A report on History of Iranian military aviation

The logo of the Imperial Iranian Air Force
Eight major officers of the IIAF, in the 1930s.
An F-86 Sabre from the Golden Crown aerobatic display team, of the Imperial Iranian Air Force.
CH-47C Chinook of the Imperial Iranian Air Force at Issy heliport, Paris, in 1971.
The first F-4D Phantom II squadron of Iran, 1971.
Two F-14 Tomcats equipped with multiple missiles, circa 1986
The first squadron of Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force F-14 Tomcat pilots, at Shiraz Air Base.
Iranian Air Force MiG-29UB
IRIAF Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter
HESA Azarakhsh.
A Boeing 707 of the Imperial Iranian Air Force refuels a Boeing 747 of the IIAF.

The history of the Iranian Air Force, currently known as the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, can be divided into two phases—before the Islamic Revolution, and after it.

- History of Iranian military aviation
The logo of the Imperial Iranian Air Force

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Badge of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

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Aviation branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army.

Aviation branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army.

Badge of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
An IRIAF C-130 Hercules in 1988
A P-3F Orion of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
An Iranian C-130 Hercules in 2010
Iran Air Forces training in Tehran, 2014
A Mirage F1BQ landing
An Su-24MK of the IRIAF flying over Shahid Dastghaib International Airport
An F-14A Tomcat of the IRIAF
A MiG-29 on the tarmac at Dezful Airport
A CH-47 Chinook
An Iranian C-130E

The present air force came into being when the Imperial Iranian Air Force was renamed in 1979 following the Iranian Revolution.

Top-left to bottom-right: Iranian child soldier on the frontlines Iranian soldier in a trench wearing a gas mask to guard against Iraqi chemical attacks Port quarter view of the USS Stark listing to port after being mistakenly struck by an Iraqi warplane Pro-Iraq MEK forces killed during Iran's Operation Mersad Iraqi prisoners of war after the recapture of Khorramshahr by Iranian forces ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun being used by the Iranian Army

Iran–Iraq War

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Protracted armed conflict that began on 22 September 1980 with a full-scale invasion of Iran by neighbouring Iraq.

Protracted armed conflict that began on 22 September 1980 with a full-scale invasion of Iran by neighbouring Iraq.

