One of three IRIAF Grumman F-14A Tomcat fighter aircraft depicted in a 14FEB15 FARS pictorial; above aircraft at recess of MRO facility hangar seen in a stage of overhaul, lifted at three jack points.
Aircraft with open access panel; attention provided to aircraft's ACM, water separation unit
Aircraft wing control surfaces, receiving attention from IRIAF ground crew technicians
Aircraft seen lifted at three jack points, wings removed
Aircraft's Pratt & Whitney TF-30-414 turbofan engines removed
Second IRIAF F-14 fighter aircraft in FARS pictorial, depicted in the forward section of MRO hangar. Access panels open enabling service to (left to right): coolant, liquid oxygen and AN/AWG-9 radar electronics.
Two generations of IRIAF ground crew technicians. According to aviation write Babak Taghvaee, older technicians were brought back from retirement between 2006 to 2007, following a period between 1994 and 1998 where a large number were retired without transferring their knowledge to the younger generation, resulting in a dramatic increase of Not Operationally Ready, Maintenance (NORM) status aircraft.
Foreground: IRIAF ground crew technicians working at open lower aft access panels to F-14A. Visible inside left inlet is engine compressor face.
IRIAF ground crew technician seen working within F-14A cockpit. Visible is RIO instrument panel, upper shroud section removed.
Pan view of the MRO hangar, with first aircraft seen in the recess, and second aircraft being serviced appearing in photo foreground.
Second aircraft seen from behind, at the forward section of the MRO hangar
Aircraft upper fuselage panels removed
IRIAF second lieutenant providing attention to a Martin-Baker GRU-7A ejection seat
Elderly IRIAF technician performing work on electronics component of F-14A Tomcat. Note drawer containing segregated bench stock.
Third IRIAF F-14A aircraft depicted in FARS pictorial, seen operated on an apron at TAB-8
IRIAF F-14A Tomcat, serial markings removed
Forwards fuselage view, IRIAF F-14A Tomcat
Aft fuselage view, IRIAF F-14A Tomcat
Photos: Hamed Jafarnejad at Fars News Agency
4 comments:
What I've noticed about these pictures regarding ground maintenance crews is their age.They seem to be from the era of the old Imperial Iranian Air Force.Is there not anybody below the age of 60 among the ground crews?
Iran Space capsule
presented to President Rohani
http://media.isna.ir/content/1424162442628_erfan%20khoshkhoo-2.jpg/4
I'm guessing there is many younger crews and technicians about. Maybe the older guys are in the photo's out of a mixture of respect for their many years of service and a little psych ops for both domestic and international consumption, maybe. Regardless. What a machine and what an achievement by Iran to be still getting good service out of them!
As soon as the sanctions get lifted, all this 40 year old Shah era junk will be garbaged immediately. A sanctions chocked Russia is waiting impatiently to sell Iran the Su-50 Terminator, if not a large order of the Flanker series. The flood gates for arms vendors will open soon, as soon as the sanctions go.
Post a Comment