease pencil came close enough for government work.

[@georgesykes394]

@@richbuckley6917 UH-1 Huey pilot's did the same thing in Vietnam. They also had a XM-60 Reflex sight to fire the rocket's. The preferred methods was a writing a cross on the windshield with a grease pencil they swore it was far more accurate.

[@Skyhawks1979]

@@richbuckley6917 I knew A-4 pilots that did that for an inop bomb sight and did pretty well.

[@phantom4E2]

wow the A6, interesting story, also what is “fuzz-busters” ?? a cheap RWR?

[@redactedredacted4246]

@@phantom4E2 fuzz busters are police scanners. They’re literally the same police scanners you can buy for your car, not kidding. The AN/ALR-45, one of the earlier RWR systems used on A-6’s and F-14’s, was great when it was first introduced, but over a short time it began to show serious obsolescence against emerging weaponry such as SA-6 SAM’s. The cheapest field mod that could be made, without compromising airworthiness of the aircraft, was to use fuzz busters.

[@XerxesGammon200]

As an Iranian I am impressed with the depth and knowledge shown in this video. To add more here, the Iranian pilots also carried out the famous "Operation H3"; an Iraqi airbase in the far west province destroying 40+ Iraqi Mig 21s and 23s without casualties. The Iranian Tomcats had to circle around the Iraqi/Turkish border at 350ft altitude and refuel with a Boeing 707 twice without detection by the Iraqi and the Turkish military.

[@KingofEuropa07]

It's always nice when someone adds to the information on the video. By the way is that 'the motherland calls' in your profile pic?

[@berzerker3238]

The G3 operation was don by F4 not f14

[@Robert53area]

I thought the operation had was done by f4 phantoms? I read they flew through the north part of Iraq, and met refuels then hit the airbase in the west. The Iraqis thought it would be out of reach.

[@XerxesGammon200]

@@ThePersianKing My bad. Im not savvy when it comes to military facts. I usually focus on the historical and geopolitical aspect of wars. It's refreshing to see so many are familiar with the details of the operation.

[@XerxesGammon200]

@@KingofEuropa07 Yes, the Motherland calls or in Russian (Родина-мать зовёт!) in Volgograd, Russia.

[@454k30]

Being a career Navy aircraft mechanic I had heard the myths and legends surrounding the Iranian tomcats. I would never have imagined that after all these years that those birds were still flying. Thank you, sir, for putting this together.

[@mikelamberth9975]

Got to admit, they had some good pilots, and the Tomcat in desert camo looks wicked.

[@fazi4632]

got to admit , if we become ally again, become most powerful alliance in the word ! p.s. I'm Iranian

[@greggstrasser5791]

@@fazi4632 Don’t pay attention to the propaganda! 🇮🇷 🇺🇸

[@fazi4632]

@@greggstrasser5791 😉🥰 🇺🇸 ❤ 🇮🇷

[@stonecoldmunchin]

@@fazi4632 Having lived in Iran I can say the Iranians were wonderful people and I hope our nations align again!

[@carnell7785]

Right, that's why all of those camouflages are featured in Ace Combat franchises

[@olentangy74]

Ward, regarding the destruction of the Tomcats in storage at Davis Monthan: the scrapping was limited to the A models, which were the oldest and most worn airframes. Four A's which were of historical significance were spared.The B and D F-14's were not scrapped. Over the years various B and D's have been sent to museums around the country. As of late, there are 10 Tomcats still in storage at D-M. The 80th Iranian Tomcat that was never delivered to Iran was parked in the desert at D-M when I was employed there, still in it's Iranian camo paint scheme. Very cool looking I must say. Later on a team from Grumman came out and got the Tomcat flyable. It was flown back to Grumman, where it was overhauled and delivered to a USN squadron ( I don't know which). The theft and smuggling of F-14 parts was very real, regarding everything from hydraulic actuators, electronic components, and various parts of the TF-30 engines which were used on the A models which Iran flew. I was working for Navair, Norfolk where 3 individuals were indicted in federal court on various charges, one of whom I knew. But the decision to scrap the majority Tomcat inventory was not the result of one case, but rather over several years when it was realized how intense organized was the Iranian effort to keep their F-14's flyable.

[@workingguy-OU812]

Wow!

[@Bimmerguy88]

So VERY glad that they didn't destroy them all! :D Hearing this from someone who was ACTUALLY THERE is awesome! Gives me hope that I might actually see one fly again one day!

[@MongooseTacticool]

Not so long a go I saw an actual F14 ACM panel for sale on eBay. (Used the pics for measurements for my sim pit.)

[@tomsidebotham9781]

2 of the Tomcats are taken apart on the south end of the field and a 3rd cockpit is next to them. 1 is on a corner on static display and 2 are in celebrity row. 5 are parked together but last imagery looked like they were moved from where they were parked for years.

[@olentangy74]

@@tomsidebotham9781 Thanks for that info. Do you work at AMARC?

[@chaunceywilliams8405]

Ward, you have become my military history teacher. Thank you. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.

[@NotOnDrugs]

If you like ward, you'll love Dr Mark Felton

[@marshallallensmith]

@@NotOnDrugs Absolutely.

[@Farweasel]

@@NotOnDrugs And then there's ' Ed Nash's Military Matters' (Ed does short vids of mostly pre 1960, frequently obscure but really interesting airplanes) Also 'Aircrew Interviews' which tend to be a bit more 'talking heads' than Ward Carroll's (excellent) stuff but covering more nations & more planes with first hand pilot accounts. None of which takes anything away from Ward Carroll's stuff - This episode's bloody fascinating.

[@CrustyCodger]

I was a USAF enlisted student at Lowry AFB Avionics Electronic Technical School in 1977. During fundamental training there were Iranian & Saudi students in the school and an obvious dislike between each group. During breaks each would stay with their own group and when they moved, they moved together and never mixed between each other. We were all young American kids at the time and found this very humorous. Later we found out from one of the Saudi students that they would get reprimanded if they mixed with the Iranians.

[@theblueabyss63]

It’s goes back 1400 years ago to be honest😂 yeah in the modern day it still exist and to be honest as an Iranian I also find it humorous as the new generation has had nothing to do with the past

[@irarubinson9471]

Love this episode

[@albertbadal4425]

Thank you Ward for amazing contents. The first Tomcat base was Shiraz AFB. Then in mid 80s, they move them to Esfahan AFB. I was born in Shiraz AFB and used to watch nighttime scramble sorties with beautiful afterburner glow from top of our building. Big shout out to all Tomcat pilots including my best friend's father Captain Edraki.

[@WardCarroll]

Thanks for the detail and the shout out, Albert.