Top-left to bottom-right: Iranian child soldier on the frontlines Iranian soldier in a trench wearing a gas mask to guard against Iraqi chemical attacks Port quarter view of the USS Stark listing to port after being mistakenly struck by an Iraqi warplane Pro-Iraq MEK forces killed during Iran's Operation Mersad Iraqi prisoners of war after the recapture of Khorramshahr by Iranian forces ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun being used by the Iranian Army
Meeting of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Houari Boumédiène and Saddam Hussein (left to right) during the Algiers Agreement in 1975.
Ruhollah Khomeini rose to power after the Iranian Revolution.
Location of Khuzestan Province in Iran which Iraq planned to annex
Iranian President Abolhassan Banisadr, who was also commander-in-chief, on a Jeep-mounted 106mm recoilless anti-tank gun. Banisadr was impeached in June 1981.
The Shatt al-Arab on the Iran–Iraq border
Destroyed Iranian C-47 Skytrain
Iranian F-14A Tomcats equipped with AIM-54A, AIM-7 and AIM-9 missiles.
Resistance of the outnumbered and outgunned Iranians in Khorramshahr slowed the Iraqis for a month.
Iranian president Abulhassan Banisadr on the battlefront
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and Massoud Rajavi, the leader of MEK and the National Resistance Council of Iran (NCRI) in 1988.
The surprise attack on H-3 airbase is considered to be one of the most sophisticated air operations of the war.
Iranian soldier holding an IV bag during the Iran–Iraq War
Iranian Northrop F-5 aircraft during Iran-Iraq war
Iraqi T-62 tank wreckage in Khuzestan Province, Iran
Iraqi soldiers surrendering after the Liberation of Khorramshahr
Saddam Hussein in 1982
An admonitory declaration issued from the Iraqi government in order to warn Iranian troops in the Iran–Iraq War. The statement says: "Hey Iranians! No one has been downtrodden in the country where Ali ibn Abi Ṭālib, Husayn ibn Ali and Abbas ibn Ali are buried. Iraq has undoubtedly been an honorable country. All refugees are precious. Anyone who wants to live in exile can choose Iraq freely. We, the Sons of Iraq, have been ambushing foreign aggressors. The enemies who plan to assault Iraq will be disfavoured by God in this world and the hereafter. Be careful of attacking Iraq and Ali ibn Abi Ṭālib! If you surrender, you might be in peace."
95,000 Iranian child soldiers were made casualties during the Iran–Iraq War, mostly between the ages of 16 and 17, with a few younger.
Furthest ground gains
Iranian POWs in 1983 near Tikrit, Iraq
Iranian child soldier
Iraqi POW who was shot by Iranian troops after they conquered the Iraqi Majnoon oil field in October 1984
Iranian troops fire 152 mm D-20 howitzer
Battle of the Marshes Iran front 1983 rest after exchange of fire 152 mm D-20 H
Operation Earnest Will: Tanker convoy No. 12 under US Navy escort (21 October 1987)
A map indicating the attacks on civilian areas of Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait targeted during the "War of the Cities".
Iraqi commanders discussing strategy on the battlefront (1986)
Iranian President Ali Khamenei on the battlefront during the Iran–Iraq War
Operation Dawn 8 during which Iran captured the Faw Peninsula.
Iranian soldier killed during the Iran–Iraq War with Rouhollah Khomeini's photo on his uniform
The People's Mujahedin of Iran, supported by Saddam, started a ten-day operation after both the Iranian and Iraqi governments accepted UN Resolution 598. Casualty estimates range from 2,000 to 10,000.
Adnan Khairallah, Iraqi Defense Minister, meeting with Iraqi soldiers during the war
IRGC navy speedboats using swarm tactics
An Iranian soldier wearing a gas mask during the Iran–Iraq War.
The Iranian frigate IS Sahand burns after being hit by 20 U.S. air launched missiles and bombs, killing a third of the crew, April 1988
Iranian soldiers captured during Iraq's 1988 offensives
USS Vincennes in 1987 a year before it shot down Iran Air Flight 655
MEK Soldiers killed in Operation Mersad in 1988
Al-Shaheed Monument in Baghdad was erected to commemorate the fallen Iraqi soldiers during the war.
Iranian Martyr Cemetery in Isfahan
Iranian Martyrs Museum in Tehran
An Iranian soldier's funeral in Mashhad, 2013
An Iraqi Mil Mi-24 on display at the military museum of Sa'dabad Palace in Iran
President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H. W. Bush work in the Oval Office of the White House, 20 July 1984.
USS Stark (FFG-31) listing following two hits by Exocet missiles.
Victims of the 1987 chemical attack on Sardasht, West Azerbaijan, Iran
Damage to a mosque in Khoramshahr, Iran, the city that was invaded by Iraq in September 1980

The only qualms the Iraqis had were over the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (formerly the Imperial Iranian Air Force).

A U.S. Navy F-14D conducts a mission over the Persian Gulf-region in 2005.

Grumman F-14 Tomcat

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American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft.

American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft.

