House backs ban of F-14 parts for Iran

[gkainz]

House Backs Ban on F-14 Parts for Iran
Associated Press | May 18, 2007
WASHINGTON - The House took steps Thursday to make it harder for Iran to acquire parts for its aging F-14 fighter jets, voting to ban the Pentagon from selling leftover spares from its retired Tomcat fleet to anyone but museums.

Originally a separate measure called the "Stop Arming Iran Act," the ban was added to a $646 billion bill to fund the military in the budget year that starts Oct. 1. The House approved the legislation Thursday. A Senate vote is still needed.

The proposed ban comes as the Defense Department continues a voluntary review of F-14 parts to determine whether it could sell any on the surplus market without jeopardizing national security. Iran is the only country known to be trying to keep F-14s flyable...

in keeping with the copyright rules of the site, the remainder of the article can be viewed at:
http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,136240,00.html?ESRC=navy.nl

I say we sell all the spare parts to Iran, and then use the Iranian Tomcats as target drones when they come to Iraq. Extra revenue and save the VQ drones! How proficient could the Iranian airforce really be after all these years?

 

[mikea]

I think they need to send them the freshly made OEM-equivalent bolts with a slightly different part number - the new number designating the explosive option.

 

[T Bone]

They're behind the curve. Homeland security has already confiscated some aircraft and parts from museums....

I was at Planes of Fame in Chino last month, and was told an entire aircraft was trucked away by the Dept. of Homeland Security. Seems they did a bit TOO good of a restoration job. They have another shell awaiting restoration, but this one is sans engines.

No, the museum was not compensated in any way. Then again, I suppose the plane was probably "donated" or on loan anyway....

On the Iranian front, I think they might be better than you might expect. Hard to beat our technology though. Then again, if you don't want to decimate a region, airpower in and of itself won't get the job done (evidence Iraq, where, when I left 2 months ago, a lone B1 Lancer was about the only fixed wing aircraft observed over the city of Baghdad- along with a Predator I saw the last week). And the B1 was purely window dressing for the "rolling splurge" that had just begun (no bombs were dropped). Awesome sight to behold though. Never before seen one in desert tan...

 

[KennyFlys]

I don't get the big deal. I'm basing this on my knowledge of the S-3 Viking. Why not simply remove the "black boxes" (most really are black in that bird) such as the comm/nav, IFF transponder, regular transponder, radar, computer(s), fire control, ECM, recorders, antennas, etc.? Place numerous cuts in the wiring.

It would be easy to make a mock up of any panels to give realism without compromising security. There's no need for an entire engine. Build a mock up of the first stage fans and exhaust turbine fans.

 

[Steve]

http://www.dodig.osd.mil/IGInformation/IGInformationReleases/F_14FighterJetsSeizedRel0307.pdf

You'd think it would have been cheaper just to "properly demilitarize" the museum pieces than to haul them off to the boneyard. I do feel a lot safer knowing it only took a few years to uncover this gaping hole national security.

They're behind the curve. Homeland security has already confiscated some aircraft and parts from museums....

I was at Planes of Fame in Chino last month, and was told an entire aircraft was trucked away by the Dept. of Homeland Security. Seems they did a bit TOO good of a restoration job. They have another shell awaiting restoration, but this one is sans engines.

No, the museum was not compensated in any way. Then again, I suppose the plane was probably "donated" or on loan anyway....

On the Iranian front, I think they might be better than you might expect. Hard to beat our technology though. Then again, if you don't want to decimate a region, airpower in and of itself won't get the job done (evidence Iraq, where, when I left 2 months ago, a lone B1 Lancer was about the only fixed wing aircraft observed over the city of Baghdad- along with a Predator I saw the last week). And the B1 was purely window dressing for the "rolling splurge" that had just begun (no bombs were dropped). Awesome sight to behold though. Never before seen one in desert ten...

 

[Richard]

Our museum currently has a bill introduced by ______________Senator to allow installing engines in the OV-10 Bronco we acquired from China Lake. Otherwise, it's another part of the static display. Same thing goes with the T-38.

Too bad the F-4 or F-111 aint part of the bill.