One less F-14 to worry about.

[TLAM Strike]

The Associated Press
Date: Thursday Jan. 26, 2012 5:59 AM ET
TEHRAN — Iran's semi-official Fars news agency says a U.S.-made F-14 Iranian fighter jet has crashed in Bushehr province in southern Iran.

Provincial governor Mohammad Hossein Jahanbakhsh says both the pilot and the co-pilot were killed in Thursday's crash.


The Fars report says the fighter plane crashed due to technical failure and that authorities have recovered the wreckage outside Bushehr, a port city with the same name as the province. Bushehr is known as the location of Iran's first nuclear power plant.


Iran purchased many U.S.-made planes, including F-14s before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and during the rule of the late pro-Western Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

So about 24 remanding that are fit to fly.

AMF

[Herr-Berbunch]

You say fit to fly, do you actually mean fit, or just able to fly?

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

You say fit to fly, do you actually mean fit, or just able to fly?

Fly? Yes. Land? No...



...
correction

Fly? No....

[CCIP]

It still continues to puzzle me how (and more importantly, why) Iran continues to operate such a complex aircraft when they have no support from the manufacturer and have to bend over backwards for spare parts and upgrades, especially when I can't see what capability the F-14 offers them that they couldn't get from something more accessible and easily-maintainable

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by CCIP

It still continues to puzzle me how (and more importantly, why) Iran continues to operate such a complex aircraft when they have no support from the manufacturer and have to bend over backwards for spare parts and upgrades, especially when I can't see what capability the F-14 offers them that they couldn't get from something more accessible and easily-maintainable

1st:
Big honking air to air missiles:


2nd: It can hit Israel with only one mid air refueling while the Su-24 or F-4 needs 2-3.



edit: 3rd: The only "new" jets they've gotten "lately" were some MiG-29s and those are not in the most awe inspiring condition.


Its possible that if the Iranians get more accurate IRBMs and more SLCMs they might phase the F-14 out of service but I doubt it; I think they will run them in to the ground before getting rid of them.

[CCIP]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

I think they will run them in to the ground.

Well then, looks like they're doing a pretty good job of that then

20-something F-14s against the IDF also seems like a pretty difficult proposition. I really can't see that going very far.
What sort of big honking AAMs do they have on those, anyway? Do they seriously still have any working AIM-54s anymore (and that's assuming they ever actually worked)?