TAfter completing F-14 training in the USA, they became F-14 Instructor pilots. After returning to Isfahan, they started training the rest of the pilots with the cooperation of 4 American F-14 Instructors, which was part of the contract.
Major Farahawar flew one of the F-14S from the USA to Iran.
Major Zangeneh was the Iranian pilot who tested the "Phoenix" missile in the USA.
(The Islamic regime purged all of them from the Air Force, except "Rostami" and "Attaee".)

The Iranian Tomcats were pretty late on the production line and were delivered with the TF30-P-414 engine, which was much safer than the compressor-stall-prone P-412 engine. The first 2 of 79 Tomcats arrived in Iran in January of 1976. By May of 1977, when Iran celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Royal House, 12 had been delivered. At this time, the Soviet MiG-25 Foxbats were still making a nuisance of themselves by flying over Iran, and the Shah ordered live firing tests of the Phoenix to be carried out as a warning. In August of 1977, IIAF crews shot down a BQM-34E drone flying at 50,000 feet, and the Soviets took the hint and Foxbat over flights promptly ended.

The IIAF Tomcats bore the U.S. Navy serial numbers 160299/160378 and were assigned the IIAF serial numbers 3-863 to 3-892 and 3-6001 to 3-6050. The last of 79 Tomcats were delivered to Iran in 1978. The previous Iranian Tomcat (BuNo 170378) was retained in the USA as a test bed. Iran also ordered 714 AIM-54A Phoenix missiles, but only 284 had been delivered then. Toward the end of the 1970s, most suppliers were canceled by the new government, including an order for 400 AIM-54A Phoenix missiles.

The imposition of a strict arms embargo against Iran by the West caused a severe spare parts and maintenance problem, with many pilots and maintenance personnel following the Shah into exile. As a result, by 1980, the Iranian Air Force was only a shadow of its former self. This embargo was to have an especially severe long-term effect on the Tomcat fleet since the embargo prevented the delivery of any spares.

The Iran-Iraq war began on September 22, 1980, with an Iraqi air attack on six Iranian air bases and four Iranian army bases. It was followed by an Iraqi land attack at four points along a 700-kilometer front. Air power did not play a dominant role in the Iran-Iraq war. During the first phase of the war, Iranian aircraft had the fuel and the endurance to win most of these aerial encounters, either by killing Iraqi aircraft with their first shot of an AIM-9 sidewinder or by forcing Iraqi fighters to withdraw. Iranian pilots had the edge in training and experience. Still, as the war dragged on, this edge was gradually lost because of the repeated purges within the ranks of the Iranian officers, which removed experienced officers and pilots who were suspected of disloyalty to the Islamic regime. The Iranians could generate up to 30-60 sorties per day, whereas the number of sorties that Iraq could mount steadily increased yearly, reaching a peak as high as 600 in 1986-88.

It is tough to get any reliable estimates of just how many Iranian F-14As were in service at any one time during the war, with planes having been deliberately cannibalized to keep some flying. In the summer of 1984, it is estimated that Iran could fly only 15-20 Tomcats, maintaining them primarily by cannibalization. Very often, Tomcat served in a mini-AWACS role with their powerful radars and was deliberately not risked in combat.

The Iraqi high command had ordered all its pilots not to engage with the F-14 and not to get close if the F-14 was known to be operating in the area. Usually, the presence of Tomcats was enough to scare the enemy and send the Iraqi fighters back.

The Iranian F-14s scored most of their kills with AIM-54A Phoenix missiles during the war, with Iraq losing only one Tomcat in combat when it got cut off-guard by a MiG-21 (Pilot "Ale Agha" and Rio? lost their life).
Another Tomcat was lost due to losing control when the aircraft entered in spin (Both pilot and RIO Ejected).
A ground-to-air missile hit another Tomcat over "Khark" island (The pilot was Capt. Hazin).
It is documented that Iranian F-14As have shot down Iraqi fighters, including Mirage F1s, SU-22s, MiG-21, MiG-23s, and MiG-25. An Iranian Tomcat scored a kill against an Iraqi Mirage F1 as late as the spring of 1988.