A U.S. Navy F-14D conducts a mission over the Persian Gulf-region in 2005.
A U.S. Navy F-14D conducts a mission over the Persian Gulf region in 2005.
The F-111B was designed to fulfill the carrier-based interceptor role, but had weight and performance problems, and was not suited to the types of aerial combat that were predominant over Vietnam
Grumman's VFX entry was designed around the TF30 engine, AWG-9 radar and AIM-54 missile intended for the F-111B; this eventually became the F-14A
VFA-143 "Pukin Dogs" F-14B and F/A-18E Super Hornet in 2005
An F-14D launching an AIM-7 Sparrow; a GBU-10 Paveway II is also carried.
An F-14D(R) from VF-213 flying over Iraq on last Tomcat deployment with LANTIRN pod on starboard wing glove station and LGB underneath fuselage.
F-14 Tomcat with wings in asymmetric sweep during testing for this possible in-flight malfunction
Rear view of the F-14 showing the area between the engine nacelles
An F-14D prepares to refuel with probe extended.
F-14 with landing gear deployed
F-14 Tomcat carrying an AIM-120 AMRAAM during a 1982 test.
Two Iranian Tomcats equipped with multiple missiles, circa 1986, in the midst of a project to adapt I-Hawk surface-to-air missiles for F-14s
An F-14A of VF-84 Jolly Rogers, in a 1970s color scheme
An F-14A from VF-114 intercepting a Soviet Tu-95RT "Bear-D" maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
An F-14A of VF-32 during Operation Desert Storm with a KC-135 Stratotanker and two EA-6B Prowlers in the background
A Navy F-14D flying over the skies of Afghanistan on a precision bombing mission in November 2001.
The last F-14 launch from a carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt on 28 July 2006
Iranian ace Jalil Zandi is credited with shooting down 11 Iraqi aircraft during the Iran–Iraq War, making him the highest scoring F-14 pilot.
Formation flight of Iranian Tomcats, 2008
Close-up view of the distinctive afterburner petals of the GE F110 engine
An upgraded F-14D(R) Tomcat with the ROVER transmit antenna circled with USS Theodore Roosevelt in the background
Grumman's proposed F-14 Interceptor for USAF Aerospace Defense Command in 1972 with the simulated "Buzz Code" and Aerospace Defense Command livery and emblem on the tail
F-14 Tomcat operators as of 2014 (former operators in red)
An IRIAF F-14 Tomcat landing at Mehrabad, Iran.
F-14A Tomcat of NFWS (TOPGUN) NAS Miramar c. 1993
Front view of an F-14A at Yokota Air Base, Tokyo, Japan, 2003
F-14A BuNo 162689 at the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda, California, 2009
An F-14A on display at Grumman Memorial Park in New York
F-14A BuNo 160661 on display at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center's Aviation Challenge facility in Huntsville, Alabama, 2009
YF-14A at the Cradle of Aviation Museum
F-14B at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum
F-14A of VF-84 "Jolly Rogers" at the Museum of Flight
Grumman F-14 Tomcat drawings
F-14A of VF 111 "Sundowners" (USS Carl Vinson)
F-14B from the VF-211 Fighting Checkmates carrying six AIM-54 Phoenix missiles.
Tomcat logo

The F-14 remains in service with Iran's air force, having been exported to Iran under the Pahlavi dynasty in 1976.

An F-5E of the Swiss Air Force

Northrop F-5

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Family of supersonic light fighter aircraft initially designed as a privately funded project in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation.

Family of supersonic light fighter aircraft initially designed as a privately funded project in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation.

