On Sunday, March 8, 2026, the press service of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) reported an attack on the 8th Tactical Air Base Khatami in Isfahan, where several Iranian Grumman F-14A/AM Tomcat interceptor fighters were hit and destroyed in their hangars. According to preliminary assessments, these were likely the last operational examples, which in practice would mark the definitive end of operational service for this legendary aircraft.
Two Iranian Tomcats at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran /Photo: Shahram Sharifi via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The IDF struck F-14 fighter aircraft at an airfield in Isfahan
In a large wave of airstrikes conducted by the Air Force under the direction of Military Intelligence, compounds where F-14 fighter aircraft of the Iranian terror regime were stored at the airfield in Isfahan were attacked yesterday.
Detection and air defense systems that posed a threat to Israeli Air Force aircraft were also struck.
This strike follows the destruction of 16 aircraft used by the Quds Force unit at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran the day before yesterday, as part of efforts to deepen the Air Force’s air superiority over Iran.
The IDF will continue to intensify strikes against all systems of the Iranian terror regime and will expand…
Israeli Air Force
צה"ל תקף מטוסי קרב מסוג '14-F' בשדה תעופה באיספהאן
בגל תקיפה נרחב של חיל האוויר בהכוונת אמ"ן, הותקפו אתמול מתחמים בהם אוחסנו מטוסי קרב מסוג ׳F-14’ של משטר הטרור האיראני בשדה התעופה שבאיספהאן.
כמו כן, הותקפו מערכות גילוי והגנה שאיימו על מטוסי חיל האוויר.
תקיפה זו מצטרפת להשמדתם…
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 8, 2026
The 81st, 82nd, and 83rd Fighter Squadrons of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force were stationed at the aforementioned air base. It is worth noting that the base had already been attacked on the night of April 13–14, 2024. As for the Iranian Tomcats, in June last year Israel released video footage showing the destruction of two non-airworthy examples at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran.
It is believed that about 20 of the 41 F-14A/AM Tomcats in Iran’s inventory were technically operational, and all were located at the 8th Tactical Air Base Khatami in Isfahan. However, it cannot be ruled out that some may have been hidden in underground shelters following last year’s war with Israel.
Photo: Abbas Pastinduz, Mehr News Agency
The Imperial State of Iran ordered 80 F-14AGR Tomcat aircraft (30 in 1974 and 50 in 1975). They were selected after the F-15A Eagle had been rejected in the “Persian King” program for the Imperial Iranian Air Force, as a response to the threat posed by Soviet MiG-25 aircraft.
Between 1976 and the fall of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1979 during the Islamic Revolution, 79 aircraft were delivered (along with 284 of the 714 long-range AIM-54A Phoenix air-to-air missiles). This was a variant adapted for operation from land bases in desert conditions and lacking some avionics solutions found in U.S. Navy aircraft. After the change of power, the United States imposed an embargo and ceased operational support.
To keep the aircraft in service without manufacturer support, the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran carried out repairs and maintenance on their own. Some of the aircraft were even upgraded to the F-14AM standard (including a new radar replacing the AN/AWG-9, updated avionics, and compatibility with R-73E, AIM-54A, AIM-7E, and AIM-9J missiles, as well as the domestic Fakour-90, based on the AIM-54 Phoenix and MIM-23 Hawk). However, this situation could not last indefinitely, and in order to maintain operational readiness Iran began cannibalizing non-operational aircraft.
Losses were also recorded. During the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988), 16 aircraft were lost, including 7 due to technical causes, mainly failures of the Pratt & Whitney TF30 engines. In later years, five more aircraft were lost in accidents. After 2006, when the F-14D Tomcat was withdrawn from service with the U.S. Navy, Iran remained the sole operator of the type for the following 20 years. They were nicknamed “Persian Cats.”
On November 17, 2015, they escorted Russian strategic bombers Tu-160, Tu-95MS, and Tu-22M3 taking part in airstrikes in Syria, and on December 6, 2023, they escorted the aircraft of the President of Russia during his visit to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Their successors are expected to be 50 Russian Su-35SE multirole fighters (NATO reporting name: Flanker-E/M). In 2024–2025, there were reports that the first deliveries, two to three aircraft, had begun, but these reports have ultimately not been confirmed.
