Sheehy advances Maverick Act F-14 Tomcat transfer in House
Senator Tim Sheehy moved the maverick act f-14 tomcat legislation on March 23, and the Senate later cleared it by unanimous consent on April 28. The bill would let the Navy transfer three retired F-14Ds to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, with the House now holding the measure.
Tim Sheehy and Mark Kelly
Sheehy, a Montana Republican, introduced the Senate version. Senator Mark Kelly co-sponsored it, while Representative Abe Hamadeh introduced the House companion legislation on April 16. The two chambers are working from companion bills, both called the Maverick Act, rather than separate measures with different terms.
The legislation focuses on three specific aircraft: Bureau Numbers 164341, 164602, and 159437. Those are the only three F-14Ds currently in storage at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, and the bill would allow the Navy to gift them to the museum at no cost to the government.
U.S. Space & Rocket Center
The proposed transfer carries limits. The bill states the aircraft would not have any capability for launching or releasing munitions or any other combat capability they were designed to have. It also says the Secretary of the Navy would not be required to restore, repair, or otherwise modify the Tomcats before handing them over.
The same text puts ongoing expenses on the Commission, including conveyance, compliance checks, operation and maintenance. It also directs the Navy secretary to provide maintenance and operations manuals, along with any excess spare parts available from existing Navy stock.
September 2006
The unusual part is the repair language. The bill says the secretary shall provide excess spare parts to make one of the F-14D aircraft flyable or able to complete a static display, using only parts already in Navy stock and with no items procured on behalf of the Commission.
The Navy retired its last F-14 in September 2006 after 32 years of service, and the type has stayed under tight export controls because Iran continues to operate it. That leaves the House with a bill that would authorize a transfer, set strict limits on use, and leave the question of whether one jet flies again to the handling of surplus parts and the museum’s role.