An F-5E of the Swiss Air Force
The first Northrop YF-5A prototype
VNAF F-5C Bien Hoa Air Base, 1971
Official roll-out of first USAF F-5E Tiger II
F-5E Tiger II with B83 nuclear bomb at Hill Aerospace Museum
An early series F-5E
NASA F-5E modified for DARPA sonic boom tests
An F-5B of 602d TFS at Bien Hoa, 1966
USAF F-5F with AIM-9J Sidewinder, AGM-65 Maverick missiles and auxiliary fuel tanks over Edwards Air Force Base, 1976.
A former Swiss F-5N in service with U.S. Navy aggressor squadron VFC-111
F-5A Freedom Fighters of Imperial Iranian Air Force
An F-5E of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
Northrop RF-5E Tigereye of the Royal Malaysian Air Force at RMAF Butterworth
Mexican Air Force F-5 Tiger flying near the Popocatepetl volcano
Royal Moroccan Air Force F-5 Tiger II
NF-5A air display in the skies over the island of Terschelling
Northrop F-5A(G) flight deck displayed in the Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection. Serial no. 208 (66-9208)
Philippine Air Force F-5A at Clark Air Base, c. 1982
A Maverick-armed F-5S Tiger II of Republic of Singapore Air Force on static display at Paya Lebar Air Base
A Republic of China (Taiwan) Air Force F-5F Tiger II at Songshan Air base
Taiwan AIDC's Tiger 2000
An F-5C at Museum of Ho Chi Minh Campaign, Vietnam. This jet flown by South Vietnamese pilot Nguyen Thanh Trung, who defected to North Vietnam after bombing the presidential palace of South Vietnam in Saigon, on 8 April 1975.
RTAF F-5 and USAF F-15 in the background
A trio of USAF aggressor squadron F-5Es in formation
Brazilian variant F-5EM
Chilean F-5F Tiger II just after delivery in 1977
A Spanish F-5M Freedom Fighter at Dijon Air Base
Swiss F-5F with Ericson Vista 5 radar jammer
A Canadian CF-116
Iranian Azarakhsh
An Iranian Saeqeh
Northrop F-5 operators (former operators in red) as of 2020
Chile Air Force Northrop F-5E Tiger III
The 46th Tactical Fighter Squadron (Aggressor squadron) F-5E 5272 of Republic of China Air Force exhibited on the apron of Zhi-Hang Air Base
Kenya Air Force F-5E Tiger II and a USAF C-5 Galaxy in the background
Royal Moroccan Air Force F-5E Tiger II during an aerial refueling mission in exercise African Lion 2009
F-5E/F Tiger II of the Indonesian Air Force preserved at the Dirgantara Mandala Museum, Yogyakarta
Royal Saudi Air Force F-5F taking off
Philippine Air Force F-5
F-5E Tiger II of the Swiss Patrouille Suisse aerobatics team arrives for the 2014 Royal International Air Tattoo, Fairford, England. Its '50' markings commemorates the team's 50 years of flying (1964–2014).
A Royal Thai Air Force Northrop F-5E Tiger II
NF-5A of the Turkish Stars aerobatic team.
A retired Royal Thai Air Force F-5B in front of wing 23 gate Udon Thani International Airport
Indonesian Air Force F-5E Tiger II of the Skadron Udara 14 at Dirgantara Mandala Museum Yogyakarta
F-5B in Royal Thai Air Force Museum, the first F-5B produced
RTAF F-5E at Royal Thai Air Force Museum
3-view drawing of F-5E Tiger II
M39A2 cannon in the right side of the nose of an F-5E
F-5 external fuel tank cutview
USMC F-5N Tiger IIs from VMFT-401 on standby at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort
A Brazilian Air Force F-5M
F-5 Tiger II of the Royal Malaysian Air Force
Norwegian Air Force F-5A
A Republic of Singapore Air Force F-5S Tiger II taking off from Korat Air Base
Venezuela Air Force Northrop (Canadair) VF-5A (CL-226)
A Bahraini Air Force F-5F on the taxiway at RAF Alconbury
A Canadian Air Force CF-116D
CF-5 of the Botswana Defence Force
A Honduran Air Force F-5E
Jordanian F-5E Tiger II
An Austrian Air Force F-5E Tiger II
A Hellenic Air Force F-5A
A South Korean Air Force KF-5E takes off
Turkish Air Force F-5B

The Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) received extensive U.S. equipment in the 1960s and 1970s.

Golden Crown insignia

Golden Crown

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Golden Crown insignia
Golden Crown insignia
6 F-5Es of the Golden Crown display team

The Golden Crown ( Tāj-e Talāyi) was Iran's first national aerobatics display team and part of the former Imperial Iranian Air Force from 1958 to 1979.

Side-view of the AIM-54C

AIM-54 Phoenix

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American radar-guided, long-range air-to-air missile , carried in clusters of up to six missiles on the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, its only operational launch platform.

American radar-guided, long-range air-to-air missile , carried in clusters of up to six missiles on the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, its only operational launch platform.

