No matter how much Tehran has maintained and improved its originally imported fleet of F-14 Tomcats, this platform simply does not hold up to more advanced next-generation counterparts.
Designed to incorporate the air combat experience learned during the Vietnam War, the F-14 Tomcat was the first of the American "Teen Series" fighters that also included the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the F/A-18 Hornet – the latter seen in "Top Gun: Maverick."
In a famous photo from 1988, Capt. Dale “Snort” Snodgrass, executive officer of the VF-33 Starfighters, performs a low level maneuver known as a banana pass off the USS America aircraft carrier.
Colorado Springs resident and former U.S. Navy fighter pilot Scott "Intake" Kartvedt has lived a storied life. He served three tours in Iraq and two in Afghanistan, a stint with
Iran has not excelled at producing anything more advanced than derivatives of the American Northrop F-5 light fighter aircraft, a design that dates all the way back to the late 1950s.