American F-14 Tomcat fighters of the Iranian air force, armed with Soviet R-27 missiles. Photo: https://t.co/CzFFKuqIdX pic.twitter.com/pYOryBwM2r
— Ivan O'Gilvi (@o_gilvi) November 25, 2020
Photos of American-made F-14 fighters with Soviet R-27 missiles suspended under their wings have appeared Online. The Iranian air force managed to combine the weapons of opponents in the cold war.
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a fourth-generation American two-seat fighter with variable wing geometry. It was produced from 1974 to 1992. Iran is the only country where the plane was delivered from the United States during the warming of relations. In American aviation, the F-14 was replaced by the F/A-18 Hornet (officially, the US Navy continues to operate the carrier-based version of the fighter). The Iranian air force is armed with 43 Tomcat. After the cooling of relations between the Islamic Republic has developed its own production of spare parts for these aircraft.
The R-27 is a Soviet medium-range air-to-air guided missile. Its development began in the USSR, and production was already organized in Russia. Modern modifications of the missile ensure the defeat of aircraft, drones and cruise missiles. In addition to the Russian aerospace forces, the R-27 is in service with eight countries. Ukraine produces its own version of the rocket.
Anton Valagin