The US paid nearly $1 million to shred its retired F-14 Tomcats so no part could ever reach Iran. Now Congress wants to save three of them and get one flying again. The Maverick Act, introduced in March 2026 by Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), passed the Senate unanimously on April 28. It would let the Navy hand over three Tomcats from the Davis-Monthan boneyard (two F-14Ds and a MiG-killing F-14A) to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Justin Taylor breaks down why the Tomcat mattered and how Iran became its only export customer. Iran kept its F-14s flying for 40-plus years on black-market parts, which pushed the US to destroy its own fleet. Then Israeli strikes hit Iran's remaining Tomcats. Plus: what it would actually take to get a Tomcat that's sat in the desert for 20 years past the FAA and back in the air. #F14Tomcat #MaverickAct #MilitaryAviation
