What i never understand...why did not Iran Aerospace never tried reverse engineer F-14.
I mean they should be able to manufacture after all F14 airframe is from 1960s get the Russion Engines and Radar ...get R33 & R37 and viola they would have an interceptor-Air Superiorty Fighter..
any idea why they did not persue it...after it is still better idea then shafaq or qaher ....
Likely because of the enormous costs involved[to put it mildly],dont forget the f-14 was the most complex and expensive of all of the first generation of 4th gen fighters.In addition there would be no chance of trying to recoup some of the enormous costs by offering it for sale on the international arms market.
Unless iran was willing to massively increase its military budget and then to devote most of that to the indigenous production of airpower,which would still likely leave it at a huge disadvantage vis-a-vis the sheer weight of combined air power that its enemies both regional and international could throw at it.
Ultimately the western and soviet cold war era air power heavy model was never going to be a viable option for iran once it rejected western vassalage,and this was regardless of its abilities to indigenously reverse and reengineer other nations hardware.
The airforce for its part seemed more interested in pie-in-the-sky type programs that it did not have the capability to actually produce,yet when it did set its sights on something a little more reasonable like the f5 it showed little inclination to reengineer and modernise the aircraft.
There is a lot that the airforce could do to upgrade and improve the capabilities of the existing airfleet,yet for whatever reason it has not done so,at least not yet.
PS
The only area in which the russians have ever been even remotely reliable is in their near total unreliability.Effectively as reliable suppliers of military hardware the russians are literally almost worse than useless.
The end of the embargo will provide for Iran's industry new dawn.
Time will tell,but sadly from past experience I for one certainly wouldnt be holding my breath on that one if I was you.....or iran.