Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

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Iranian Air Force
History of Iranian military aviation Air Force Rank insignia List of aircraft List of air bases

The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) (Template:PerB) is the aviation branch of the Iranian armed forces.

The IRIAF came into being when the former Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) was re-named following the Islamic Revolution in Iran, in February 1979.

This "new" Iranian air force largely inherited the equipment and structure of the former IIAF, even losing most of its leading officers in the course of post-revolutionary chaos, as well as due to the prosecution of those considered as loyal to the Shah, pro-U.S. or elsewhere by the new government in Tehran.

Due to strained relations with the west, Iran had to procure new equipment from Brazil, Russia and the People's Republic of China.

Since the Revolution, the exact composition of the IRIAF is hard to determine, but estimates do exist. Many aircraft belonging to the Iraqi Air Force took refuge in Iran during the Persian Gulf War in 1991, and many were put into service with the IRIAF or taken apart for spare parts.

Due to the continuous spare parts shortages faced by the air force, a decision was made in the late 1980s to develop a local aerospace industry to support the air force.

In 2002, Iran with the co-operation of Ukraine, successfully started the manufacture of the Iran-140; a licence-built version of the Antonov An-140 transport aircraft. Simultaneously, Iran began construction of two 100% domestically-produced fighters, upgraded using technology from the F-14 Tomcat and the F-5 Tiger II. The fighters have been named the Azarakhsh and the Shafaq.

Since then the country has also become self-sufficient in the manufacture of helicopters. The country claims that it is capable of producing the old U.S. AH-1 Cobra gunship. Additionally, Iran also produces Bell Helicopter Bell 212 and Bell 206 helicopters in serial production. These are known respectively as the Shabaviz 2-75 and the Shabaviz 206.

A series of purges and forced retirements resulted in the manpower of the service being halved between February 1979 and July 1980, leaving the IRIAF ill-prepared for the Iran-Iraq War (also called the "1st Persian Gulf War"). The sudden Iraqi air strikes against six Iranian airfields and four other military installations, launched on the afternoon of 22 September 1980, came as a complete surprise and caused a shock in the IRIAF. Nevertheless, they caused relatively minimal damage, and the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force retaliated fiercely to the invasion, flying strikes involving up to 140 McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs against main Iraqi airfields, oil industry installations, and communications sites. Intense Iranian activity inside Iraqi air space during the first week of the war managed to prove so successful that it eventually forced the Iraqi Air Force onto the defensive. In addition to striking Iraqi airfields, the IRIAF succeded in managing to badly damage most of the Iraqi oil-producing and exporting facilities; resulting in Baghdad's decision to stop all oil exports for several years.

Following a one week-long counter-air campaign, and due to a critical situation on the ground in Khuzestan Province, the IRIAF was thrown into the land-battle, mainly in the areas of Khorramshahr, Ahvaz, and Dezful. Here, the IRIAF's performance and superiority over the Iraqi Air Force (IrAF) surprised most informed observers. Its air strikes against armour and supply-columns sapped the offensive strength of the Iraqi military. Due to heavy losses in troops and armour, Iranian air superiority and an interruption of supply systems, the Iraqis had to stop their offensive, and then became involved in extremely bitter land-battles against Iranian ground forces.

However, the IRIAF paid a heavy price for this success, losing dozens of its best pilots and aircraft in the period between September and December 1980.

Although the readiness rates of the IRIAF significantly increased in the following months, its overall role and influence declined, as the clerical government searched to put the emphasis in fighting on the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) militias, but also attempted to develop a separate air arm for this service.

After the successful liberation of most Iranian areas captured by the Iraqis, in late spring 1982, the situation of the IRIAF changed completely. From an air arm that was offensive by nature, it was largely relegated to air defence and, relatively seldom, tasks of flying bombing attacks against targets of industrial and military significance inside Iraq. Simultaneously, the IRIAF had to learn to maintain and keep operational its large fleet of U.S.-built aircraft and helicopters without outside help, due to American sanctions. Reaching back on equipment purchased from the U.S.A. in the 1970s, the Iranians began establishing their own aerospace industry; their efforts in this remained largely unrecognised until recently.

