A domestically upgraded Iranian F-14 Tomcat wearing a three-tone Asian Minor II color scheme took part in the flying display.
The photos in this post were taken last week at the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) Open Day at Isfahan International Airport – TAB 8 airbase.
They show one of the F-14AM (“Modernized”) aircraft that have been reportedly updated with modern avionics, and indigenous weapons, that took part to the flying display with some flybys.
As previously noted, the modernized Tomcats wear a camouflage pattern resembling that invented by the U.S. Marine Corps.
How many Tomcats have already received the new paint job is still unknown.
Image credit: MEHR News Agency
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Always neat to see those old birds still flying.
Have they ever shown the modernized avionics? Have we seen the inside of the cockpit?
Like DDay, I would like to know more about Iran’s “modernized” F-14 Tomcats (and didn’t Iran just lose an F-14 to friendly fire over there nuclear power plant)? Looks like they’re still using the underpowered Pratt & Whitney TF30 engines. And it’s interesting to see in the second photo that the inside of the spoilers are painted red. Could give away pilots intentions to an adversary. But then again, with the quality of Iran’s pilots it might be an important safety measure.
Standard for US Navy aircraft.
Pratt & Whitney TF30 engines were standard for the F-14A models, not so the F-14B and D (not to mention the U.S. Navy TF30’s had several modifications/upgrades that Iran lacks).
Sorry, I meant that painting the inside of the spoilers red was standard on USN aircraft.
gotta love trouble shooting those compressor stalls! :)
Flightdreamz, might want to check out the Osprey book on Iranian F-14 combat usage. They got the first kills with the Tomcat at least a year or two before the US Navy and I suspect if they’d ever been invited to Top Gun, they might’ve showed our boys a thing or two.
Actually have that Osprey book on my Amazon wish list, thanks for the advice (but I find it hard to believe that Iranian F-14s would be competitive at Top Gun)!
Is this event available for international public, and is it allowed to carry huge telelenses there? :D I mean, Phantoms, Tomcats, weird camo schemes: Awesome!