[@majesticpbjcat7707]

@@WardCarroll who does the digital simulation work for the videos? I'm assuming it's stuff from DCS

[@aryazad1]

One squadron remained in Shiraz. My late father was a Brig. Gen senior officer of the base before the revolution, .. appointed to base commander right after revolution, and few months later forced purged along 100s of other higher ranked officers of different branches, and soon his life threatened by the madmen of Islamic regime.. when war broke out regime attention shifted to war and recalled many of these officers back to service,.. highly stressful and sad childhood memories 😢

[@albertbadal4425]

@@aryazad1 Yeah I remember those days. The purge started right after the revolution targeting people who were trained in US (homafars - my dad was one of them, pilots...), had a clean shave or not being part of propaganda machine. We were in Shiraz when war broke out and then we moved to Dezfool for a year and then back to Shiraz. I lost friends to artillery strikes in Dezfool as it was only 17 miles from the war frontlines. Sorry about your father. My father ended up getting stripped off his ranks because he was Christian and the man still served until he retired in 90s.

[@BlaineNay]

I graduated from Air Force pilot training in April, 1976. We had several Norwegians in the class plus two Iranians. Less that 3 years later, the Shah lost his throne. We never heard from our 2 Iranian brothers again.

[@cht5086]

If you remember their names, I can be able to find them or news about them.

[@BlaineNay]

@@cht5086 Masood Aghdam and Mansour Sadigl.

[@yasg3921]

@@BlaineNay hello , how you doing ? As an iranian i found your comment really kind and friendly specifically the part that you called them ' Brothers ' . I have no information about where did you study or graduated but there is an Iranian pilot called Masood Eghdam who has been in Texas and was forced to back Iran around 1976 or 1977 . After he turned back to Iran he had some issues and.... and then he was selected for piloting F4-E back sit . Then he passed his lessons in Tehran and then sent into war and did some missions on Iraq and etc... ( long story ) but overall, he's still alive. The other pilot was unfortunate...

[@yasg3921]

@@BlaineNay ... . Yes , i found another article on internet about a pilot called Mansoor Sedigh ( i guess you probably wrote his name wrong ) which had his trainings in Texas but unlike the last pilot which i mentioned before, Sedigh was a front seat F-4 pilot . on July 2 1986 , on 10:30 local time ( idk PM or AM ) , Sedigh lost his signal with tehran ATC and crashed his F-4 into sea. The crash location: Roudsar . Btw sorry for 💩 English I'm still learning.

[@creativefantasybox2462]

@@yasg3921 You did well

[@Mahdi-bb4hg]

Great content as usual! I requested this video a little while ago, so I got pretty excited when I saw the title of the video! I remember the Iranian F-4s, F-5s and F-14s in airshows and parades as a child and was hoping to fly the Phantom or the Tomcat one day, but didn't manage to get to the airforce -- which is probably a good thing, left the country and ended-up flying the Tiger Moth in the UK! Not quite the same, especially when it comes to speed and firepower, but I'm happy! Thanks again for the video!

[@WardCarroll]

Great to hear, Mahdi!

[@davidsmith8997]

@@WardCarroll Ward, I asked Oakie about the IRIAF kill totals. Were they 5-6 like the US acknowledges, 150 like the Iranians and Tom Cooper claim, or somewhere in between? You know how well he knows the Tomcat and he said in between. Without forcing you to be specific, what's your estimate? USAF, IRIAF, or in between? My bias is that it's a (literally) killer platform but a-a are almost always exaggerated. Especially in the Middle East. Thoughts? And I did really enjoy your breakdown from the back seat about what the different missile modes would have looked like.

[@USB740]

@@davidsmith8997 Actually Tom Cooper states in his book that the 160 claim comes from the Ayatullah regime. He could only confirm 55 of them. The amount of lies created by the Iranian mullahs in the aftermath on all aspects of the war is incredible. True, the F14 was the most powerful aircraft of the war with the highest kills of any in air to air combat, but the real number is 55.

[@gotanon8958]

55 is the number he could verify not the actual number as most likely the number is higher as there are shootdown that did happen but not enough evidence to pass cooper confirmation criteria.

[@USB740]

@@gotanon8958 He was never provided any further evidence. Likely there was none.

[@kennydee8296]

I have always viewed the F14 as an underachiever particularly compared to the combat record of the F15, how wrong could I be? Never underestimate the ingenuity of a people with their backs to the wall, absolutely amazing what the Iranians did to keep them flying and armed, airborne Hawk SAM's for goodness sake! Great video, thanks muchly.

[@hphp31416]

F15 radar could tell pilot what kind of aircraft they locked while f14 had to get close to identify target before shooting, this allowed f15s to get far more kills in American service

[@v8packard]

The Iranian Tomcat story is astonishing. We might never know all of it. Years ago, I remember 'official sources' claiming the IRIAF Tomcats had maybe 4 or 5 kills. Now we know they had as many as 5 in one day. 150+ kills against what were at the time frontline Russian and French aircraft designs. It's just amazing. I would love to see the naysayers claim the Tomcat was dud in light of this video. Thank you for another outstanding video.

[@arashgallehdari7440]

That's why they do everything they can to keep this bird flying the capability of tomcat were way ahead of its time, today this new plain have the capability of tomcats, and not all, there is maybe few ,that can fire extra long rang missile,. Cheers

[@eduwino151]

That long range radar on the tomcat made it ruthless in the skies

[@peterweller8583]

My brother the ZOOMIE said the F15 was the pinacal in fighter in the 80's I disagreed. I might have been a little skewed towards the F14 due to my affiliation but still feel I was right.

[@svenschwingel8632]

@@peterweller8583 the Eagle was superior in all aspects of raw flying performance, especially when compared to the A-Tomcat with the dreadful TF30 motors. In its heyday, nothing came close to the Eagle in the vertical domain. The Tomcat was a very capable rate fighter despite her size, though. And legendary pilots like Snort knew how to take advantage of that.

[@peterweller8583]

@@svenschwingel8632 Okay how about in a toilette in a two circle rate fight?

[@glennscott8622]

My cousin-in-law’s father was the Iranian general in charge of the F-14 training program. The story of how the family got out of Iran to join him here in the US is heroic. The family is simply impressive, and the children, now in later life, have all been highly successful Americans. That kind of intelligence is not easily replaced.

[@WinCan04]

What’s his name?

[@daszieher]

The brain drain is real in oppressive states...

[@memestercreamster1112]

My sister's wife's daughter was one of the first brother's of mine to land on the moon back in 1927

[@Farweasel]

@@memestercreamster1112 I think I heard about that ............... The papers were full of the story about how they were related to one of the most narcissistic cork soakers ever to claught up the planet.