However, the IRIAF was able to obtain limited amounts of spare parts and weapons for its American-made aircraft, when Iran was able to buy American spare parts and weapons for its armed forces, during the Iran-Contra Affair. Deliveries came via Israel and later, from the USA.

From 1984 and 1985, the IRIAF found itself confronted by an ever better organised and equipped opponent, as the Iraqi Air force - reinforced by deliveries of advanced fighter-bombers from France and the Soviet Union - launched numerous offensives against Iranian population centres and oil-export hubs. These became better known as "The Tanker War" and "The War of the Cities". To defend against an increasing number of Iraqi air strikes, the IRIAF leaned heavily on its large fleet of Grumman F-14 Tomcat air superiority fighters. Tomcats were mainly deployed in defence of the strategically-important Khark Island (main hub for Iranian oil exports), and Tehran. Over 300 air-to-air engagements against IrAF fighters, fighter-bombers, and bombers, were fought in these areas alone between 1980 and 1988.

Confronted with the fact that it could not obtain replacements for equipment lost in what became a war of attrition against Iraq, for the rest of the conflict, the IRIAF remained defence-orientated, conserving its surviving assets as a "force in being". From late 1987, the IRIAF found itself confronted also with U.S. Navy fighters over the Persian Gulf. A number of confrontations that occurred between August 1987 and April 1988, stretched available IRIAF assets to the limit, almost exhausting its capability to defend Iranian air space against Iraqi air strikes.

Immediately after the end of the Iran-Iraq War, the IRIAF was partially re-built by limited purchases of MiG-29 fighters and Su-24 bombers from the Soviet Union, as well as F-7M and FT-7 fighters from China. While a welcome reinforcement, these types never replaced the older, U.S.-built F-4 Phantoms or F-14 Tomcats (now the only air arm in the world to continue using the fighter), or even Northrop F-5 Tiger IIs. Instead, the IRIAF continued efforts to maintain these types in service, and began a number of projects with the intention to refurbish and upgrade them.

A Russian attempt to sell a large number of MiG-27s, MiG-31s, and Tupolev Tu-22Ms to Iran, launched in 1993, was spoiled by a lack of interest and money on the part of Iran. Since 2000, on multiple occasions, MiG-31s are rumoured to have been seen in Iran's airspace, though no official declaration confirming this has been made by the IRIAF.

In the early 1990s, Iran is rumoured to have signed a military contract with the USSR to purchase an unknown number of Su-27s; the delivery of the planes wasn't completed for more than a decade due to US pressure. Recently, Iran is rumoured to have received an unknown variant of the Su-27. Unconfirmed reports reveal their deployment at air bases in Tabriz.

Following an agreement between the regimes in Baghdad and Tehran, in February 1991 a significant number of Iraqi Air Force (IrAF) aircraft were evacuated to Iranian airfields, to avoid destruction in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The agreement was for Iran to return them after the war, but the Iranians impounded these aircraft instead, claiming them as reparations for the Iran-Iraq War.

The IRIAF has pressed into service all of the 36 Su-24MKs, 7 SU-25s and 24 Mirage F.1BQs and F.1EQs flown from Iraq, while all the other types - including 40 Su-20/22s and at least ten MiG-23s of various versions - were stored.

The IRIAF composition has changed very little since 1979. The first, very limited re-location of several units - including disbandment of some, and establishing of new squadrons - occurred in autumn 1980, when the F-4D-fleet was concentrated at Shiraz, two squadrons of F-4Es moved from Shiraz to Hamedan, and a squadron of F-14 Tomcats deployed to Mehrabad. Other deployments during the war with Iraq were mainly of temporary character, even if a major re-organisation of existing air-defence assets - foremost SAM- and AAA-units - was undertaken in 1985. There has been no major re-organisation during all of the 1990s either.

Equipment, capabilities and combat performance of the IRIAF strongly influenced the development of the Iraqi Air Force (IrAF), during the 1980s, but also that of the United Arab Emirates Air Force, in the 1990s and the most recent times.

