Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat (Combat Aircraft) [Paperback]

Tom Cooper (Author), Chris Davey (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 23, 2004 | Series: Combat Aircraft (Book 49)

So formidable an opponent did the Iraqi airforce consider the F-14 that during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), they ordered their pilots not to engage F-14s and the presence of one in an area was usually enough to empty it of Iraqi aircraft. Officially losses where tiny; only one F-14 was lost in aerial combat (to a MiG-21), one to a control problem and one downed by a ground-to-air missile. This book looks at the F-14’s Iranian combat history and includes first hand accounts from the pilots themselves. It will consider key engagements and the central figures involved, illustrating the realities, successes and failures of the Iranian air campaign.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Osprey's Combat series combines the best archival photography available with specially commissioned artworks and first hand accounts, making these books favourites amongst historians, modellers and aviation enthusiasts everywhere.

About the Author

Born in 1970, Tom Cooper is a native of Vienna, Austria. His travels in Europe and the Middle East have enabled him to establish excellent contacts with many informed sources in Iran, whose experiences he has drawn upon in his books and articles. Farzad Bishop is a well-known Iranian-born aviation analyst and writer who has spent many years researching the airpower aspects of the recent Middle Eastern conflicts. His articles and observations have appeared in both Iranian and international military aviation journals.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (September 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841767875
• ISBN-13: 978-1841767871
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #513,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Recommend with some reservation, March 11, 2005

By 

brilliantdream (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat (Combat Aircraft) (Paperback)

This is a book that provided additional information on Iranian F-14s, a topic that is rarely covered. Cooper and Bishop provided perspectives from Iranian pilots, views that are essentially ignored because these neither fit general military analysis, Iraq POV, nor the official Iranian government positions. Anyone who studied or read air combat accounts knows that, there are always uncertainties on air combat records, whether it's due to propaganda or fog of war. You usually have to look at stories from different sides to get a more complete picture. Therefore, Cooper and Bishop's efforts are greatly appreciated, even if they are not verifiable or totally correct (and with obvious Iranian pilot bias - not necessarily a bad thing if you know that upfront).

Having said that, I'd like to provide some additional info in response to Mr. Forczyk's review (even though I'm not military intelligence officer like him). The attitude from Cooper stems from the fact that he and Bishop's works are often belittled and ridiculed by others, including US military aviators. This bounds to make a person unhappy, especially when there are declassified US government documents to support some of his claims. Although Mr. Forczyk raised some reasonable doubts, such as no independent verification of these accounts and no details explaination about sources, I think he forgets that this is supposed to be an original work with first-hand sources. It's hardly surprising that this account is different from the Iranian government's account, since there is politic involved (FYI, Bishop and Cooper's work appears to be banned or at least unwelcomed by Iranian government). Saying "These are the same guys who lie to the world every day about their nuclear program, isn't it?" doesn't make much sense. What does Iranian government's nuclear program and propaganda has anything to do with the words of pilots their government dislike? Having contacts with former Iranian air force pilots (some no longer in Iran) is not the same as "pretty cozy with the Iranian Government", I don't think that's a right assumption.

Furthermore, I think it is a big jump to say that F-14's superior performance in Iraq-Iran war is impossible because otherwise Iran would have won by aerial bombing. The way Iraq and Iran used air power is very different from US traditional thinking (especially the post Desert Storm type). Air power simply isn't a decisive factor in Iraqi and Iranian minds, Saddam didn't say "Air Force has never been a decisive factor in the history of wars" without reason. During the Iraq-Iran war, Iraq perfected the underground and passive defense. Able to shoot down enemy aircraft in some air combats doesn't guarantee that you have impressive SEAD capability, and Iran certainly did not have US technology advantages displayed during Desert Storm. Mr. Forczyk forgets that Iran and Iraq both used Ballistic missiles to bomb each other's cities, that didn't have any cease fire effects. So why should F-14s, F-4, and F-5 with limited load and no PGM able to achieve greater results, given the air defense threats? Given these questionable assumptions, I think Mr. Forczyk's two stars is a bit unfair to the authors.

In sum, I'd say this book is certainly worth a look for anyone interested in F-14 or Iraq/Iran war, even though you may not accept all of its views. I give this book 3.5 stars - One for stuffing a lot of interesting info in a small book, one for interesting/rare photos, one for originality and going into a relatively untouched subject, and another half star for its potential value (if most content prove to be true...)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recently Republished?, July 9, 2009

By 

Steve Conslaw (INDIANAPOLIS, IN United States) - See all my reviews

(Updated 8/2/2009) When I looked at this item in July 2009 it was unavailable, but copies were going used for over $70.00. I pleaded for Osprey to republish the book. Now, in August 2009, new copies are available again. Thanks, Osprey & Amazon!

The information in this book simply isn't available elsewhere. If you are looking for narrative descriptions of the Tomcat in action, then you will find more examples in this book than anywhere else. I can remember that even in the 1980s the U.S. Department of Defense took the position that it was doubtful that Iran could field any airworthy F-14 Tomcats due to the unavailability of replacement parts. This book completely refutes that statement. According to this book, Iran fielded combat-ready Tomcats for at least 20 years after the United States cut off suport following the 1978 revolution. The Tomcat performed a crucial role in the air defense of Iran throughout the various Iran/Iraq conflicts, serving not just as a fighter but also as an ad-hoc AWACS platform.

During a trip last year to the Davis-Monthan aircraft boneyard outside of Tucson, Arizona, I saw that all of the non-museum Tomcats are being sliced up to make sure that Iran can't get parts. This is a shame, and it's like closing the barndoor after the horse has escaped. Iran developed a domestic avionics industry in large part to produce domestically the spare parts needed to keep its Western-bloc aircraft flying. For all its anti-Israel rhetoric, throughout the conflicts with Iraq, Iran kept a backchannel trade with Israel for parts and expertise that were withheld by the United States, but as time went on support through Israel became less and less necessary. (As I was writing this update 8/2009, I did a quick web search. Apparently there have been recent confirmed sitings of Iranian F-14s in the air, seeming to confirm to a degree that Iran is able to produce or procure the parts they need despite the US ban.)

I want to add one final thing. The author uses pseudonyms to refer to the various aviators who contribute their stories. Presumably, everchanging political winds in Iran make it impossible to get the participants to talk with attribution under their real names. Unfortunately, that makes it difficult to verify any of the combat narratives in the book. The reader can choose to believe them or not.

5.0 out of 5 stars F 14 fighters, June 29, 2011

By 

FTRPLT - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat (Combat Aircraft) (Paperback)

A great addition to any Tomcat fan and former flyer's book shelf. I can't imagine having to fly combat sorties day in day out for over 8 years and dealing with possibility of getting killed or captured by enemy or executed by one's own government. Kudo's to those brave pilots and wso's.