Posted on 03/07/2007 9:48:10 AM PST by BurbankKarl
Federal agents seized four F-14 Tomcat fighters in San Bernardino County on Tuesday — three from airplane museums — after investigators determined that the jets were not demilitarized and were improperly sold or transferred to private companies, including the producer of the TV show "JAG," authorities said.
When the jets were retired in the mid-1990s at the Naval Air Station at Point Mugu, Navy officials failed to ensure that the aircraft were stripped of military hardware, according to a court affidavit filed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.
Three of the fighter jets then were sold, in "unauthorized deals," to an Oxnard scrap company for $4,000 or less apiece, and one was acquired as a prop for the military drama "JAG," according to the affidavit and federal officials.
The proceeds from the sales went to a Morale Welfare and Recreation Fund for a squadron at the Ventura County naval base, according to the federal affidavit, filed by ICE Special Agent Joshua Barnett.
On Tuesday, customs agents and officials with the Defense Criminal Investigative Service seized two of the fighters from the Yanks Air Museum and one from the Planes of Fame air museum, both at the Chino Airport. Investigators learned about the F-14s during an undercover sting operation when they were investigating the potential sale of jet fighter parts to Iran, according to the affidavit.
A fourth jet, originally acquired by the producers of "JAG," was seized from an airport in Victorville, where it was housed. The plane is owned by an El Mirage aviation company.
"The investigation has not uncovered any evidence that these planes have been plundered for parts by people with nefarious motives," said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for ICE, "but the fact that they were not properly demilitarized certainly presents a potential vulnerability."
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
They are now in the service of Xenu!
Clinton's fault. One more reason donks can't be trusted with national security. Way to go Clinton!
Wow. Your very own Turkey for 2-5K. Now if you want an AV-8 Harrier, just buy a couple of acres in North Carolina and wait.
The Warbird/Museum Community doesn't need this, most of these folks are Patriotic Conservatives.
With all that is going on you think something like this would be a low priority.
"Why seize 'em?"
"Because that's what we do."
"You couldn't have just required them to be demilitarized?"
"No time, no time. Gotta war to win."
"Sounds more like theft to me."
"Wanna end up like Tommy Chong, pilgrim?"
"No."
"Then this interview's over."
LOL...
$4000 for a used Tomcat ? Hell, I'll take one !!
There is an issue with large military weapons which, over time, have kinda fallen thru the cracks of bureacracy. I've been casually looking into howitzers, and a recurring theme is "check the paper trail". These big, heavy, awkward machines are a pain to decommission "properly", and often end up on permanent loan on the front lawn of veterans' organizations with a few spot welds & concrete plugs ... and then from there become further unwanted and sold to the first guy who can actually move the beast off the lawn ... who then lovingly restores the piece ... and then discovers the hard way that he possesses an unregistered "NFA Destructive Device", and is given the choice of give it up or do hard time.
Be they F14s or cannons, eventually they end up as multi-ton flotsam for a group who views 'em as little more than scrap metal, who just want 'em to go away. That $4000 price tag doesn't include the $250,000 fine and 10 years at graybar hotel in lieu of proper paperwork.
If Defense Investigators stripping these aircraft of a few internal parts keeps Iran from potentially flying their F-14 against us....(we will fight them in the near future), I'm all for it.
I'm curious how you thiink B-17's are affected! Don't think Iran has any of those!! I can't see how stripping F-14 of critical internal spares (most likely engine and electronic parts)affects the Warbird/Museum community.
I'll take one!
I have a special air delivery to Tehran that this would be perfect for.
I'll take one!
I have a special air delivery to Tehran that this would be perfect for.
ping
This reminds me of the 1965 "Batman" movie where the Navy sold the Penguin (Burgess Meredith) a fully-armed and operational submarine complete with Polaris missiles. The Riddler (Frank Gorshin) was the crew member who then fired a Polaris missile at the Batcopter, knocking it out of the sky. If the Batcopter hadn't landed on a foam rubber factory it would have been curtains for Batman and Robin!
That fact that I remember this truly frightens me.
I wonder what that would look like in my back yard.