[@memestercreamster1112]

@@Farweasel I still can't believe it myself

[@pi.actual]

In 1980 after I got out of the Navy I worked at Naval Air in Alameda on the AIM-54 reliability and test program. There was a complete Phoenix mobile test unit there that belonged to the Iranians but was on permanent hold. One year we had a little Christmas party in it, or at least that's where we stashed the hooch (ha,ha) Another trivia tidbit on the Phoenix, it had a circuit card that was called a KTD for killed target detector so if it's designated target was terminated before it got there it could select an alternate one. It was an impressive missile for the time.

[@warrenmackeydiscdragons]

Go Jets. Alameda high school I was lapped one of their runners on the mile or two mile. Think it was the two mile but it could of been the mile. She was a girl on the boys team 1979 or 1980 I was a freshman ran a 4:47 and a 10:22

[@clearsmashdrop5829]

There is a good brewery at the former Alameda NAS called Almanac. They make good sour beers. Its nice they are keeping a few of the old bldgs but many of them are being torn down for condos.

[@RBBarry]

I worked for Bell as a trainer at Esfahan 1977-79. Some of our friends were expats working on the Tomcat. Still have the patches and decals they gave me depicting the double tailed tiger with Iranian AF rondelle. Wonder to this day if or how they kept the Tomcat flying. When I got chased out in February '79 I remember the thousands of Bell 212, 214, 206 and AH-1J helicopters we left behind to be maintained by a rather weak Iranian maintenance organization. I loved the country and people. Traveled all over by motorcycle. True they got pretty nasty toward Americans after Khomeini arrived but that's the nature of a despotic leader. I keep trying to remember the name of the lake resort area about 2 hours outside of Esfahan - any expats? Real shame about the Tomcat. Such a beautiful superior aircraft.

[@sasankhezri4038]

The lake resort should be "Chadegan" if I'm not mistaken.

[@dirtydave2691]

Fascinating. My Step Dad worked for a subcontractor of Hughes in the late 70s. He went to Iran on business approximately a year or so before the Shah was deposed. He said you could feel the tension in the air.

[@michaelsamuel9917]

Apparently before and during the Revolution/Hostage taking incident the KGB were using radio broadcast to incite hate towards the west especially the Americans from nearby Azerbaijan/Turkmenistan near the Caspian sea the Iranians ASSUMED the broadcast came from illegal "student" run radio stations etc since the announcers spoke perfect Persian with the correct regional accents and mostly relayed rumours already well known to common Iranian ppl, when the overthrow did came they ASSUMED they would get a "socialist" type state but ended up with a Theocracy a govt run by Religious nut cases, even the KGB didn't foresee this!

[@jockellis]

A South Georgian I knew was a helicopter technician in Iran before the Revolution. He was amazed at how few people it took to depose the shah.

[@D5Pasadena]

Love the inside scoop as always, Ward. That sneaky Tomcat crew in the fly-off - if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying. Classic.

[@btchhopperou812]

I was a teen(barely) when TopGun first debuted. I have been a Tomcat fan ever since. What an awesome little history lesson here, sir! Thank you for sharing your experience, wisdom, and knowledge pertaining to the F-14TC, as well as some intriguing, yet factual stories about the long-term usage of this iconic fighter jet by the Iranian AF. Amazing that the Tomcat is currently STILL a very effective and ever-impressive aircraft, and obviously the F-14 is well worth its salt, being that Iran put a good deal of effort and money into keeping this legendary(just my opinion here) bird maintained, up to date armament-wise and another generation of pilots(if even only a handful of them) trained to effectively operate them. Great stuff, and BTW, I subbed, sir!

[@dariousha.4503]

My father was an Iranian Air Force pilot from 1968 to 1988. He got his pilot's license in the US, he flew with C-130 and Boeing 707 tanker aircraft and the last time of the war between Iran and Iraq he flew with Boeing 747 tanker aircraft. He was with During Operation H3 and according to him they flew over the border between Iraq and Turkey and Syria and Iraq. I have met many F14 pilots in the Shiraz air base, they were very brave and determined. One of the pilots said: if we had enough Phoenix and aircraft spare parts, we would never allow the Iraqi air force to take off from the ground. F14 was the best in its time air to air defense. I wish to see one day Iran and the US become alliances again, we Iranians love the U.S.A.

[@thewendigo5992]

Thank you for this video brother much appreciated

[@michaels3288]

I'll never forget the day my little nephew took me into NAS Oceana, and walked me through a huge hanger of F-14's being worked on, then watching a few take off from right next to the hangers. As a civilian, it was a terrific day. If i remember right, it was 2005, and they were one of the last crews left. They were A LOT bigger than they look on TV! (Top Gun)

[@Bimmerguy88]

Gosh! SO LUCKY!!!!!! I've never even SEEN one in person! Flying or on the ground... 😢 Maybe one day! Ahhhhh, one can hope!

[@sd906238]

I feel the need... the need for speed!

[@Bimmerguy88]

@@sd906238 I feel the need, THE NEED, FOR SPEED!!!! *High Fives*

[@WRX7182]

Same experience. Met a mechanic at an air show up in Canada and we hit it off. Invited me down to Virginia to check out the base. It was amazing seeing them being worked on and a bunch parked on the apron and flying. Got some great pictures and memories that’s for sure.

[@bc1969214]

The closest you'll recreate this experience these days is a gate guard display- like Great Lakes has a Tomcat mounted at the entrance.

[@happyloaf]

Ward Carroll you magnificent bastard, I bought you book (hardbacks on the way to go on my vintage flight simulator shelf--after reading of course).

[@juan080876]

Mr. Carroll I cannot thank you enough for your continued coverage of historical US Naval aviation. I find myself anticipating upcoming videos with bated breath. Surprisingly, I consider it to be great feeling. As I am watching your videos I can almost smell and sometimes tasted the Jet A (CV-62). Thank you again.

[@DonnyBrook762]

In high school, I dated a girl whose mother was a sister of the Shah. Her mother told me of how their family had escaped the revolution. Apparently, they smuggled their money out of the country in rugs. Thanks for sharing this bit of history.

[@persianhillbilly9642]

Wow which city in America?

[@javierzanetti1433]

😂😂

[@ksamos]

Back in the early ‘90’s, I was an AO in VF-102. Our previous skipper was assigned to a test squadron that had the last Iranian Tomcat that we kept in its inventory. He landed that jet at NAS Oceana and taxied up to our hanger and parked it. Quite a sight seeing an F-14 all decked-out in Iranian paint and markings. One of those times you wish you had a camera on you at that time.

