Latest news with #F-14s
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Israel Claims Destruction Of Two Iranian F-14; Tehran Counters With 'F-35 Downed' Claim
Iran claims its air defense downed a fourth Israeli F-35 near Tabriz, though no evidence was shared and Israel denies any loss. Israel says it destroyed two Iranian F-14s, but Iran insists those were decoys meant to waste missiles. As strikes continue, Israel is reportedly seeking a ceasefire through Western mediators. Watch Read More
Sky News AU
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Israel destroys two of Iran's last remaining F-14 Tomcats - iconic US fighter jet from ‘Top Gun'
The Israel Defense Forces has released dramatic footage of its air force destroying two of Iran's last remaining F-14 Tomcats — the iconic US fighter jets made famous by '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'
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iranian F-14 ‘Persian Tomcats' Obliterated In Israeli Airstrike
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) posted infrared targeting camera footage of a pair of F-14A Tomcat fighters being destroyed by air-to-ground munitions as they sat outside hardened aircraft shelters at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran. The strikes were part of Israel's broadening campaign to dismantle Iran's air defense capabilities for good, which includes destroying the Iranian Air Force's fixed-wing fleet. Since the conflict began, I have been posting on social media how this would likely mark the end of the F-14's operational career. Iran has continued to maintain a small cadre of flyable F-14s two decades after the U.S. Navy — the type's only other operator — put the Tomcat out to pasture. — Tyler Rogoway (@Aviation_Intel) June 14, 2025 The Israeli campaign to neuter Iran's air defenses in their totality is a major component of the broader air operation. Not only will it allow Israel to operate freely over Iran as it attempts to destroy the country's nuclear and long-range weapons programs, but it will also likely allow Israel to continue to access Iranian skies long after the core mission ends. This will be critical to ensuring Iran does not reconstitute its nuclear or long-range missile programs. This means destroying all aspects of the country's air defenses, including the regime's rickety fighter force. I actually made a post on X about the two Tomcats in question, just a couple of days ago. These aircraft have been sitting outside the hardened aircraft shelters at the airbase connected to Tehran's international airport for years. Tomcats have provided quick reaction alert (QRA) coverage for Tehran in the past, along with other types, but their main station is the 8th Tactical Air Base at Isfahan. These two jets were in non-flyable condition, as are the vast majority of the survivors of the 79 F-14As delivered to the Shah of Iran back in the 1970s. Then there are these two outcasts that have been baking out there for a few years…. — Tyler Rogoway (@Aviation_Intel) June 14, 2025 Cannibalizing airframes to keep a small number airworthy has been an ongoing practice since not long after the U.S. embargoed all support for Iran's F-14s many decades ago. Since then, Iran has been incredibly resourceful in developing its own support programs for the notoriously complex jets and smuggling components needed to keep some of them in the air. This has also come at great cost just to keep an aircraft with diminishing capabilities in the air. Regardless, Iran's dilapidated air force didn't put up much of a fight against the IAF in the opening waves of Israel's attack, at least that we know about. We also haven't heard of the IRAF flying sorties in the east of the country, as Israel worked to gain air superiority. The threat resident primarily in ground-based air defenses, but still, eliminating Iran's tactical jet fleet once and for all is clearly a major goal. Israel has bombed hardened aircraft shelters at multiple bases in order to ensure this. Imagery from Iran's Hamdan Airbase reveals significant damage after Israel's recent airstrikes – multiple aircraft shelters are compromised alongside cratering on the taxiway & runway — Damien Symon (@detresfa_) June 15, 2025 In the end, it isn't clear exactly how many F-14s remained flyable, let alone operationally relevant in a mission-capable sense, towards the end. Estimates have ranged wildly from a small handful to around 25 in recent years. You can read our report about a single IRAF F-14 that attempted to participate in the flying program at an Iranian airshow here. It's also worth noting that, despite various efforts to upgrade the jets locally and to add new capabilities, the Iranian F-14s suffered some high-profile issues throughout their eventful service in Iran, which included the bloody Iran-Iraq war. As we discussed in the past: '[The] F-14's once-state-of-the-art AN/AWG-9 fire control radar has suffered from low serviceability, with the Tomcat fleet effectively being divided between those with fully functioning radars and those with more diminished capabilities. The current status of any surviving AIM-54 Phoenix and AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missiles is also a matter of debate, and Iranian programs to introduce alternative weaponry for the F-14 have had only very mixed results, as you can read more about here.' The type was slated for replacement, with Russian Su-35s being the long-rumored candidate to do so. This aircraft would be a quantum leap in capability over the old 'Persian Cats,' but they will not capture the mystique and public fascination of the F-14. In the meantime, it appears that the Su-35s once seen to be earmarked for Iran, or at least some of them, have been exported to another Russian client, Algeria, instead. So it seems clear at this point that if Iran ends up with any air force at all after this is all over, it is very unlikely to include the Tomcat, marking a final end to nearly five-and-a-half decades of continuous service. Contact the author: Tyler@
Chicago Tribune
13-04-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Aurora native attempting to climb Mount Everest at age 61
