The Iran-Iraq War (1980-88) Gallery

Persian Gulf said:
it was, someone moved it outside of the Iranian section, I will try to move it back

@Waz can you help restore this thread to the Iranian section please?
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I tried looking for it but couldn't find it. I'll look again.
 
Waz said:
I tried looking for it but couldn't find it. I'll look again.
Click to expand...
What couldn't you find? Is it possible for you to move *this* thread back into the Iranian section?
 
Persian Gulf said:
What couldn't you find? Is it possible for you to move *this* thread back into the Iranian section?
Click to expand...
@Waz This thread is in the incorrect section and should be in the Iranian forum. Was there correctly before but was moved for some odd reason. Can you please move as is it's an important one? @Persian Gulf @Hack-Hook
 
jauk said:
@Waz This thread is in the incorrect section and should be in the Iranian forum. Was there correctly before but was moved for some odd reason. Can you please move as is it's an important one? @Persian Gulf @Hack-Hook
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worst case scenario we can recreate it in the Iranian section

I have a feeling the guy who moved it here on purpose won't be able to repeat his actions
 
jauk said:
@Waz This thread is in the incorrect section and should be in the Iranian forum. Was there correctly before but was moved for some odd reason. Can you please move as is it's an important one? @Persian Gulf @Hack-Hook
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honestly i believe its the correct section for it, the war happened 35 years ago its part of military history , but i wonder if we could put a link of it in Iranian section for easier access.
I believe it can be moved back to Iran forum but this time when we move it here we can leave a permanent redirect to it there , by this the thread will be in its rightful place which is here but there be an easy access for it in Iranian section
 
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Hack-Hook said:
honestly i believe its the correct section for it, the war happened 35 years ago its part of military history , but i wonder if we could put a link of it in Iranian section for easier access.
I believe it can be moved back to Iran forum but this time when we move it here we can leave a permanent redirect to it there , by this the thread will be in its rightful place which is here but there be an easy access for it in Iranian section
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With that logic we won't need country forums. Everything is in the 'world' thread. However, I don't mind the reverse. The main thread is in the Iranian section and the world thread has a link. This thread is ours. The 'world' is incidental.
 
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INSIDE THE FIRST DAYS OF THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR​

  1. Aviation Features
  2. Inside the first days of the Iran-Iraq War


By Michael Napier 31st July 2022
FEATURE

In this extract from his new book, Flashpoints, Michael Napier outlines the first nine days of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war
At 1200hrs Baghdad time (1330hrs in Tehran) September 22, 1980, every available combat aircraft of the Iraqi Air Force (IQAF) crossed the border into Iran. Their mission was to keep the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) and Iranian army aviation on the ground by destroying all the runways and aircraft operating surfaces in western Iran.
Flashpoints 1. An F-4E in service with the IRIAF
Flashpoints 1. An F-4E in service with the IRIAF Babak Taghvaee Archive
The first targets to be hit were the IRIAF airfield at Aghajari (Omidyeh-Tactical Fighter Base 5) in the south, which was bombed by five MiG-23s from 49 Sqn IQAF and the radar site at Dahlan (50 miles southeast of Tabriz), which was struck simultaneously by a pair of Su-7s from 8 Sqn IQAF. Over the next 45 minutes, seven more military airbases, as well as three army airfields and four civilian airports, were attacked. In the south, 12 Su-22s from 109 Sqn IQAF struck Bushehr airbase, while two Tu-22s from 36 Sqn IQAF hit Shiraz airbase and four Tu-16s targeted Isfahan airbase. As they crossed into Iran, the Tu-16s, from 10 Sqn IQAF, found themselves flying towards rising ground under a lowering cloud base, and while his wingmen pulled up to cross the hills above the weather, Col Adel Othman flying the lead aircraft opted to remain below the cloud. His Tu-16 struck a hillside near Sumar, killing all six crew members.
In the central region, the IRIAF airbase at Dezful was attacked three times: two formations of MiG-23s from 29 Sqn IQAF targeted the main runway, after which eight Su-7s from 8 Sqn were tasked against the radar head, although they actually bombed the runway. During these attacks, three IQAF MiG-23s were severely damaged by the Iranian defences.
The F-14A Tomcat proved to be an effective weapons system in the hands of the IRIAF despite shortages of missiles and spare parts (this photograph was taken after the Iran–Iraq War)
The F-14A Tomcat proved to be an effective weapons system in the hands of the IRIAF despite shortages of missiles and spare parts (this photograph was taken after the Iran–Iraq War) Shahran Sharifi
Four Su-7s also attacked the radar head at Kermanshah army aviation base, before the airfield itself was struck by 11 MiG-23s from 39 Sqn IQAF. The civilian airport at Sanadaj was bombed by six MiG-21s from 47 Sqn IQAF, but during this raid Lt Alaa Hussein from 47 Sqn was shot down by the airfield defences. An attempt to bomb the army airfield at Masjed Suleyman by five MiG-23s from 49 Sqn IQAF was unsuccessful because of low clouds in the area.
Further to the north, Tabriz airbase was attacked by 11 Su-22s from 5 Sqn IQAF (one of which was shot down by a Rapier SAM) and Shahrokhi airbase by six MiG-23s from 49 Sqn IQAF, which were followed by 12 more Su-22s from 44 Sqn IQAF. Five MiG-21s from 47 Sqn bombed the army airfield at Saqqez. Another four Su-22s bombed the airport at Hamadan, but six MiG-21s from 11 Sqn IQAF tasked against Urmia airport could not find their target and bombed a nearby troop concentration instead.
The four Tu-22s from 36 Sqn IQAF, which attacked Mehrabad airbase (Tehran), had scored a direct hit on an IRIAF Phantom, which was parked on the airfield, as well as a Hercules and a Boeing 707, but the main targets at each airfield were the main runways and taxiways.
Unfortunately, the IQAF plans were based on poor intelligence and the pilots relied upon inaccurate maps to plan their attacks. Furthermore, although many of the attacks were delivered accurately onto the paved areas, the Iraqi aircraft were not armed with specialist anti-runway weapons and the damage caused by the 500kg general purpose bombs that they dropped was quickly repaired.
The F-4D variant of the Phantom was used extensively by the IRIAF for laser designation of targets using the ‘Zot Box’ designator system
The F-4D variant of the Phantom was used extensively by the IRIAF for laser designation of targets using the ‘Zot Box’ designator system Shahran Sharifi
A second follow-up wave had been planned, but its scope was greatly reduced after pilots returning from the first wave gave over-optimistic reports on the damage they had caused. So, instead of a co-ordinated second wave, a number of missions by individual formations were launched instead. During the course of the afternoon, air strikes were carried out by IQAF aircraft against the IRIAF bases at Bushehr (by six Su-22s), Dezful (by six MiG-23s), Ahwaz (by four MiG-21s), Aghajari (by five MiG-23s) and Shahrokhi (by six Su-22s). In addition, seven MiG-23s carried out a follow-up attack on the army aviation base at Kermanshah. However, despite these additional raids, only the IRIAF base at Dezful was damaged enough to stop operations for any significant time.
Although it was taken by surprise at the Iraqi airstrikes, the IRIAF was able to retaliate during the afternoon. From Shahrokhi, four Phantoms from Tactical Fighter Base 3 (TFB.3) were dispatched against Al Rashid airbase (Baghdad), while Lt Col Sepidmooy-Azar led Phantoms from TFB.6 at Bushehr against Shuaibah airbase.
The unique Boeing 747 air-to air refuelling (AAR) tanker used by the IRIAF, seen here with an F-4E Phantom. The Boeing tankers were used for the attack on H-3 on 4 April 1981
The unique Boeing 747 air-to air refuelling (AAR) tanker used by the IRIAF, seen here with an F-4E Phantom. The Boeing tankers were used for the attack on H-3 on 4 April 1981 Shahran Sharifi

