picture 204282

Out of 80 Grumman F-14A Tomcats ordered by Iran, 79 had been delivered and 76 were intact at the time of the Iraqi invasion. Organised into four squadrons, they formed the backbone of the Iranian air defences. Described as ‘non-operational’ by both the West and Iraq, they caused heavy losses to the Iraqi air force during the first three years of the war. Attrition of men and material, and deployment of ever more advanced interceptors by the IrAF, eventually limited them to flying CAPs over Khark, during the latter stages of the war. The entire Iranian F-14 fleet wore a unique camouflage pattern TO 1-1-4, consisting of tan (FS30400), brown (FS30140), and dark green (FS34079) on upper surfaces and sides, and grey (FS36622) on undersides. This example is shown with standard weapons configuration for the middle phases of the war, consisting of (from bottom towards top) AIM-54A Phoenix, AIM-7E-2 Sparrow, and AIM-9J/P Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. (Artwork by Tom Cooper)