[@nickhimaras9331]

Memories! I got to sit on the 80th Iranian F14A, which never went to Iran, at Calverton, in a student visit from the Polytechnic Institute of NY, Farmingdale campus, where I was studying Aerospace Engineering in the mid-seventies. My buddy, Joe, was much bigger than me and made sure I sat in the RIO seat while he sat upfront. Got a nice photo too. He went on to a 35 career with P&W. We were so incredibly impressed with Grumman and with the F14 forevermore! So sad that both had such an ignominious ending after so many years of quality, service, and sacrifice. Come to think of it my old University is also, no more.. Much obliged for the trip down memory lane, Cdr. Carroll!

[@travisvance7736]

This'll probably never happen but I'd love to see a conversation between Ward and Colonel Mazandarani

[@helifanodobezanozi7689]

You never know. I've run across several Iranian-American citizens who not only hold dual citizenship, but actually go back and forth to visit family and for Iran's free healthcare.

[@benfennell6842]

@@helifanodobezanozi7689 the fact that Iranian americans go home from the US for healthcare gives me achey kidneys lol

[@livethefuture2492]

@@helifanodobezanozi7689 Iran allows for dual citizenship? That seems like a potential security risk. Don't know how on earth they allow that?

[@theblueabyss63]

@@livethefuture2492😐😐 dude seriously? You’ve never had an Iranian friend have you?

[@theblueabyss63]

@@benfennell6842that’s basically my uncle! He does his tests and MRI and stuff here and goes back to give it to his own doctor which he trusts… I mean honestly isn’t it more expensive? P.s. he’s a hard ass on emails but still has to see the dude oh and don’t say kidney man I just recovered from a stone

[@oldgoat142]

This is what makes this channel so delightful; the covering of small details which fleshes out the bigger picture. If you read some other legitimate sources, it really gives you a much deeper appreciation for the history of this once mighty aircraft, and the idiotic policies/personalities, that went into highly questionable choices/decisions. Bravo Zulu, Sir. Now you know why I took the wave off on the last pass.

[@heloshark]

Another great piece Ward! Superbly produced! Outstanding content!

[@cyrusmanz2253]

Ward, I stumbled upon your accurate and highly detailed account of history surrounding the F14s. I did not know that the F14 never accumulated a kill while in service with the US Navy, yet the only astonishing TomCat kills where performed by Iranian pilot with over 150 kills and only 3-4 losses (astonishing kill ratio) and now thanks to you, everyone (myself included) know this incredible historical detail. I have heard many F14 pilots describing the aircraft like clothing that they wore in order to explain what a perfect fit this fighter was and how ahead of its time. Excellent account of history, Ward. Great job.

[@capflyboy92]

Love the interjected Office humor and detailed break down. You’ve earned a sub.

[@WardCarroll]

Welcome, Joel!

[@bobc5102]

Great Video Ward... Remember seeing the Iranian F-14 and their P-3 During my last deployment with Kittyhawk battle group West Pac 96....

[@barkingpumpkin5693]

I worked in Iran for two years, 2000to 2002 on Karg island. I worked one month in and one month out for that time. We flew into Bushier each time and I saw F 14s and F 4s at the airport.

[@markwilson9196]

Great story. My father worked at Grumman as an F14 Tech Rep and he was "selected" to relocate to Tehran in the late 70s. Unfortunatly, about month before our move, the Shaw was overthrown and our move was obviously cancelled. When I look at old videos of Tehran, It looked alot like the United States, very westenized. I can't help to wonder what it would have been like to interact with the Iranians at the time.

[@olavcramer4814]

Thanks for your objectivity. Love your channel!

[@generaldvw]

Riveting!...Learned so much. Didn't know the Phoenix was battle proven. Great work Mooch!

[@ResQ405A]

I am absolutely fascinated by all your stories and GREATLY appreciate your channel. My cousin's husband was an A-6 pilot and was CAG on the Washington. I always love listening to his tales as a naval aviator and your videos always remind of them. Thanks again!

[@mattwiser8406]

Good piece, Ward! This helps bring Tom Cooper's books on the Iranian AF and the F-14 in particular-especially the Osprey one-to life. Maybe one day their F-14 guys and ours can get together and swap some stories.

[@tommontgomery2674]

I picked up Iranian military trainees hitchhiking through West Texas before I eventually started working for Grumman Houston as a machinist during the F14 years. They called themselves Persian when I asked where they were from. I built a lot of F-14 parts that were destined for Iran. I can still hear rivets being pounded into the overwing fairing that was assembled right across the aisle from the machine shop. The contract also called for training a few Iranians at our facility. I have to say that the Iranians I worked with must have been sent because of political connections rather than potential because they were untrainable. I still have some Royal Iranian F-14 and E-2C stickers and arm patches somewhere in my treasure trove. I spent a small break from Grumman to work as a pipe welder during this time too. Iranian students passed out leaflets of anti-Shah materials at the Shell chem plant I was working at on the Houston Ship Channel and I took some while coming out of the parking lot just before the revolution. I scanned that and placed it on Scribd.

[@joemartino6976]

Separate from the topic at hand, you have a real talent for objectively telling and detailing a story, certainly at a professional level. This is particularly impressive on the assumption that you're not scripted and not using a teleprompter. Well done!

[@SkyhawkSteve]

as a former A-4 Skyhawk avionics tech, I'm amazed that the Tomcats were kept flying so long without proper support. Cannibalizing down aircraft for spares can only last so long. Must have been sending the avionics out somewhere for repair, but that would require training and tools, and probably some hard to get components. It would be fun to find out how they did it, but the audience for that might just be a handful of folks like me. 🙂

[@leonswan6733]

ex USAF F-15 F-16 KC-135R Jet mec here. I am pretty sure there are plenty of young smart bright Iranian Russian and Chinese collage students that design smart phones that have more computing power than the Apollo and Space shuttle computers combined who can reverse engineer all those black boxes and cannon plugs in the Avionics bays. With new boards microchips and software patches could make those old F-14s as high Tec as a F/A-22 or F/A-35. It can be done.

[@SkyhawkSteve]

@@leonswan6733 my question was in regard to the 80's, when Iran was flying them. Now, it would be more practical to just have new avionics installed.

[@okisoba]

Not totally positive but i think they got a bunch of F-14 parts during the Iran-Contra Affair. When we sold military gear to Iran in the 80s to fund an insurgency in Nicaragua. Kind of messed up considering we were also supporting Iraq at the same time.

[@leonswan6733]

@@SkyhawkSteve True

[@mvfc7637]

ever heard of the Iran-Contra affair??

