F-14's siezed by federal agents

Steve

En-Route
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
4,178
Location
Tralfamadore
Display Name

Display name:
Fly Right
I feel safer now? :no:


http://www.defensetech.org/archives/003340.html

(AP)-- Federal agents seized four retired F-14 fighter jets that authorities said were improperly transferred from the Navy to two air museums and the company that produced the TV show "JAG."

The Tomcats were not properly demilitarized before being transferred to private parties, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which worked with the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in a 17-month investigation.

Under the rigorous demilitarization process, navigation, radar and other sensitive equipment are disabled so they can no longer perform military functions, said Cmdr. Dave Werner, a U.S. Navy spokesman.

Two of the jets were at the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California, another was at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, and the fourth, which was acquired by Paramount Pictures, then resold to a scrap dealer, had been stored at a facility operated by Southern California Aviation at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, California.

None of the jets were currently flyable, but one in Chino still has its engines and was at least superficially in very good condition, said ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice. The other three do not have engines but were otherwise essentially whole, she said.

There was no indication any of the hardware fell into the wrong hands "but it does present a vulnerability," Kice said.
 
Last edited:
That is odd. I'm surprised the gov't would have let them go without being demilitarized properly in the first place.

At least they caught it (not that unflyable planes would do much good to the enemy....)
 
There are those in positions of authority that believe owners of ex-military aircraft are not to be trusted. It's an ongoing struggle to convince them otherwise.
 
It's all about "parts".

The Iranians have a fair number of very low time F-14's that are currently non-airworthy for lack of spare parts. The US Gov is going to great lengths they don't get any and those birds stay on the ground.


I feel safer now? :no:


http://www.defensetech.org/archives/003340.html

(AP)-- Federal agents seized four retired F-14 fighter jets that authorities said were improperly transferred from the Navy to two air museums and the company that produced the TV show "JAG."

The Tomcats were not properly demilitarized before being transferred to private parties, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which worked with the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in a 17-month investigation.

Under the rigorous demilitarization process, navigation, radar and other sensitive equipment are disabled so they can no longer perform military functions, said Cmdr. Dave Werner, a U.S. Navy spokesman.

Two of the jets were at the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California, another was at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, and the fourth, which was acquired by Paramount Pictures, then resold to a scrap dealer, had been stored at a facility operated by Southern California Aviation at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, California.

None of the jets were currently flyable, but one in Chino still has its engines and was at least superficially in very good condition, said ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice. The other three do not have engines but were otherwise essentially whole, she said.

There was no indication any of the hardware fell into the wrong hands "but it does present a vulnerability," Kice said.
 
It's all about "parts".

The Iranians have a fair number of very low time F-14's that are currently non-airworthy for lack of spare parts. The US Gov is going to great lengths they don't get any and those birds stay on the ground.

They also have the MiGs that Saddam flew to Iraq unannounced in Gulf War 1. They've been eroding in the desert ever since.
 
Hmmm, I wonder if arranging a purchase of a Tomcat thru Iran would be illegal for a US citizen? Not like I have the rials to pull off something like that, but ...
 
Various reports indicate that of the 79 F-14s Iran purchased during the reign of the Shah in the 70's, less that 50 airframes have survived attrition and estimates of airworthy airframes range from 7 to 30 .

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iran/airforce.htm

http://www.iiaf.net/aircraft/jetfighters/F14/f14.html

http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/planes/q0077.shtml



6 appear to be parked at this Iranian airbase (image date unknown):

[Google Earth]

http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/download.php?Number=770053

scroll east and southeast to view all 6
 
Last edited:
I didn't see it as I scanned thru the links, but there was some scuttlebutt that the Grumman Tech Reps disabled systems, features and/or possibly aircraft as they departed Iran...
 
Back
Top