Side-view of the AIM-54C
Side-view of the AIM-54C
Side-view of the AIM-54C
An AIM-54A launched from the NA-3A-testbed in 1966
AIM-54 Phoenix seconds after launch (1991)
An AIM-54 hitting a QF-4B target drone, 1983.
An AIM-54 Phoenix being attached to an F-14 wing pylon before the forward fins were installed (2003).
Iranian F-14 Tomcats armed with multiple missiles, including AIM-54 Phoenix, 1986.
An AIM-54A "Phoenix" missile on display at Grumman Memorial Park in New York State
Map with AIM-54 Phoenix operators in blue with former operators in red
A technical drawing of AIM-54C

On January 7, 1974 as part of Project Persian King, the Imperial Iranian Air Force placed an order for 424 AIM-54As, later increasing it by 290 missiles that June.

Project Dark Gene

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Project Dark Gene was an aerial reconnaissance program run by the Central Intelligence Agency and Imperial Iranian Air Force from bases inside Iran against the Soviet Union.

Map of Iran and surrounding countries, showing Tehran and Hamadan, where two F-4 jet interceptors were launched

1976 Tehran UFO incident

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Radar and visual sighting of an unidentified flying object over Tehran, the capital of Iran, during the early morning hours of 19 September 1976.

Radar and visual sighting of an unidentified flying object over Tehran, the capital of Iran, during the early morning hours of 19 September 1976.

Map of Iran and surrounding countries, showing Tehran and Hamadan, where two F-4 jet interceptors were launched
Editorial from the US Air Force MIJI newsletter (page 1)
Editorial from the US Air Force MIJI newsletter (page 2)
Editorial from the US Air Force MIJI newsletter (page 3)

During the incident, two Imperial Iranian Air Force F-4 Phantom II jet interceptors reported losing instrumentation and communications as they approached the object.

Soviet tankmen of the 6th Tank Division drive through the streets of Tabriz on their T-26 light tank.

Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran

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The joint invasion of the neutral Imperial State of Iran by the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union in August 1941.

The joint invasion of the neutral Imperial State of Iran by the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union in August 1941.

Soviet tankmen of the 6th Tank Division drive through the streets of Tabriz on their T-26 light tank.
Soviet tankmen of the 6th Tank Division drive through the streets of Tabriz on their T-26 light tank.
Soviet and Indian soldiers meet in late August.
Page book of The Regained Glory, a book on the subject of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. This page is about the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran.
Soviet and British soldiers rendezvous near Qazvin.
1950s era Iranian postage stamp illustrating the Iranian warship Palang (Leopard). The British Royal Navy sank the Palang while it was moored at an Abadan pier during the surprise attack on Iran in August 1941.
Persian Gulf Command map showing position of posts and stations
Map of Iraq and western Iran in 1941
British supply convoy with Soviet escorts in Iran, September 1941
British soldiers inspecting a Soviet T-26, 31 August 1941
Soviet soldiers crossing the border on 25 August 1941
British and Soviet officers inspect troops, in preparations to the Joint Soviet-British military parade in Tehran. Iran, September 1941.
Indian troops guarding the Abadan Refinery in Iran, 4 September 1941
Soviet and British sphere of influence, Iran, 1946
Lend-Lease Program US planes stand ready to be picked up at Abadan Air Field, Iran.
A supply train passing through Iran after the invasion

The Imperial Iranian Air Force at the time flew a motley collection of outdated biplanes, including aircraft from the Hawker Hart family such as the Hawker Fury as well as French aircraft such as the Bréguet 14, Bréguet 19, Potez VIII and Blériot-SPAD S.42.

Yadollah Javadpour

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Fighter pilot flying Northrop F-5 Tiger II in the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, serving for the duration of the Iran–Iraq War.

Fighter pilot flying Northrop F-5 Tiger II in the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, serving for the duration of the Iran–Iraq War.

He began his service as a pilot in the IIAF and was a member of the elite flight demonstration team, the Golden Crown.