Umberto
Well-known member
The Navy shredded nearly every retired F-14 Tomcat—not for scrap value, but to starve Iran's aging fleet, the world's only other operator (79 bought pre-1979 revolution).
Fear: black-market parts from U.S. surplus could keep Tehran's Tomcats flying, boosting their Gulf air defenses. Storage risked theft; destruction guaranteed no wings, avionics, or structures leaked out.
By 2009, the Boneyard’s last 11 were mulched—iconic jets sacrificed to sanctions, proving even scrap can be a security threat.
Fear: black-market parts from U.S. surplus could keep Tehran's Tomcats flying, boosting their Gulf air defenses. Storage risked theft; destruction guaranteed no wings, avionics, or structures leaked out.
By 2009, the Boneyard’s last 11 were mulched—iconic jets sacrificed to sanctions, proving even scrap can be a security threat.