WTF?
on 01/30/2007 at 02:38 AM
Way back in the 1970s Iran was a US ally. We sold them the planes then. Since then they’ve become an enemy, so we don’t sell them stuff anymore. But there have been problems with resellers; once parts leave our shores it gets hard to track them. Our government decides that something is surplus and then sells it. Some approved company buys the stuff, and then they sell it to some other (hopefully) approved buyer. Problems get into the process because some of the surplus stuff isn’t properly “demilled”, and some of the 2nd level buyers are a bit shady. There have been a couple of Paki buyers who’ve played both sides of the fence.
Some replacement parts can be made locally or by other countries and the US has no control over that at all.
The GAO has run sting operations for years, and they’ve found its altogether too easy to forge IDs and buy things illegally. More on this here.
My guess is that Iranian F-14s aren’t in the greatest shape after 30+ years; if they don’t have the latest electronics then they’re no match for anything we can put in the air. But it would still be better if those airplanes couldn’t fly at all.
My military career (26 years) was spent in Aircraft Maintenance and I can tell you getting spare or replacement parts for our aircraft was difficult at times. On occasion our machine shops had to manufacture parts because they were no longer being produced and weren’t expected to break.
Since breaking relations with Iran back in 1979, I’ve always wonder how they kept their F-14’s flying. It takes a lot of spare parts and technical knowledge to keep a top line fighter like the “Tomcat” operational.
With F-14’s now sitting in the Bone Yard, someone better keep an eye on them or some unscrupulous workers will be removing parts to sell on the black market. I would venture to say some of these planes may have already been gutted and the parts sent overseas. A $1,000 for a small black box or valve that takes 10 minutes to remove and, unless you know what your looking for, will never be missed can turn a government employee into a black market arms dealer.
My understanding is that Iran is the only country flying the F-14s and thus they will buy parts to keep their planes flying if this auction goes forward. What is wrong with recycling? Turn these into yard decorations or boxes - anything more viable than ‘giving’ them to our enemy.
To paraphrase:
We will hang the infidels?
But, where will we get the rope?
They will sell it to us!
I’d have to say that flying a likely poorly maintained F-14 with back market avionics and other gear would be tantamount to a suicide mission. Still, in the few moments of hesitation that a non-US pilot or any ground troops might experience wondering if that aircraft coming at them is an F-15, which is a dead ringer for the F-14 in many ways, well, hesitation in battle can be deadly.
I think the F14 in the hands of a good US pilot is a half decent aircraft. However some late 70’s vintage F14 flown by a couple of goat humpers would be no match for an F16 let alone the new genration of US fighters. Sell them the bits and lets see how they get on! They wouldn’t last five minutes in a dogfight.
01/31/2007 at 10:30 AM