[@mohammadreza_nahi]

Ward, I am really enjoying your videos! As an aviation fan and follower, from childhood and especially for the Tomcat while growing up during Iran-Iraq war, I am happy to be here and see and learn from your channel! Would probably be able to translate part of an interview with one of air force generals (a Tomcat pilot) and his notes on the first Mig-25 kill over the Persian Gulf during the war. Hope could arrange for that and send it out to you, of course if be of interest..

[@rashidtayidi8370]

Thank you for your unbiased, informative and historical documentary of the Tomcats during the Iran Iraq war.

[@verystablegenius8398]

This video is jam-packed with information I didn't know, about a subject that I thought I knew alot about. Thank you!

[@kobifuji4168]

Great program 👍, there are lots of f14 retired iranian pilots who they live in us and canada,that they have a lot to say about capabilities of f14 .....thank you again for this clip

[@mostrov6]

Thanks so much Mooch. It’s just Christmas 🎄 morning in Melbourne Australia and what a great episode to wake up to. It’s amazing to note that The Shah bankrolled Grumman to keep them away from insolvency and keep the rest of the F-14 production line moving. If I’m not mistaken, Iran was the first foreign country to be given full choice of American cutting edge fighters (F-14 & F-15). To think that had the revolution not occurred, you may have seen F-22 in the Imperial IAF squadrons.

[@ChrisS-fh7zt]

Iran was given a blank check back in late 1972, they could buy or get anything in the US Arsenal minus Nuke weapons. That also included chemical and biological types that could be bought. But lucky the Shah never went that far when it came to arms and weapons.

[@sirnukesalot24]

About fifteen years ago, give or take, I had a chance to talk to one of these Iranian Tomcat pilots. It bothers me that I can't remember his name now, but he said he held the record for the most missiles dodged in one sortie (at the time). I'm not even sure how many he said there were anymore, it's been so long. He said he had to be hospitalized for a week because of the beating he took from the G-forces. Any chance you could find that story? I was left with the impression that this happened pre-revolution, but don't quote me on that.

[@IranianOyibo]

This would be a fantastic story to read

[@mehrdade_thechemist]

I think the pilot's name is Mazandarani. He is the same pilot with more than 11 kills. He got himself into a dog fight with multiple F-1s, and after he landed, he had back and knee pain. He still has pain in his knees and has difficulties walking. My source is his questions and answers from his interview. I'm sure this has happened to many other Tomcat pilots since, in the final years of the war, engagements between a single Tomcat and up to sixteen Iraqi fights were not uncommon.

[@mehrdade_thechemist]

@Sam Sam Hi Sam The pilot's first name is Samad. I can't remember his last name, but I'll look it up. I think he is still alive and well. he became a F-14 instructor in the city of Isfahan and/or shiraz. There is a aerial maneuver with F-14 that they named after him.

[@devinthierault]

@@mehrdade_thechemist Samad Ebrahimi?

[@mehrdade_thechemist]

@@devinthierault Yes Retired Gen. Samad Ebrahimi from the city of Shiraz. i watched his latest interview with captain hamza on July 4th 2021. he looks very fit, wearing glasses with grey hair.

[@gscott5778]

As a Intel support staffer for AWACS (1982-1985) I can tell you we all took the F-14 threat as very serious. Especially after an in person briefing from Tomcat crews at Tinker AFB. The consensus was that if an Iranian f-!4 turned toward a AWACS in Saudi Arabia, the only hope was turn away and try to fall out of the sky gracefully. A Phoenix missile in active mode IS going to hit you especially when you are in that big ol AWACS. Our only hope was for poor maintenance of those missiles and planes. From what you say Ward - they did a pretty good job of that. At that time AWACS was flying 24/7 over Saudi Arabia and tracking both Iranian and Iraq air activity. .

[@mikeyj9607]

I was a radar operator on AWACs during that time ,was interesting to watch on scope the air war between the two ,also I remember one of the most used emergency drills over there for on coming fighter/missle ,basically pilot put nose down and dropped as fast as he could ,first time I experienced that I was sitting in rear seats and going ooooh fuuuck

[@gscott5778]

@@mikeyj9607 Yes, that's exactly the move that was discussed in the days and weeks after that briefing from the Navy folks. I'd served at a NORAD region (17XX) before going to Intel school then to Tinker, so I understood quite well the capabilities and limitations of the AWACS during the 80s. Yeah, those rear seats amplified everything, like the rear seat on a school bus. Never want to sit there during air refueling can't imagine the experience of being back there in those bunks or seat during that maneuver.

[@SolarWarden88]

Fascinating. Thanks for the service. Great insight into the tactical contingencies from an AWACS perspective.

[@WinCan04]

Would you be available for a written interview? Reach out if you are interested. Thanks.

[@mikeyj9607]

@@gscott5778 I was a A276X0 later changed to 117X0 Most of the time my position was up near the middle while not enjoyable was whole lot better than sitting in the back,the bouncing was interesting enough but trying not to watch/hear/smell the others who were back there and not use to it lose their nice inflight meal they just enjoyed .not sure why some wanted to fly around 16 hours in a tube the alur of AWACS I suppose

[@pappyodanial]

Not gonna lie that desert camo paint job looks SICK on the F-14. My uncle worked at Grumman and built the bearing joint (not sure what it's actually called) for the swivel wings. He loved that aircraft.

[@christianemeiners9224]

Hey Ward, great stuff! I am an ex Luftwaffe WSO - Tornado - and really do enjoy your videos. Great to hear some stuff one usually wouldn’t hear about. Thanks for that and keep it up. Cheers 😃

[@lynskeyti9940]

So the Phoenix did work as planned, we just never got to use the tomcat in this fashion. The tomcat was as deadly as it looked. Amazing story thanks for sharing

[@captaingyro3912]

About 1981 I delivered an Air Force aircraft to the boneyard at Davis Monthan. Parked on the receiving ramp were two brand new, immaculate F-14s. The canopies were perfect, without a single scratch. The tires were brand new with only a few landings on them. There was not a hydraulic leak or smudge of grease anywhere. They were painted dark green, with no insignia or national markings of any kind. When I asked the guys in the line shack where they came from, they said, "They came straight from the production line on Long Island. They're the last two manufactured for the Shah of Iran, but couldn't be delivered because of the revolution. They'll sit here until someone decides what to do with them."

[@MisterRz]

actually a lot of pilots survived the revolution executions, my father was one of them! :)

[@liammarra4003]

Yeah, a lot were released to fly the tomcats since they were the only ones that could. Giving their WSOs a good time lmao

[@MisterRz]

@@liammarra4003 I mean at the time my father wasn't in iran tho, so maybe that's a factor too. anyhow, he got lucky the war broke out I guess

[@norris_na]

First time visitor - real mature KZbin channel. not even american biased. i am from Africa just enjoying historical videos. my fav so far was the battle of Berlin in WW2 on another channel. This was a nice change, i'll subscribe

[@SteveGoodmansen]

Ward, I'm about 3/4 of the way through Punk's War. Really loving it.

