[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by PeriscopeDepth

The Iran-Iraq War suggests that the F-14 would certainly be a threat (it's AIM-54A as well) to the F-teen series. And Iranian pilots are very experienced. It certainly wouldn't be so easy against USAF/USN jets and crews, but the F-14A can't be written off as "not a threat" so easily.

http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_205.shtml
http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_212.shtml
http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_214.shtml

PD

I don't think the AIM-54 was ever given to Iran in the first place. Even if it was, its not a very good missile against another fighter. Its a slow turner that was designed to take out the overwhelming numbers of Soviet Bombers before they could get close to a carrier (Soviet Doctrine was to overwhelm NATO carriers with shear numbers of bombers in the hopes that one bomber would get through to take the carrier out). The only AIM-54's ever fired in the middle of hostilities all missed - and they were fired against Iraqi fighters. One was the vulnerable MiG-25, and I forgot what the others were. One of the Aim-54's was even fired from AMRAAM range of 20 miles and still missed.

ANyway, this is why the F-14 / Aim-54 were retired. I'd go as far as saying that this was the final nail in the coffin for the F-14 in that it couldn't even get a kill with it's Pheonix missile. Sure they tried to sell it as a bomber later on, but it did not do so hot in this role and it was only an attempt to keep F-14's around I think by the people that loved them. Limited usefulness these days. Sure, you might get your kill with your Pheonix, but nothing is going to spoof the good old Aim-120 AMRAAM which is far better at killing its likely target - the fighter aircraft.

-S