Iranian capabilities in this area may have occurred on February 11, 1985, when 25 Iranian F-14A Tomcats took a mass flyby over Tehran. Despite the Western arms embargo, Iran has maintained a more-or-less steady supply of spare parts for its fleet of Tomcats from Iranian aircraft industries based at the 1st Tactical Airbase in Tehran. The number of Tomcats in service with Iran is reported to be as many as 60 aircraft. Some of these parts also seem to have been smuggled into Iran by Israel. Also, there is a rumor that Russians assisted in upgrading Tomcat's aging airframe. The U.S. government supplied arms to Iran in exchange for its assistance in getting hostages held in Lebanon released.

However, the AN/AWG-9 radar is certainly operational, and the Iranian Tomcats can fire AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-7 Sparrow missiles. Most Iranian Tomcats flew with a missile load of four Sparrows and two Sidewinders.

Rumors had been going about that Iranian F-14As had been fitted with the Russian-made engine and ejection seat and could launch air-to-surface anti-ship missiles.

Performance of Grumman F-14A Tomcat

• Wing Span: 19,45 m. (wings forward)

• Wing Span: 11,65 m. (wings swept)

• Length: 19,10 m.

• Height: 4,88 m.

• Max. Speed: Mach 2.34 (2517 km/h, 1564 mph.)

• Empty Weight: 39,310 lbs.(17830 kg.)

• Max. Weight: 74,348 lbs.(33724 kg.)

• Power Plant: two Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-414 afterburning turbofans

• Thrust: 14,000 lbs.(6350 kg.) each

• With Afterburner: 20,900 lbs.(9480 kg.) each

Iranian Tomcats Serials

• 160299 F-14A 3-863

• 160300 F-14A 3-864

• 160301 F-14A 3-865

• 160302 F-14A 3-866

• 160303 F-14A 3-867

• 160304 F-14A 3-868

• 160305 F-14A 3-869

• 160306 F-14A 3-870

• 160307 F-14A 3-871

• 160308 F-14A 3-872

• 160309 F-14A 3-873

• 160310 F-14A 3-874

• 160311 F-14A 3-875

• 160312 F-14A 3-876

• 160313 F-14A 3-877

• 160314 F-14A 3-878

• 160315 F-14A 3-879

• 160316 F-14A 3-880

• 160317 F-14A 3-881

• 160318 F-14A 3-882

• 160319 F-14A 3-883

• 160320 F-14A 3-884

• 160321 F-14A 3-885

• 160322 F-14A 3-886

• 160323 F-14A 3-887

• 160324 F-14A 3-888

• 160325 F-14A 3-889

• 160326 F-14A 3-890

• 160327 F-14A 3-891

• 160328 F-14A 3-892

• 160329 F-14A 3-8001

• 160330 F-14A 3-8002

• 160331 F-14A 3-8003

• 160332 F-14A 3-8004

• 160333 F-14A 3-8005

• 160334 F-14A 3-8006

• 160335 F-14A 3-8007

• 160336 F-14A 3-8008

• 160337 F-14A 3-8009

• 160338 F-14A 3-8010

• 160339 F-14A 3-8011

• 160340 F-14A 3-8012

• 160341 F-14A 3-8013

• 160342 F-14A 3-8014

• 160343 F-14A 3-8015

• 160344 F-14A 3-8016

• 160345 F-14A 3-8017

• 160346 F-14A 3-8018

• 160347 F-14A 3-8019

• 160348 F-14A 3-8020

• 160349 F-14A 3-8021

• 160350 F-14A 3-8022

• 160351 F-14A 3-8023

• 160352 F-14A 3-8024

• 160353 F-14A 3-8025

• 160354 F-14A 3-8026

• 160355 F-14A 3-8027

• 160356 F-14A 3-8028

• 160357 F-14A 3-8029

• 160358 F-14A 3-8030

• 160359 F-14A 3-8031

• 160360 F-14A 3-8032

• 160361 F-14A 3-8033

• 160362 F-14A 3-8034

• 160363 F-14A 3-8035

• 160364 F-14A 3-8036

• 160365 F-14A 3-8037

• 160366 F-14A 3-8038

• 160367 F-14A 3-8039

• 160368 F-14A 3-8040

• 160369 F-14A 3-8041

• 160370 F-14A 3-8042

• 160371 F-14A 3-8043

• 160372 F-14A 3-8044

• 160373 F-14A 3-8045

• 160374 F-14A 3-8046

• 160375 F-14A 3-8047

• 160376 F-14A 3-8048

• 160377 F-14A 3-8049 Remained in the U.S.A. for testing.