[@neshotah1976]

I remember many Iranian Flight Students and ground crew training at NAS Miramar. Our apartment complex, where I lived, had many Iranians leasing apartments. After the revolution, they all left the base, unknown where they went.

[@AmirTabar]

Ward you nailed it! Congratulations! Just one thing about Iranian pilots "they were not arrogant!" They were praud And... They saved our country eventually. Just imagine US Navy in sanctions, sabotage and execution of their own Pilots going to war with the Russians. That's why Iran is alive still after 7000 years of history.

[@keysersoze4388]

Thanks for the video Ward. This is all very nostalgic for me as I was born on one of those bases in Iran and lived on a few other ones during my early childhood and the early years of the Iran and Iraq war.... Can you please make a video about The H-3 airstrike?

[@Johnnyintheshell]

Honestly i can listen to you whole life 🍷❤️ it was one big Amazing documentary video❤

[@tygapaul]

Ward, you have an amazing way of conveying alll things F14 related. Thanks for your channel. Grumman should make you their honorary KZbin ambassador

[@alannilsson6509]

Amazing. All this time I was under the impression that our technicians had sabotaged all the F14s that were in Iran at the time of the Revolution. Thank you for enlightening me!!

[@johnehteshami725]

I am glad you touch based on how important this deal was for Grumman. Also I have seen the Iranian pilots talk about the mountains terrain of Iran made the F14 radar more effective than F15’s for tracking low targets. Off note the number of Iraqi raids that turned back once they knew they were up against F14. Left out was also Sadams promise of new Mercedes to any iraqi pilots that shot down an F14! Great video.

[@ElKoubi1975]

They did end up shooting down few, right? What is more surprising to me is that the initial CIA assessment, after the Iranian revolution, was that Iran would not be able to fly the F14s and no chance operating the missiles (they were sabotaged). Not only the Iranians did both - but they also managed to get the F14 to fire some Russian AA missiles (and an AA version of the Hawk) - pretty impressive.

[@mehrdadb9789]

@@ElKoubi1975 According to iranian air force 6 Tomcats were lost during the war. out of the lost Tomcats 2 were accidentally shot down by iranian SAM another 2 were lost due to TF-30 stall and 2 were shotdown by Mirage F-1 and another by an unkown iraqi fighter. it should be mentioned that the F14 didnt operate to their maximum capacity due to shortage of spare parts and AIM-54's. Iranian pilots sometimes engaged enemy with unsuitable AIM-7 from F4's and many times they engaged 4 targets at the same time.

[@ElKoubi1975]

@@mehrdadb9789 Thank you for your very useful answer. I am not too technical - but do you think that the introduction of the Mirages F1, by the Iraqis had tilted the balance of air superiority from the Iranian?

[@mehrdadb9789]

@@ElKoubi1975 The introduction of Mirage F1 was anticipated years before the war but the Pilots didn't exactly know how to deal with them. And according to the air forces reports the Mirage took the F-14 pilots by surprise in early confrontations. The iraqi pilots and in many cases Egyptians had trained to ambush the Tomcats and they trained it in their drills. An F-14 was hit during the first engagements however it managed to land and was later repaired and another F-14 had a very close call. After all these shocking encounters the iranian air force was desperate to get it's hands on an Mirage F-1 pilot and intergoate him for their battle tactics. Finally a F-14 shot down it's first kill on a Mirage using AIM-54 and the pilot was taken captive and Air force had all the data and insights they needed. With the newly won Intelligence F-14 Pilots had a clear plan how to deal with Mirage and soon 40 other Mirages followed the fate of the first Mirage shot down by Tomcats. Ironically those feared Mirages are now serving in Iranian air force as Sadaam flew them to iran fearing their destruction and of course Iranian authrories kept them.

[@ElKoubi1975]

@@mehrdadb9789 Very interesting!! Thank you for taking the time to reply!!

[@StealthySpace7]

Having DCS to be able to provide a visual aid is a huge bonus

[@DavidRLentz-b7i]

Ever so interesting, Commander Carroll. Thank you for your perspective and explications of things I never would be able even to approach on my own.

[@whatsyours6424]

What a great breakdown ... Facts all day ! Great work sir thank you very much !

[@antoniog9814]

I feel like these videos should be a series all by themselves, titled something like, "History of the F-14 by Uncle Mooch." lol I'm glad I made a sandwich before starting this video. I really enjoy these historical reviews. I wish you a very Merry Christmas to you and your family, Uncle Mooch! 😀

[@massimoforesti]

It should also be noted that at the time, the Canadian government was also looking for a new fighter to replace the CF-116 Freedom Fighter (a license built version of the F-5 Freedom Fighter built by Canadair). Unfortunately the costs associated made the Canadian government reconsider. However, when the Iranian Revolution happened, the Canadian government tried to convince the Iranians to sell their F-14's at cut rate prices, to Canada. Officials from the Canadian foreign ministry tried to use the revolution, and their impending lack of spare parts, as leverage to convince the new Iranian government to sell the Tomcats to Canada. Unfortunately, the deal fell apart when it was discovered that the American hostages from the embassy were held at the Canadian embassy in Tehran.

[@MrChugwater]

Man, that would have been a hilariously cool move by Canada if the deal went through while at the same time assisting in freeing the hostages.

[@massimoforesti]

@@MrChugwater Oh yeah

[@RCAvhstape]

It's interesting as well because the Tomcat would make an excellent continental defense interceptor. The Pheonix is descended from the Falcon, which was used on another great continental defense interceptor, the F-106.

[@massimoforesti]

@@RCAvhstape That's probably one reason why the Canadians wanted some so badly that they were willing to buy from Iran, despite the fact they were also helping the Americans

[@andyepix1383]

I wonder if the RCAF Tomcats would still be in service today, if things hadn't happened as they did. I agree, it would have been pretty awesome for Canada to have the 14. It also wonders if Canada had it, if it would still be in some limited USN Service.

[@maxahmadi5606]

It takes a soldier honest to praise another soldier. Iranians are natural friends of the American people. Despite the changing of political leadership. God Bless great clip

[@RuyGuy]

I'm so jealous of your top story office, thanks for all the great videos Sir!

[@antifret]

i really liked the presentation here. nothing but the facts, no dumb background music, no smashcuts. just the facts. well done, Mr Carroll.