Coolest...fighter jet...ever
That fact that I remember this truly frightens me.
Shall we go to rehab together? I remember Frank Gorshin laughing as he pushed the button.
Seriously, if these F14's are not demilitarized guess who needs the spare parts?
Iran.
I read this twice and was going to ping you--didn't even realize who posted it! I was laughing too hard.
Do you still remember that homemade Batman Halloween costume? :)
Was that Val Kilmer or Michael Keaton?
You're gonna hate this... Marvel Comics just killed off Captain America today
Frank Gorshin's Riddler laugh was classic.
Do you remember Batman chastising the Admiral who sold the surplus sub to the Penguin?
You don't suppose whatever dumbass at the Pentagon who authorized this sale threw in some Phoenix AAMs, do you?
Adam West.
Hell, for $4K a pop, I could buy a slew of 'em and have my own Squadron! VF-264...
Four grand? Id'a bought one to put away for the grandkids to play with!
I never read the comic books but my brother and I saw "The Super Heroes" on TV -- Capt. America, The Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and Submariner. We never missed it -- except one time when our mother changed the channel to cover the Apollo 1 disaster. He protested that he was watching "The Mighty Heroes" [sic], but my mother replied "THESE are the mighty heroes (the three lost astronauts).
Funny how old memories come back to you.
Yes I do.
Remember the Apollo 1 incident?
B-17's not affected, but recent regs have. It has to due with rides and donations for the rides.
But the point again is this is a small group of Pro-American folks who usually do the right thing and know right from wrong. I agree with the efforts to keep parts out of the Iranian's hands.
However in terms of warbirds, should we not keep a couple F-14's flying for historical purposes and remembrance much like the Brits do? But on this side of the pond it is usually done by wealthy individuals.
The sad part is with declining interest in aviation and the general woosification of our culture via PC flying such non carbon neutral machines will be looked at with a jaundiced eye by many of the new Illuminati.
Why does it not surprise me that something like this would happen in the mid-90s?
Why does it not surprise me that something like this would happen in the mid-90s?
Air shows are still pretty popular in Ohio -- Dayton and Cleveland.
IMHO the coolest-looking aircraft I've ever seen is the B-70 at Wright-Patterson. Now THAT'S an airplane I'd love to have parked at home.
"They didn't sell us one. They gave us one, and they removed the engines," said Don Bellisario, whose company now produces the military drama "NCIS." "The Navy said to us, 'We can give you an old aircraft, but we have to demil [demilitarize] it before we can give it to you.' I just assumed that's what happened."
The Navy also "broke its back," meaning that the F-14's fuselage was sliced in half and then welded back together, Bellisario said. Unable to fly, the jet was used as a prop for shots on the ground and had to be towed around, he said.
That plane in 2005 was sold to the company Aviation Warehouse in El Mirage, which was storing the F-14 at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville.
Well, now that you mentioned JAG
Wow, a Foxhole air arm for $4,000 a pop.
Interesting choice. She is 1/2 Iranian and 1/2 French.
You better check your back yard to make sure the Tomcat you took home with you when you retired is still there...
And all woman!
"Harm says we are missing an F-14...."
ping
Sure do. You remember what they say: Elephants never ...... I also remember when you were 3--I was vacuuming and you were watching television and told me somebody just shot the President--but I don't think you remember that far back.
I would paint mine up like the VF-84 Jolly Rogers, I recently bought the movie "Final Countdown". There is some great footage of flight ops !
That show was so campy and funny.
I, for one, am greatly relieved. Every night I have been going to bed in fear that some F-14 stored in a museum would be stolen by terrorists and flown out the door to bomb my neighborhood with items from the museum's gift shop. Well done, FBI!
Interesting technique. It can sit on the ground, but it'll never pull any Gs again.
But Batman did chastise the Admiral for the "cash & carry" policy on nuclear subs w/o checking to see if the address was legit...
PING
Guy in Ohio has a B-36 in his back yard (sadly, in pieces). Google-map Newbury, OH, and look just north-west of Restful Lake (gotta zoom in some on the satellite view). Looks like he also has a B-25.
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