A report on Iran–Iraq War and McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

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

Key figures in the F-4 development: David Lewis, Robert Little, and Herman Barkey

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.

An F4H-1F aboard USS Independence (CV-62), April 1960

The Shatt al-Arab on the Iran–Iraq border

VF-74 was the first operational U.S. Navy Phantom squadron in 1961

Transcontinental "Operation LANA" in 1961

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

USAF F-4 Phantom II destroyed on 18 February 1968, during the enemy attack against Tan Son Nhut, during the Tet Offensive

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and Massoud Rajavi, the leader of MEK and the National Resistance Council of Iran (NCRI) in 1988.

USAFE F-4G, A-10A and RF-4C, 6 April 1987

The surprise attack on H-3 airbase is considered to be one of the most sophisticated air operations of the war.

A U.S. Navy F-4B from VF-111 dropping bombs over Vietnam, 25 November 1971

Iranian soldier holding an IV bag during the Iran–Iraq War

The Blue Angels flew the F-4J, 1969–1974

Iranian Northrop F-5 aircraft during Iran-Iraq war

A U.S. Marine F-4B with VMFA-314, flies over South Vietnam in September 1968

Iraqi T-62 tank wreckage in Khuzestan Province, Iran

Egyptian Air Force F-4E Phantom IIs of the 222nd Tactical Fighter Brigade in formation with a U.S. Air Force 347th Tactical Fighter Wing F-4E Phantom II during exercise Proud Phantom

Iraqi soldiers surrendering after the Liberation of Khorramshahr

McDonnell RF-4E Phantom II of the Luftwaffe's AKG52 unit in 1977

Hellenic Air Force RF-4E Phantom II in a special color scheme, lands at RIAT 2008, UK

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."

Iranian F-4E Phantom refueling through a boom during Iran-Iraq war, 1982

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.

An Israeli F-4E on static display in the Olga's Hill neighborhood of Hadera, Israel

JASDF F-4EJ Kais (57-8354 and 87-8407) of 8 Hikōtai in grey air superiority paint scheme, 2002

JASDF RF-4E Kai 57-6913 of 501 Hikōtai in 2017

South Korean F-4E, armed with an AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missile, 19 February 1979

Iraqi POW who was shot by Iranian troops after they conquered the Iraqi Majnoon oil field in October 1984

Retired Turkish Air Force F-4E Phantom II, serial number 67-0360, housed at the Istanbul Aviation Museum

Iranian troops fire 152 mm D-20 howitzer

An F-4J of the U.S. Navy (foreground), alongside an F-4K of the Fleet Air Arm (background) wait to be catapulted from USS Independence (CV-62), March 1975; one of the major differences can be seen by the higher degree of the British aircraft's extendable nose wheel. Both variants were eventually used by the RAF

Battle of the Marshes Iran front 1983 rest after exchange of fire 152 mm D-20 H

The Collings Foundation F-4D Phantom II, with Vietnam-era "Ritchie/DeBellevue" markings, taxis at Selfridge ANGB, May 2005

Operation Earnest Will: Tanker convoy No. 12 under US Navy escort (21 October 1987)

QF-4E AF Serial No. 74-1626 at McGuire AFB in May 2007 with an A-10 in the background

A map indicating the attacks on civilian areas of Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait targeted during the "War of the Cities".

F-4Fs of the German Air Force, 21 January 1998

Iraqi commanders discussing strategy on the battlefront (1986)

Iranian President Ali Khamenei on the battlefront during the Iran–Iraq War

Spanish Air Force RF-4C Phantom II, 15 June 1993

Operation Dawn 8 during which Iran captured the Faw Peninsula.

An F-4F on display described as the "World's largest distributor of MiG parts", because of the high number of this type of enemy aircraft shot down

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

Structural view of partially disassembled German F-4 Phantoms.

IRGC navy speedboats using swarm tactics

A U.S. Marine Corps RF-4B in September 1982

An Iranian soldier wearing a gas mask during the Iran–Iraq War.

F-4Gs over Bahrain during Operation Desert Shield

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

An F4E Phantom II aircraft with the Turkish Air Force takes off from Third Air Force Base Konya, Turkey, during Exercise Anatolian Eagle.

Iranian soldiers captured during Iraq's 1988 offensives

A RAAF F-4E Phantom II at RAAF Base Pearce in 1971

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.

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

Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several Arab–Israeli conflicts, while Iran used its large fleet of Phantoms, acquired before the fall of the Shah, in the Iran–Iraq War.

- McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

Groups of F-4 Phantom and F-5 Tiger fighter jets attacked targets throughout Iraq, such as oil facilities, dams, petrochemical plants, and oil refineries, and included Mosul Airbase, Baghdad, and the Kirkuk oil refinery.