[@Ratzepuh]

F-14...one of the most beautiful and capable fighter ever build ❤️

[@ciaronsmith4995]

Iran & the US were awesome allies before 1979. Iranian pilots are unbelievably good too. That partnership needs to happen. The Shah did things for the US, nobody, not even Israel, could do. Actually, Israel hasn't done ANYTHING good for the US, frankly!

[@ImGaTor]

Yeah he made his people suffer to make the us happy...

[@9495tj]

The shah was installed by US and UK. He was not democratically elected.

[@leftistsarenotpeople]

@@9495tj And you guys think the Ayatollah is and wouldn't harm his own people?

[@9495tj]

@@leftistsarenotpeople the ayatollah was a consequence of people's anger with the previous coup. The democratic govt before the shah was better

[@AmirSohrabi]

@@ImGaTor if we had no F14, we were losers to Saddam, i don't know ur age but seems you never been in a war, open your eyes ! 43 years passed and now Islamic regime fall to knees of Russia and china to help them survive!

[@MDMiller60]

Neat story about the Tomcats. I was an almost aviation cadet, destined for Pensacola. While in boot camp, the Sr. DI asked me if I had any interest in flying with the Marines. I replied yes, and had to appear before an officers' board, which I passed, and take a 2 year college equivalency exam, which I failed in one subject. That was the end of my flying experience. You reminded me of an event I had the fortune to attend while serving with the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment at Camp Lejeune, NC. My battalion was scheduled for a 6th month Battalion Landing Team patrol in the Mediterranean and had been holding exercises on base. Low and behold, President Kennedy hosted the Shah of Iran, during a visit, and they attended one of our exercises, on the base. At the conclusion, our entire battalion was laid out in formation on the beach road and President Kennedy and the Shah drove by in an open limousine. The dignitaries were about 15' from me manning a ground to air radio in the front rank. Not a bad gig for a 21 year old. Also, when we returned from the Med, we resupplied and shipped out to Cuba for the Missile Crisis, another eventful trip. Previously, we deployed to the Bay of Pigs invasion.

[@rattdog777]

Hey Ward , Never liked history in school, but watching your videos is really awesome!! Keep at it !! Thanks for doing the flying for us, and God speed !

[@flagmichael]

My wife and I have had several discussions about why we hated history in school and loved it when we read about it on our own. My explanation is that in school it is cut into meaningless bites: this thing happened in 1523 ad. There is no flow at all, no understanding how it was part of what led us to this tumultuous future.

[@PhotonBread]

My “Watch Later” playlist has been engulfed with videos from you channel. Amazing videos of the highest quality. Absolutely love this channel

[@SolarWarden88]

Ripping good yarn, Ward. It's remarkable too, to an extent, that the Iranians have managed to keep as many Tomcats in the air and serviced, despite political, economic, & technological isolation for 30+ years.

[@Redstonesoldier]

The F-14A Demo flight at Andrews AFB for the Shah of Iran was flown in F-14A Number 3, the structural loads buildup test aircraft, by its regular Grumman test crew, Grumman Test Pilot Don Evans and "RIO" Dennis Romano in the aft seat, both of whom I worked with in my position as an Instrumentation Flight Data Acquisition engineer at the time. Dennis normally operated the flight data acquisition system control console located in the aft cockpit. After the flight crew's return to Calverton from Andrews, Dennis gave many of us a rundown of this most interesting demo flight for the Shah, which swung the balance in favor of the F-14 being purchased. In essence, at one point Don asked Dennis if he could hold his breath for over a minute in a high-g tight turn, and then proceeded to execute a 360 degree turn at, I believe 3-g's, within the confines of the Andrews Base. Dennis could confirm this. Subsequently, 80 F-14A's were built at Calverton for Iran with 79 being delivered, aircraft number 80 never being delivered because of the overthrow of the Shah. It was of great interest for those of us who worked at Calverton to periodically witness flights of 3 or 4 Iranian F-14A's manned by US Navy crews depart Calverton for the 2-leg journey to Iran. Don Evans was an outstanding and fearless test pilot who came to Grumman from the USAF. Dennis Romano, a great guy in his own right, eventually went on to become a VP at Grumman and later Northrop Grumman.

[@solidlift]

Excellent info thanks!

[@Redstonesoldier]

I should add that F-14A Number 3, Bureau Number 157982, is the oldest surviving Tomcat. It is on display at the Cradle of Aviation Museum located at the former Mitchell Field Air Base in the heart of Nassau County Long Island, New York.

[@Fanta_Santa]

That last 80th Tomcat which never got to fulfil it's destiny, haha. Another comment here mentioned that it was parked in its original desert camo at Davis Monthan.

[@jerseyshoredroneservices225]

Wow, that was very interesting. I had no idea how effective the early Tomcats and Phoenix's had been or that the Tomcat might still be a formidable 4th gen fighter. It's a real testament to Grumman that the planes are still flying and to Iran for making the most of that situation. If the people in charge of the revolution had thought through the situation better it could have been so much worse for everyone else. Imagine if Iran had gotten all the airplanes, missiles and a lot more spare parts... 🤔

[@ГеоргийМурзич]

well, no american Aim-54 hit any enemy aircraft. Ever. Iranians might claim whatever they like, and they surely shot down with them something, but since Aim-54+F-14 was such an unreliable pair its high effectiveness in Iranian hands is doubtful

[@lensman5762]

As a British Iranian, allow me to tell you how stupid the morons in charge of that ' revolution ' were. Iran had ordered the first batch of 80 F16s. They were meant to gradually replace the aging fleet of F5s. I believe the first batch of technicians were already sent to the US to prepare for the arrival of the F16s. A Mr Bazargan , the first prime minister after the revolution, single handedly cancelled the contract. The Iranian F16s wound up in Israel as the result. Then there was talk of selling the F14s to other nations. In the end it was Khomeini himself who put a stop to it. To this date, the mistrust and animosity of the Islamists in Iran ( most of whom are of Iraqi, Syrian and Lebanese origin and not Iranian ), towards an effective air force , army and navy has continued and has resulted in the creation of the IRGC and its outmoded and ineffective air wing and navy. They want to defend the air space of Iran, a vast country four times as large as California, with high mountain ranges, tropical forest areas, deserts and two large seas to her north and south, with a bunch of obsolete Russian and Chinese air defence radars and missiles. No wonder the Israelis have an easy job of penetrating the Iranian air space and doing whatever they wanted.

[@peternystrom921]

@@ГеоргийМурзич This, i dont know Why so many think this missile ever worked. Where are the sources and the reality?

[@mehrdadb9789]

@@peternystrom921 I cant read his name but in case he is russian he probably should down talk Aim-54 because Iranian F14 Pilots absolutly wrecked the shit out of russian and french made fighters out of skies using Phoenix. All this despite being short on spare parts and operating crews.

