 In the 1990s, with the pending retirement of the A-6 Intruder, the F-14 air-to-ground program was resurrected.Trials with live bombs had been carried out in the 1980s; the F-14 was cleared to use basic iron bombs in 1992.During Operation Desert Storm of the Gulf War, most air-to-ground missions were left to A-7, A-6 Intruder and F/A-18 Hornet squadrons, while the F-14s focused on air defense operations.