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F-15 is little faster than F14...but they still chose F14, only speed is not what will help you to catch fast aircraft ,F-4 is also 2.3 mach aircraft ..problem is lock on and missile range....fast aircraft can simple escape from range.But when you have powerfull F14 with weapons system like AWG9 + AIM54 you can lock on and fire missile on enemy before they are even aware of F14 presence , thus because of fast AIM54 missile and great range aircraft almost has no chanse to escape ... So having only fast aircraft is not enoughf for big boys .When someone runaway 2+ mach than if you have aircraft with short missile and radar range than you have two problems.First problem is to aprouch in lock on range,than second problem is after you lock on and lunch....since missile has short range there is not much time for missile to catch aircraft.
F14 was not selected because of it speed, F15 max speed is little higher than F14 ..hack even F4 speed is 2.3 mach...F-4 other fly characteristics are not good as F14 and F15 but in interceptor role it doesn't need it.
Main reason is AWG9 and AIM54 ,it is simple...like I explain F-15 BVR capatibiliteswere just little better than F4.
I read article where one pilot who was part of Iranian commission in US explained selection process...He said that F-15’s demonstration was spectacular also ,main F15 adventages for Iranians were..price, easy transition for Pilots...F-4 pilots and WSO could jump in to F-15 without new training...there was only short transition course from F-4 to F15...no new weapon system for which pilots and WSO have to go through complete learning process and practice training.Also ground support and maintaince would be cheaper and easier.In short F-4 to F15 would be logical transition.
On other side F-14 had bunch of new technology and many new technologies were first time used on F14...it was not even close to what Iranians had..very complex weapons system and completely new weapon system,variable-sweep wing...pilots and WSO had go through complete training process ..ground support and maintaince also is much more expensive...in short F-15 had in start better chances.
What makes difference is AWG9+AIM54 ..it is unique war machine...
Now here is copy paste of what should be genuine decription of F14 and F15 flight presentation:
The flight demonstration was scheduled not to exceed 30 minutes from the first take off to the landing of the second aircraft.
The base was closed for that short time in which at the presence of the Shah, the two U.S. fighters had to fly their demonstration: it was decided that the USAF’s F-15, piloted by Irv Burrows (McDonnell Douglas’ test pilot), would have performed first, while Don Evans and Dennis Romano (Grumman’s test crew) with their F-14, would wait their turn after the Eagle.
While the F-15 taxied onto runway, Don and Dennis started engines of the Tomcat ahead of the schedule and burned down fuel in the warm up area during the Eagle demonstration, to reduce the difference in thrust to weight ratio between the two fighters. However F-15’s demonstration was spectacular, not only for the raw power of the aircraft but also for pilot’s skills: Burrows was a great pilot and that day, he showed all his ability.
The flight demonstration was the same for both aircraft: it consisted in a sequence of maneuvers beginning with a high performance take off followed by an Immelman turn and climb-out, then a descent to a high speed fly-by, two high-g low altitude turns followed by a slow speed fly-by in the landing configuration and last, the landing.
Since the F-15 has a higher thrust to weight ratio than the F-14A, the Eagle performed a really impressive flight profile during which it pulled an incredible 7-g 360 degree turn.
After the F-15 had finished its display, everyone was waiting for the underpowered F-14A demonstration: the Tomcat’s TF-30 engines would have not given to the aircraft the same thrust to weigh ratio of the Eagle.
However, during the F-15’s performance, Evans and Romano burned down a great quantity of fuel and now they had only 2,500 pounds of remaining gas: while this little quantity was only sufficient to accomplish their flight demonstration, 2,500 pounds was also one eight of the Tomcat’s internal fuel capacity and thanks to this fact the Tomcat had the same thrust to weight ratio of the Eagle.
At this point the F-14 had one thing that the F-15 didn’t have: variable geometry wings that would have made the difference for the grace of the flight demonstration.
Don and Dennis pushed both throttles to full zone five afterburner (which was the maximum afterburner thrust setting for TF-30 engine) and took off to perform the same demonstration of the F-15: the sequence of the maneuvers was just like the Eagle’s one, but the Tomcat’s crew, during the knife-edge pass, decided to sweep the wings from fully swept to fully forward and then they executed a turn at the maximum Tomcat’s performance, producing a large cloud of vapor off the wings due to the shock wave.
Then approaching the mid with the wings swept at 40 degrees, the Tomcat went into a full afterburner 360 degree 8 ½ g turn accelerated to 400 knots, very impressive to see. To end the demonstration, Evans and Romano added a touch-and-go landing: when the main landing gears came in touch with the runway they inserted full zone five afterburners and the Tomcat climbed in vertical. At this point, while they had almost ran out of fuel, they made a spectacular carrier landing approach and they fully stopped in one thousand feet of runway.
Once the show ended, the Shah literally ignored the Eagle and walked directly towards the Tomcat speaking for some minutes with the crew still sat in the cockpit of the fighter: he’d chosen the Tomcat, saving the Grumman and assuring a future to the F-14.
