AP
Television
Tucson, Arizona - 19 June
2007
1.
Various of
F-14s getting crushed by excavators, with the jaws, gripping and tearing apart plane
AP Television
Washington. DC - 8 June 2007
2. Wide view of
US Senator Ron Wyden (Democrat-Oregon) talking to reporter
3. SOUNDBITE: (
English) US Senator Ron Wyden (Democrat-Oregon):
"The fact of the matter is that the
Department of defence changes its mind every few months and and has for a number of years with respect to how to handle this. So I don't think these internal rules these internal initiatives, based on the track record of the
Department of Defence are sufficient. I want to have a legal prohibition, a legal ban on the sales of these parts."
SOURCE:
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Bakersfield, CA -
11 November 2006
4. Various of of warehouse raided by
US Customs
AP Television
Washington. DC - 8 June 2007
5. SOUNDBITE: ( English) US Senator Ron Wyden (Democrat-Oregon):
" At a time when
Iran is pulling out all the stops to acquire nuclear weapons capability, the
United States government should not be making it easier for the
Iranians to get
F14 fighter jets off the tarmac."
AP Television
Tucson, Arizona - 19 June 2007
6. Various of "boneyard" of old F14 planes
AP Television
Dallas, TX - 19 June 2007
7.
Views of former
F-14 pilot,
Navy Captain Dale Snodgrass
8. SOUNDBITE: (
English): Navy Capt. Dale Snodgrass:
" The airplanes have been there a long time. Their availability and ability to put up operational airplanes airborne is fairly limited, if at all possible."
FILE
AP Television
Arabian Sea - 21 Nov.
2001
9. Various of F-14s taking flight
FILE
AP Television
Japan -
24 September 2003
10. F-14 in flight
AP Television
Dallas, TX - 19 June 2007
11. SOUNDBITE: ( English): Navy Capt. Dale Snodgrass:
"It was very fast, could carry a lot of gas, could carry a lot of weapons; it could go a long way and, generally, has much better ranges and speeds than even most of the modern fighters today."
AP Television
Tucson, Arizona - 19 June 2007
12.
View of excavator picking up parts of the F-14 and putting it in the shredder for destruction
STORYLINE:
Under the mighty jaws of 100-thousand pound (45,359 kilogram) pincers, an airplane that was once a military wonder is reduced to scraps of metal and bit parts.
After the shearing machine has finished its work, the planes are put into a
120,
000 pound (54,000 kilograms) shredder.
Finally, all that is left is a pile of shredded rubble.
The
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona is the military's "boneyard" for retired aircrafts.
There,
Pentagon contractors are being paid at least 900-thousand
US dollars to destroy old F-14 fighter jets.
The aim is to keep the F-14s, also called
Tomcats, out of the hands of Iran and other countries officials say may pose a threat to the US.
The Defence Department had originally intended to destroy spare parts unique to the F-14, but sell thousands of others that could be used on other aircraft.
It suspended sales of all
Tomcat parts after
The Associated Press reported in January that buyers for Iran,
China and other countries had exploited gaps in surplus-sale security to acquire sensitive
US military gear, including F-14 parts.
Officials say F-14 spare parts may be especially appealing to Iran, as it is the only country flying F-14s and is looking to maintain its aged fleet.
The Pentagon is now destroying the airplanes to keep that from happening.
However,
Senator Ron Wyden (Democrat-Oregon), who considers the demolition the proper course of action, but wants to go further and outlaw the sale of F-14 parts to anyone except museums.
Pentagon retired its showpiece F-14s last
Autumn.
Keyword- aircraft aviation
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- published: 21 Jul 2015
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