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IIAF F-14A external fuel tanks used or not?


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21 minutes ago, Pete Fleischmann said:


Think you just summed up Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter as well.

 

 

110%

At one point I had a "normal" FB profile. Lots of friends and lots of groups. It just got to be SO much after awhile that when a couple people I knew IRL started following me onto FB to harass me, all the while trying to be  completely different people than they were if you met them in person, it was the last straw. I now have a completely generic profile on FB just to communicate with my daughter and wife, and to catch up on some tips and hints on my off-road trailer group and thats it.

The other social platforms just seem so utterly useless I've never really seen the point in them. They are all horrible honestly and have seriously contributed to ramping up the absolute worst in society and humanity IMHO. 

 

 

 

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23 hours ago, LSP_Ron said:

I used to see these parked on the tarmac all the time at the Tehran airport back in the mid 90's

I lived in Tehran as a kid (parents were expats, got out just before things went south).  Mostly good memories of the place.   What were you doing over there in the 90’s?  CIA covert ops?   Mossad hit squad?   Nuclear scientist?    Do tell (if you can).   

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13 hours ago, Cheetah11 said:

 

The AIM-9L's and color of the Phoenix  is also a dead giveaway of photo manipulation.

 

Ah, hadn't noticed yet. Thanks Jennings!

 

13 hours ago, Jennings Heilig said:

Here's another one pre-delivery without the door.

 

 

PwkPnw.jpg

 

13 hours ago, Out2gtcha said:

 

110%

At one point I had a "normal" FB profile. Lots of friends and lots of groups. It just got to be SO much after awhile that when a couple people I knew IRL started following me onto FB to harass me, all the while trying to be  completely different people than they were if you met them in person, it was the last straw. I now have a completely generic profile on FB just to communicate with my daughter and wife, and to catch up on some tips and hints on my off-road trailer group and thats it.

The other social platforms just seem so utterly useless I've never really seen the point in them. They are all horrible honestly and have seriously contributed to ramping up the absolute worst in society and humanity IMHO. 

 

 

 

 

I dispise them all as well. Yet I realize that kids growing up on it regard it as normal and essential as breathing air. Age gap. That it has (in my view) degraded society is another debate and largely dependent on point of view without anyone being right or wrong. I try to put it (and every other mainstream regular media) in perspective because it would get to me if I didn't. A big plus is that sharing questions and thoughts about (for example, as a random instance)  IIAF Tomcats has never been easier and more fun.

 

14 hours ago, Jennings Heilig said:

Here's a photo (small, but you can zoom in and see it) wearing US insignias on their delivery flights to Iran without the door over the probe.

 

69v1ra.jpg

 

g2UnNF.png

 

Thanks for these as well Jennings. I'm convinced.

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On 10/14/2021 at 6:39 PM, Pete Fleischmann said:


Think you just summed up Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter as well.

 

cheers

P

 

 

Are we talking about ****??:D

 

On 10/14/2021 at 7:14 PM, Out2gtcha said:

 

110%

At one point I had a "normal" FB profile. Lots of friends and lots of groups. It just got to be SO much after awhile that when a couple people I knew IRL started following me onto FB to harass me, all the while trying to be  completely different people than they were if you met them in person, it was the last straw. I now have a completely generic profile on FB just to communicate with my daughter and wife, and to catch up on some tips and hints on my off-road trailer group and thats it.

The other social platforms just seem so utterly useless I've never really seen the point in them. They are all horrible honestly and have seriously contributed to ramping up the absolute worst in society and humanity IMHO. 

 

 

 

 

It´s for insecure attention whores really.. Well, that´s my opinion anyways. I did the same. Or, I annihilated my FB pretty much, blank.. But I use Messenger since there are some pople I "talk" to there, only really..

 

 

On 10/17/2021 at 6:54 PM, Jennings Heilig said:

 

That is, in fact, the very last F-14A built for Iran, but it wasn't delivered because of the revolution.  It remained a source of irritation to Iran, since it had been paid for already.  The Navy kept it in Iranian camouflage and markings (technically contrary to international law) for a long time.  AFAIK it was never issued to a fleet squadron since there were some internal differences (despite what you read) vs. USN birds.  It spent its whole life as an adversary aircraft.

