Israel destroys two of Iran's last remaining F-14 Tomcats - iconic US fighter jet from ‘Top Gun'
Aerial videos show the moment the two US-made jets are blown up in Israeli drone strikes on an airfield near Tehran.
Both airframes are destroyed in the videos, which show a huge ball of flame emerging from the scene of the strikes.
'These jets were intended to intercept Israeli aircraft,' the IDF wrote alongside the footage on X.
The devastating strike, part of what the IDF called a wider preemptive operation, was confirmed by its spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, during a Monday press briefing.
Further heart-stopping footage of an Israeli strike on Iranian soldiers reportedly preparing to launch drones at Israel was also shared on X by the Times of Israel reporter Emanuel Fabian.
The F-14 Tomcat, a two-seater twin-tail fighter aircraft built by US manufacturer Grumman, was retired by the United States Navy almost two decades ago in September 2006, more than three decades after it was introduced in September 1974.
However, it has remained in service in Iran, after the pre-Islamist government of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi bought a total of 80 F-14s from the US in the early '70s before the 1979 Islamic Revolution saw relations sour between Washington and Tehran.
Iran still has a reported 40 to 42 Tomcats at its disposal, and to this day, remains the only country outside the United States to have ever flown the fighter jet, The Aviationist reports.
The F-14 Tomcat famously features in the 1986 action blockbuster 'Top Gun.'
Producers paid the US Navy almost $900,000 for flight time in an F-14.
The movie starring Tom Cruise was such a hit that the US Navy set up recruitment desks outside movie theaters.
An F-14 Tomcat also made an appearance in the sequel, 'Top Gun: Maverick,' in 2022.
Reports are conflicted as to the condition of the 50-year-old aircraft seen in the IDF video.
Defense analysts reviewing the imagery suggested that the two F-14s seen in the footage were likely no longer airworthy and had been grounded for some time, Defence Blog reported.
It comes as the deadly conflict between Israel and Iran enters its fourth day.
In Iran, 224 people have been killed, while 24 have died in Israel since hostilities began.
Originally published as Israel destroys two of Iran's last remaining F-14 Tomcats - iconic US fighter jet from 'Top Gun'
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