[@aleksazunjic9672]

@@lensman5762 Not wasting money on expensive military hardware while half of the country is starving, was one of the reasons for the revolution :P

[@tristanwilliams8504]

Really enjoy your content and the focus on the F14. Thank you and keep up the good work.

[@2Oldcoots]

Thank You Sir for such an informative presentation.

[@FN_FAL_4_ever]

Hey Ward, I think the perfect follow up to this awesome episode is if you could touch base on Operation Night Harvest, when we seized an Iranian F-4 and F-14 to see how they were being kept operational. Very interesting story!

[@WinCan04]

👏👏👏

[@michaelchristensen6884]

I was wondering if you were going to mention the conversion of the Hawk missile from surface to air to air to air.

[@pattrickhumphreys2257]

I was on the Enterprise during Operation Earnest Will. I know our Tomcat guys were wanting to go up against their Tomcats. But never happen.

[@davidinman3584]

As an Australian I admire the US pilots Courage and desire to engage a worthy ardvesary To win against anything less Would be dishonourable

[@W1ldTangent]

Their battles would have been legendary.

[@carnell7785]

That's would be true "ace combat"

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

There was at least one close call when a pair of US Tomcats was returning to the carrier following a CAP mission, and the relieving pair picked 'em up and ID'd 'em as Iranian F-14s. It came down to mere seconds before cooler heads prevailed; there was no blue-on-blue engagement...but there almost was.

[@sidefx996]

Another fantastic episode, thanks so much for making these and sharing your knowledge.

[@danapeck5382]

Great summary. Lots of smiles at Calverton that day in '76. Nice understatement on diminished capabilities of the export project. All the best

[@soumyajitsingha9614]

F 15 Eagle crew might have felt the sadest they have ever felt with the Shah's show of admiration for the Tomcat

[@raynic1173]

I was at Phillly naval yrd. taking classes in '78 and we rode the morning buses with the Iranian crews every day. They were quite stand offish. Ironically, I ended up at Diego Garcia a few years later in case things escalated with Iran.

[@ClayinSWVA]

My sister in law lived in Iran during the Shah day's. Her father was Naval Aviation Captain who help site some of the Hawk Batteries that Iran had purchased. Not sure if he was a full Attache or not.

[@sc1784]

Very interesting material as usual. I had wondered what the background story of the Iranian Tomcats was both pre-Shah and post-Shah. Thanks Ward.

[@johnmacias971]

Great video "Mooch" , from the comments, you really stirred up some emotions on this one, keep up the great work. 🇺🇲🇺🇲⚓⚓🐱🐱

[@hazonku]

I've gone toe to toe with the Iranians on the ground when they were stirring up sectarian issues in Iraq & can definitely vouch for their tenacity & ingenuity. They are not to be taken lightly & absolutely deserving of respect. They'll fight like Hell when cornered & are regular MacGuyvers. I'm not at all surprised in the slightest to learn that goes for their Air Force as well.

[@javadaghrab5687]

Thank you brother for the respect and courtesy You have provided in this program towards us and Yes, patriotism is not only unique to the Americans we will kill and die for the mother Persia. 🇮🇷🇮🇷🇮🇷🇮🇷🇮🇷🇮🇷🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️. This military has stood the test of time over 3,000 years. In fact throughout our history we have only been sporadically in peace about 200 years or less. The oldest military on the planet. Remember the more tools 10,000 strong oh yeah know about them too we're not going anywhere. Soon we will go nuclear If not already and that is that. ICBMs, nuclear weapons. Tens of thousands of ballistic missiles. We're already ranked 14th on the global firepower scale with tooth crushing sanctions against us. We are the Persians the empire lives on

[@SM-pw6qp]

We may be fighting on opposing sides, but that does not mean that we can’t respect each other 🤝

[@MrTangolizard]

@@javadaghrab5687 lol any clown who uses global firepower as a indication of military power is a fool Iran would last 5 bloody minutes against a pro western army

[@javadaghrab5687]

@@MrTangolizard You are totally unread, I suggest you that , KZbin operation millennium challenge 2002 . This is a Pentagon's own assessment regarding our capabilities. I suggest that you also have a look at how we leveled us bases which had costed the United States billions of dollars in Iraq In less than 1 hour. I suggest you that KZbin Iranian missile attacks 60 minutes on that CBS news magazine have a listen to what the US generals had to say about it. I suggest you have a look at how we shot down a quarter billion dollar aircraft called global hawk from the edge of the space of which the US had only four of them, now three left . That was done with a domestically built missile called , Khordad 3. I also suggest you have a look at what the Taliban did to your military and how you exited out of Afghanistan What a disgrace they wore your uniform they took your guns and they shit all over you royally. And now you want to take on a nation nearly 100 million people strong. That has more field guns than usa , has tens of thousands of ballistic missiles. Has an 11 million men standing military. You are a bunch of morons You never learn anything from the history bring it on. But , before you do that and before you post shit you better take a look at all of your own data all over the internet before you post crap . Not to forget that we are a nuclear nation That's what the whole fuss is all about. in a jiffy we can build 10 bombs and shove it up your tailpipe. You are nothing but a 20th century has been all bankrupt. Now marching back home under the guise of covid-19 to fleece your own people. Wear your mask, take your shots and give up your rights. You're nothing anymore and you're officials know it good and well. PAYANDEH IRAN 🇮🇷🇮🇷🇮🇷🇮🇷🇮🇷🇮🇷🇮🇷🇮🇷🇮🇷🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

[@MrTangolizard]

@@javadaghrab5687 I’m unread lol the pentagon doesn’t bloody rate military’s like some bloody website Iran is a shit show under the shar it had a capable military now it’s a puppet show that would be blown away in a matter of days by any western military your bloody navy uses speed boats for gods sake your aircraft are held together with tape and your ground forces use at best 1970 technology Iran is nothing more than a giant terrorist organisation

[@altratronic]

I've worked for high-tech R&D firms for 20+ years, and one thing I've noticed is that the quality of Iranian ex-pat engineers and scientists is excellent. It really seems that Iran could be a first-rate economic and technological world power, if it wasn't for its embracement of an idiotic and backwards form of government. That's why many of its brilliant citizens have fled for the United States.

[@SpicyTake]

The government functions almost the same as the USA. Not that the US government is very competent either.

[@همایونفرخ]

آمریکا وفرانسه واروپا بخاطر نفت و دیوار اسلامی دربرابر شوروی ما رو نابودکردند، ایران نابود شد،ما همه عاشق امریکابودیم،اما آمریکا به شاه خیانت کرد