number of sources have disputed how the Iranian Air Force came to modify its Tomcat fleet for a strike role, with the country claiming it a successful indigenous initiative while Western analysts have pointed to U.S. assistance from the Iran-Contras scandal, under which in return for assistance in recovering American hostages in Lebanon and provision of funds which were funnelled to aid U.S. backed militants in Latin America, the Contras, Iran was provided with a number of armaments including much needed parts for its F-14 fleet. Bomb racks used by the Iranian Tomcats bear a close resemblance to U.S. Air Force BRU-34s and BRU-42s - first used in the mid 1980s at around the same time they started to be employed by Iran. It also remains a possibility that Iraq acquired these racks through the black market, a key source of parts for Western weapons systems following the deterioration of relations with the Western Bloc.

свернуть