- Iran–Iraq War

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Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

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Aviation branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army.

A P-3F Orion of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

Iran Air Forces training in Tehran, 2014

An Su-24MK of the IRIAF flying over Shahid Dastghaib International Airport

A MiG-29 on the tarmac at Dezful Airport

The IRIAF was heavily involved in the Iran–Iraq War, carrying out major operations like Operation Kaman 99, Operation Sultan 10, the H-3 airstrike, and the first attack on a nuclear reactor in history, Operation Scorch Sword.

On 23 September 1980, Iran launched Operation Kaman 99 as 40 F-4 Phantoms, armed with Mark 82, Mark 83 and Mark 84 bombs and AGM-65 Maverick missiles, took off from Hamadan.

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.

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 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

F-14B at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum

F-14A of VF-84 "Jolly Rogers" at the Museum of Flight

F-14A of VF 111 "Sundowners" (USS Carl Vinson)

F-14B from the VF-211 Fighting Checkmates carrying six AIM-54 Phoenix missiles.

The F-14 first flew on 21 December 1970 and made its first deployment in 1974 with the U.S. Navy aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65), replacing the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.

In the 1980s, F-14s were used as land-based interceptors by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force during the Iran–Iraq War, where they saw combat against Iraqi warplanes.

Unofficial map displaying the general course of the Iranian aerial operation

Operation Scorch Sword

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Surprise airstrike, carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force on 30 September 1980, that damaged an almost-complete nuclear reactor located 17 km southeast of Baghdad, Iraq.

an Iranian F-4 being refueled over Iraq's airspace during the war, 1982

The operation took place eight days into the Iran–Iraq War.

At dawn on 30 September 1980, four Iranian F-4E Phantom jets refuelled mid-air near the Iran–Iraq border.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21

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Supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union.

Hungarian Air Force MiG-21bis on takeoff.

Retired Finnish MiG-21bis on top of Verkkokauppa store in Helsinki (Tyynenmerenkatu 11).

MiG-21 at Aleksotas Airport (S. Dariaus / S. Gireno), Kaunas (EYKS)

MiG-21М National People's Army of the GDR, August 1990

MiG-21F-13 cockpit at the Aviation Museum in Bucharest, Romania

Indonesian Air Force MiG-21 in the Yogyakarta Air Force Museum

MiG-21F-13 in Vietnam People's Air Force markings exhibited at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Ohio.

Vietnam People's Air Force MiG-21 number 4324, flown by various pilots, was credited with 14 kills during the Vietnam War.

VPAF MiG-21 No.4326, which shot down 13 aircraft during the war

Israeli Mirage III shot down by Egyptian MiG-21 during the October War

A Romanian Air Force MiG-21 LanceR C during a training exercise.

U.S. Air Force MiG-21 with American markings used for training of American pilots in flight

Current MiG-21 operators in blue, former operators in red, operators of captured aircraft in green.

Croatian Air Force MiG-21UMD in unique promotional paint scheme.

A Bulgarian MiG-21 taxis at Graf Ignatievo Air Base, Bulgaria during a bilateral exercise between the U.S. and Bulgarian Air Force.

Two-seat Polish Air Force MiG-21UM with 3rd Tactical Squadron markings

Bangladesh Air Force two-seat MiG-21UM in BAF Museum. The aircraft was gifted by the Soviet Union in 1972

Slovak Air Force MiG-21MA on display in Liptovský Mikuláš, 2011.

Due to the mass production, the aircraft was very cheap: the MiG-21MF, for example, was cheaper than the BMP-1 The F-4 Phantom's cost was several times higher than MiG-21.

During the Iran–Iraq War, 23 Iraqi MiG-21s were shot down by Iranian F-14s, as confirmed by Iranian, Western and Iraqi sources and another 29 Iraqi MiG-21s were downed by F-4s.

H-3 airstrike

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Map of the operation, showing the aircraft involved and their route.

The H-3 airstrike was a surprise air attack by the Iranian Air Force during the Iran–Iraq War on 4 April 1981 against the airbases of the Iraqi Air Force at the H-3 Air Base in western Iraq.

The 31st and 32nd Tactical Fighter Wings (TFW) employed eight McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantoms, four Grumman F-14A Tomcats, one Lockheed C-130H Khofaash, a Boeing 747 airborne command post (which was to monitor Iraqi radio communications, and also act as a communication relay between the raiders and the IRIAF HQ), and two tankers (a Boeing 707 and a Boeing 747) for aerial refueling for the attack.