--- title: "This Iranian was the highest-scoring F-14 Tomcat pilot ever" description: "Then-Major Zandi had some serious skills at the controls of his F-14 Tomcat- record breaking ones, in fact. Read more on We Are the Mighty." date: "2021-10-27" modified: "2021-10-27" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/highest-scoring-f-14-tomcat-pilot/" categories: - "Aircraft" - "Tactical" --- # This Iranian was the highest-scoring F-14 Tomcat pilot ever ![]() Jalil Zandi's Air Force legend almost never made it off the ground. He joined the Iranian Air Force when it was still the *Imperial* Iranian Air Force, under Shah Reza Pahlavi. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Zandi stayed blue – a risky move at a time when Iranian military officers were being executed for doing their duty to one's country. --- But fighter pilots need to be bold and take risks. Zandi did spend some time in a prison cell, sentenced to 10 years for... whatever. Does it matter? In September 1980 – less than a year after the revolution in Iran – Saddam Hussein's Iraqi troops invaded Iran whose military was woefully undermanned. So, Zandi was back in the pilot's seat within six months. ![]() *Mustaches are always in regs in the Iranian Air Force of the 1980s.* It was a good thing too. Then-Major Zandi had some serious skills at the controls of his F-14 Tomcat. Forget what [you think about the governments of Iran and Iraq in this time period](), you have to admire a pilot who fought Iraqis in the skies for eight straight years to keep them from shooting chemical weapons at playgrounds. ![]() *All those aviator sunglasses... and Top Gun wouldn't even be released for another five years.* Zandi survived the brutal eight-year-long war, and according to [the U.S. Air Force's intelligence assessments](), he took down 11 Iraqi aircraft – four MiG-23s, two Su-22s, two MiG-21s, and three Mirage F-1s. His last engagement of the war saw him go up against eight enemy Mirage F1s over Iraq in 1988. He scored [two unconfirmed kills]() but was badly shot up in the dogfight and had to break off. He was able to fly back to his base in Iran and the war ended that very same year. He received the Order of Fath 2nd Class for his time in the skies over enemy territory. The Fath Medal is one of the highest awards an Iranian military member can receive and is personally presented by the Supreme Leader. Jalil Zandi's 11 kills in the F-14 make him the highest-scoring Tomcat pilot ever. Zandi died in a car accident near Tehran in 2001, having reached the rank of Brigadier General. ![]() *Brigadier General Jalil Zandi, IRIAF, ca. 2001.* The F-14 was retired from the U.S. military arsenal in 2006 but is still in use in Iran. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()