For as long as he can remember, former Aurora resident Brian O'Malley has aimed high. A star athlete at Marmion Academy who went on to play two sports at the U.S. Naval Academy, he truly enjoys the view at the top. So it's no surprise he turned a childhood love of flying – he got hooked at age 5 when a family friend took him up in his small Cessna – into a successful career. O'Malley served a decade in the Navy flying F-14s, then went to work for Delta Airlines as a flight instructor. But he retired just a couple weeks ago with a loftier goal on the horizon: On Tuesday, 61-year-old O'Malley will leave for Nepal, where he will attempt to be one of the oldest climbers to reach the top of Mount Everest. This remarkable mission, he told me in a phone interview from his home in Norfolk, Virginia, can be traced to a bad back, the result of many years in track as a high, long and triple jumper, not to mention all that G-force he was exposed to as a Navy pilot. Beginning 18 months ago, O'Malley had multiple surgeries to repair herniated discs, and it was during rehab that he became immersed in the many documentaries about those compelling – and often fatal – attempts to climb the world's highest mountain peak 29,000 feet above sea level. 'I told myself if I can get my back to 100% I will at least trek the Himalayas and get to Everest Base Camp,' he recalled. In early March, O'Malley did just that, deliberately undertaking the grueling climb with his brother-in-law in winter to experience the harsher conditions. And it was during this 'incredible journey' that he decided to attempt the Everest summit. But first, O'Malley had two hurdles to overcome: Wife Shelley, mother to their three children and a Delta pilot herself, was not keen on the idea. Then there was the financing of such a dream. It can cost up to $100,000 to attempt Everest these days, which was out of the family's price range. While still nervous, his wife eventually came around to accepting the idea, more so after O'Malley's former business partner offered to sponsor his expedition. But O'Malley also had to promise his wife of 35 years he would take every precaution available, which included prepping for the challenging climb by sleeping in an 'altitude tent' that is designed to simulate higher altitudes with reduced oxygen. 'I would get to the point of panic many times,' he said of those moments when he'd wake up and have difficulty breathing. 'But I would force myself to keep the mask on and think happy thoughts to get my heart rate down to manageable levels.' While some climbers dramatically increase physical training in preparation for Mount Everest, O'Malley says he's mostly relying on the physical and mental training he's done all his life. And he's reducing his risk factor by signing on with an expedition led by highly-respected guide and philanthropist Daniel Mazur, who has summited Everest seven times, has been part of numerous rescues on the mountain and in 2018 was awarded the Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal for his 'remarkable service in the conservation of culture and nature in mountainous regions.' 'Being 60,' said O'Malley, 'you do all you can to stay healthy,' which includes not only relying on the best equipment and experts in the field but also 'staying out of the many bars' that, in this peak climbing season, have cropped up at the base camp. 'Mom is concerned,' he said when I asked about his parents, who still live in O'Malley's childhood home on Donna Street in Aurora. 'But she also knows who I am and how I grew up … looking for the next thing … always wanting to do stuff outside the norm.' His mother Eddie O'Malley is, indeed, worried, to the point she wakes up at night thinking about this expedition. While she and husband Jim both 'shared our thoughts' with their son, neither attempted to change his mind because 'you don't talk Brian out of anything,' she insisted. 'He's always been so generous … always wanting to do so much for other people,' Eddie O'Malley said. 'But I told him there are other things you can be doing' for charity than climbing Mount Everest. Which brings us to another important reason her son is attempting this feat. Coming from a long line of first responders and military – including his father who was an Aurora firefighter – O'Malley is taking on this challenge to raise money and awareness for his family's favorite nonprofit: Tunnels to Towers Foundation (T2T), created by the brother of a 9/11 firefighter killed in the World Trade Center, provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children, and builds specially-adapted smart homes for veterans and first responders with catastrophic injuries. 'Very little of this is an ego thing,' insisted O'Malley of the Everest attempt. 'God gave me back my back,' and in return 'I want to do what I can do to help serve other people.' Age is not on his side, he said, noting that the majority who reach the top – from 60% to 70% of those who attempt – are 'adrenaline junkies' in their 20s and 30s. If successful, O'Malley told me he will be the ninth oldest to to have done so. Number one is an 80-year-old Japanese man. The Aurora native plans to chronicle this high-altitude adventure on social media. He has a YouTube channel, as well as a Facebook page (Boomer Veterans and First Responders Mt. Everest Summit Expedition 2025) and Instagram page (slimdad994) where donations to T2T can be made via a QR code. The plan is to leave Base Camp on or near Easter Sunday. 'And I would love it,' he said, 'if we summit on Memorial Day.' Of course the mountain and Mother Nature have their own plans, some of which prove fatal every year. Altitude sickness and hypothermia can be deadly, as can dramatic changes in weather or unexpected avalanches and rock slides. O'Malley also expressed concern about traversing the treacherous Khumba Icefall between Base Camp and Camp 1, not once but four times as his expedition will make incremental training treks up the mountain. It's not just this dangerous maze of icy cliffs and crevasses that is so intimidating – six people have fallen to their deaths in this icefall since 2016 – but also the long line of climbers that can create bottlenecks on the mountain during this busy season. Then, for those lucky enough to get their 15 minutes or so on top of the world, there's the descent, which has its own set of challenges because energy is depleted and attitudes can become lax, he noted. 'I've looked at all those stats,' O'Malley said of the many deaths on Everest, including 17 in 2023 and eight in 2024. Still, those numbers do little to deter adventurers like O'Malley. 'Any time you go out of your comfort zone, you get a new perspective on life,' he said. 'My fear is mitigated by training hard and being smart at what I am doing. I don't let fear make my decision to not do something I'm interested in.' Deeply religious, O'Malley also believes that life here on Earth is measured in 'nanoseconds' compared to eternity, where 'I know we will eventually be together with God.' When we spoke on Tuesday, O'Malley was starting to pack for the trip, describing himself as 'nervous, anxious to get going.' He plans to post as many photos and videos as he can on social media, and even purchased a satellite phone to keep in touch with loved ones back home, which brings his mother some comfort. As does her own faith. Indeed, when Eddie O'Malley wakes up in the night thinking about her son on Mount Everest, she tries to remember the advice of a good friend. 'It is just an angel,' she said, 'telling me it is time to pray.'