 

Heard about that bird but never really read up on it, cool! Are there decals for that one out there? Kinda like the Iranian camo, its different anyways.. This kind of thing I would like to build.

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22 hours ago, Paramedic said:

Cool, a kit I have yet to buy.. Was it marked basically the same or was there anything else added, if you know?

 

For an IIAF bird the initial boxing from 1980 is the best, kit number 6301. The moulds were altered in later boxing and included features not on IIAF Tomcats.

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  • 1 month later...
On 10/17/2021 at 6:54 PM, Jennings Heilig said:

 

That is, in fact, the very last F-14A built for Iran, but it wasn't delivered because of the revolution.  It remained a source of irritation to Iran, since it had been paid for already.  The Navy kept it in Iranian camouflage and markings (technically contrary to international law) for a long time.  AFAIK it was never issued to a fleet squadron since there were some internal differences (despite what you read) vs. USN birds.  It spent its whole life as an adversary aircraft.

I'm sorry, but this is incorrect. The serial in the image is 159607, a bird that belonged to VF-124 at the time and was painted as an IRIAF bird upon transfer to the NSAWC (or rather NFWS at that time) to serve as aggressor. The last serial bought by Iran and withheld was 160378 and was modified to a NF-14 ship and used for a long time by PMTC.

160378 is one of 10 airframes that are still halfway complete located at AMARG, however this particular serial is stored separatedly as there is still a formal legal dispute ongoing as Iran want that airframe - because they paid for it as they state - and filed an official intl. law suit.

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On 10/13/2021 at 6:13 PM, Kagemusha said:

No fuel tanks, they didn't buy any. I have the same patch, also from the eighties.

 

This is a great book on Iranian Tomcats, has some really nice profiles.

 

ps. The Iranians removed the refuelling probe cover, so this set would be useful, or indeed this one.

 

On 10/14/2021 at 3:46 AM, Jennings Heilig said:

IIAF, as noted, never purchased external tanks.  Their aircraft were built without the refueling probe cover.  I think the first couple of airplanes may have had them, but the majority didn’t.

 

Once again, I'm afraid this information is as generalized as stated here incorrect and one of the many myths about the "Persian Cats" swirling around. (I'm sorry my reply to this thread is so late but life currently has it that I only have very limited time and frequent forum visits are sadly not possible for me. Hence please bear with me if I ressurrect a thread that apparently has already found its closure.)

 

Regarding the actual question at hand:

Here are some quick shots if an official Grumman Iran F-14 program management plan: I hope it is discernable but Iran got just the same full meal deal as the USN including tanks. In fact they received the first lots with the improved and somewhat more reliable TF-30-P414 engines (as opposed to the earlier very flawed -P412 iteration), i.e the last lot of Block-90 and the first batch of Block-95 with the at that time new automatic flap/slt control even before the Navy recieved theirs. Iran paid via it's Meli bank upfront alomst double the price per unit and with this saved Grumman from going belly up over losing about three million per serial due to a fixed price contract and the still McNamara infused US senate's neglect to amend that deal hoping to bring the Tomcat program down. Thus Iran secured a lot of special treatment including three large industria complexes for full local overhaul plus depot level maintenance capacities and partly upgrade potential located at Esfahan, Mehrabat (Teheran) and Shiraz. These complexes still allow the IRIAF to take care of their fleet despite the internal competition and rivalry with the IRGC. As you can see, tanks were part of the deal as well. There is also a fairly young image of an IRIAF F-14 in the more modern blue-medium grey camo applied as off around the early 2000s. It clearly shows a nice set of external tanks just placed beside the airframe.

 

In a nutshell: Iran indeed has tanks and they also have the IFR-probe covers available. And they are also wired for carrying the tanks and Iran also received airframes that were just of the same standrd as their USN counterparts. However! Do they actually use these tanks and IFR probe doors. Apparently not or very rarely. And why shoudl they. These aircraft have been and are used solely for air defence and only fly within Iranian confines with plenty of airbases around and also inflight refueling capacities close by. Why regularly strap on draggy tanks that limit maneuverability. So is it unrealistic to strap external tanks on? a clear NO! is it very authentic? ... meeehhh rather not. If they use the tanks than they don't show them around in that config very often. But they are there!

 

IRIAF-cat-with-tanks.jpg

 

IMG-3061.jpg


IMG-3063sm.jpg
 

Edited by bushande
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