It has been reported Iran is about to sign an arms with the Russian Rosoboronexport arms group to buy 250 Su-30 MKM warplanes and 20 Il-78 MKI fuel tankers. It is rumored that the first aircraft will be delivered before the end of 2007. This sale would give Iran the largest and probably the most powerful air force in the Middle East. Iran and Russia have both denied this and have rejected these claims as propaganda.^[1][2][3]

The Russian news agency Novosti reported that Business & Financial Markets said Iran has signed a deal with China to buy two squadrons/24 of J-10 fighter planes with Russian-made AL-31FN engines. The total cost of the planes is estimated at $1 billion, and deliveries are expected between 2008 and 2010. China denied that it had agreed to sell its homegrown fighter jets to Iran, saying no talks had taken place. Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters: "It's not true, it is an irresponsible report, China has not had talks with Iran on J-10 jets."^[4][5][6]

• IRIAF F-16 Fighting Falcon[1]
  IRIAF F-16 Fighting Falcon[1]
• 
  IRIAF F4 Phantom
• IRIAF Saeqeh80 Acrobatics show[2]
  IRIAF Saeqeh80 Acrobatics show[2]
• IRIAF 747 tanker
  IRIAF 747 tanker
• IRIAF Mig29
  IRIAF Mig29
• IRIAF F-5E
  IRIAF F-5E
• 
  A U.S. "Top Gun" F-14A, painted to resemble an Iranian fighter for air combat adversary training
• IRIAF AWACS-Ilyushin Il-76
  IRIAF AWACS-Ilyushin Il-76
• IRIAF Azarakhsh[3]
  IRIAF Azarakhsh[3]
• IRIAF Mirage F-1[4]
  IRIAF Mirage F-1[4]
• Iranian Flying Boat[5]
  Iranian Flying Boat[5]
• IRIAF Chengdu J-7(Mig-21)[6]
  IRIAF Chengdu J-7(Mig-21)[6]

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	In service[7]	Notes
Aero Commander	United States	utility transport	690A	4
Antonov An-24	China	tactical transport	Y-7	14	built by Xian
Antonov An-74	Ukraine	tactical airlift transport	An-74TK-200	11
Beechcraft Bonanza	United States	trainer	F33C	20
Bell 206	Italy  Iran	utility helicopter	AB 206A Panha Shabviz 2061&Shahed-278	3 -	AB 206A built by Agusta unknown numbers of 2061&Shahed-278 in service
Bell 212	Italy	Light-lift transport helicopter	AB 212	5	built by Agusta
Bell 214	United States	Medium-lift transport helicopter	Bell 214C	25
IL-76AEW	Russia	Airborne Early Warning	Adnan-1	2	In 1991 Gulf War two IL-76AEW fled from Iraq to Iran where the remain in service at Shiraz and Mehrabad Intl. [7]
Boeing 707	United States	transport/air-to-air refuelling tanker	707-3J9C	10	many modified for special missions
Boeing 747	United States	VIP transport/air-to-air refuelling tanker	747-100F	5
Boeing CH-47 Chinook	Italy	Heavy-lift transport helicopter	CH-47C	25	built by Agusta
Chengdu J-7	China	Fighter (F-7M)/trainer (FT-7)	F-7M FT-7	20 5	FT-7 built by GAIC, an additional aircraft crashed due to technical failure
Dassault Falcon 20	France	VIP transport		1
Dassault Falcon 50	France	VIP transport		3
Dassault Mirage F1	France	fighter	Mirage F1BQ Mirage F-1EQ	24
Embraer EMB 312 Tucano	Brazil	Basic trainer		15
Fokker F27 Friendship	Netherlands	tactical airlift/transport	F27-400M F27-600	11 3
Grumman F-14 Tomcat	United States	Interceptor/multi-role fighter	F-14A	50	79 originally delivered
F-16 Fighting Falcon	United States	multi-role fighter		1[8]
Harbin Y-12	China	utility transport		8
Azarakhsh	Iran	fighter		8[9]	[10]
Saeqeh	Iran	fighter		5[11]	[12]
Shafaq	Iran	trainer/attack aircraft/fighter		1
Dorna/Tazarv	Iran	trainer		?	[13]
Fajr-3(aircraft)	Iran	trainer		?	[14]
parastoo	Iran	trainer		26	[15]
Simorgh(aircraft)	Iran	trainer		2	- 17k
Flying boat	Iran	conventional seaplane		2	- 55k - 45k [16]
Ilyushin Il-76	Russia	transport		9
Kaman HH-43 Huskie	United States	rescue helicopter	HH-43F	8
Lockheed C-130 Hercules	United States	tactical airlift/transport reconnaissance	C-130E C-130H RC-130	5 4 1
Lockheed JetStar	United States	VIP transport	JetStar II	1
Lockheed P-3 Orion	United States	maritime patrol	P-3F	5
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star	United States	trainer	T-33A	5
McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II	United States	fighter fighter reconnaissance	F-4D F-4E RF-4E	15 29 3
Mikoyan MiG-29	Russia	fighter trainer	MiG-29A MiG-29UB	60 15	many with local upgrades
Mil Mi-8	Russia	Medium-lift transport helicopter	Mi-8MTW Mi-17 Mi-171Sh	4 2 46
Northrop F-5	United States	fighter	F-5A F-5B F-5E F-5F RF-5E	50	many other versions in storage
Pilatus PC-6 Porter	Switzerland	utility transport		12
Pilatus PC-7	Switzerland	trainer		20
Saab Safari	Sweden	trainer	Mushshak	23	built by Pakistan
Shenyang J-6	China	fighter	F-6	18
Socata TB	France	utility	TB 20 TB 200	6 6
Sukhoi Su-24	Russia	strike/air-to-air refuelling tanker	SU-24MK	32
Mikoyan MiG-27	Russia	attack/strike		24[17]
Sukhoi Su-25	Russia	strike/close air support trainer	Su-25K Su-25T Su-25UBK Su-25UBT	- 3 - 3	7 Su-25K/UBK impounded from Iraq 6 Su-25T/UBT purchased from Russia[8]

A number of other types have been in recent or reported, Iranian service. Many may remain in reserve storage or are operated by the Army or Navy. Some recent types include:

• Mikoyan Mig-23/27 'Flogger-E' 'Flogger-D'
• Mikoyan MiG-27
• Sukhoi Su-17/20/22 'Fitter'
• Boeing 727 (Cargo/transport)
• Hughes 300C
• Sukhoi Su-17

See List of Iranian Air Force Bases

In the last several years several new airfields have been constructed in central- and eastern Iran. Some of these facilities have since seen full-scale deployments of IRIAF units, and it now appears that at least two became permanent "Tactical Fighter Bases" (TFBs). These are the first such bases established since 1979. Except new airfields, with Chinese support, the IRIAF constructed also a number of new early warning radar sites around the country. Its ability to control the national airspace, however, remains limited - mainly due to the rugged terrain and lack of airborne early warning assets.

Aside from maintaining 14 TFBs, the IRIAF operates numerous temporary detachments on several minor airfields around the country. Ex-Iraqi Mirage F.1EQs, usually based at TFB.14, near Mashhad, were frequently seen over the Persian Gulf, in 2005 and 2006.

The IRIAF markings are only slightly different to those used by the IIAF.

The main difference is addition of the word "Allah" (meaning "God" in Arabic), in red, on the white field of the fin flash, and the text "Allah-u-Akhbar" (translated to "God is great"), in white, on the bottom of the green, and the top of the red field.

The roundel remains the same as used before.

The word "Allah" is applied also on a number of F-5 Tiger IIs on the top of the fin, and undersides of the port (left) wing of IRIAF F-14 Tomcats.

• Islamic Republic of Iranian Armed Forces
• List of Iranian Air Force aircraft
• List of Iranian Air Force Bases
• Iranian Air Force in Iran-Iraq war

• Iranian Air Defence
• Iranian Military Pictures & videos
• Video of the Iranian Air Force
• The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force - IRIAF
• Satellite Images of Iranian F-14 Tomcats based near Bushehr on the Persian Gulf