Counter strike​

Far from being put out of operation on September 22, the IRIAF was virtually untouched by the IQAF efforts and, early the next morning, it was the turn of the IRIAF to launch a counter-air strike. Code-named Operation Kaman (Bow), this would be a mass attack by aircraft from Mehrabad, Tabriz, Shahrokhi, Dezful and Bushehr.
With furthest to fly to reach the targets, the Phantoms from Mehrabad took off in darkness to refuel from Boeing 707 tankers, while those from Shahrokhi flew straight to their targets. Phantoms operating from Bushehr were also supported by AAR tankers. A formation of eight Phantoms from TFB.3 struck Rashid air base in Baghdad at first light and were followed over the target by two more eight-ship formations of Phantoms from TFBs 1 and 6. Because of a timing error, the two latter formations attacked simultaneously, rather than ten minutes apart. Eight-ships of Phantoms from each of TFB.1 and TFB.3 also attacked the Habbaniyah/Al Taqaddum complex. Two of these aircraft were seriously damaged.
The braking parachute billows behind an IRIAF F-4E Phantom on the landing roll
The braking parachute billows behind an IRIAF F-4E Phantom on the landing roll Babak Taghvaee Archive
Meanwhile, Phantoms from TFB.6 struck the airfields at Shuaibah, Nasiriyah and Al Kut, where one aircraft was shot down by the air defences. Massed formations of Tigers from TFB.2 and TFB.4 also carried out dawn raids on IQAF airfields. The main target for the Tabriz-based aircraft was Mosul, while those based at Dezful attacked Nasiriyah. Both attacks suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Iraqi defences. Lt Seyed Mohammad Hodjati of the 2nd Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) was shot down by ground fire over Mosul and two more Tigers flown by Capt Gholam-Hossein Afshin-Azar and Lt Moradali Jahanshahloo were brought down by R-13M AAMs fired by a pair of MiG-21MFs from 11 Sqn IQAF. TFB.4 lost six Tigers.
The morning of September 23 also saw another counter-air wave flown by the IQAF. Six Su-22s led by Lt Col Alwan Abosi also launched from Kirkuk to attack Shahrokhi, while four more aircraft led by Maj Mahmoud Rashid Al Bayati bombed Hamedan. One Su-22 flown by Lt Adel Dadoush was shot down over Shahrokhi. In the south, Su-22s from 109 Sqn IQAF once again struck at Bushehr. Six Su-22s from 5 Sqn led by the squadron commander, Maj Muhammad Hamid Taha, attacked Tabriz around noon, as TFB.2 was in the process of launching the afternoon strike against Kirkuk.
The French-built COR-2 reconnaissance pod fitted to the Mirage F1EQ-4
The French-built COR-2 reconnaissance pod fitted to the Mirage F1EQ-4 Jean-Jacques Petit
 
During combat between Tigers and Su-22s, 5 Sqn IQAF pilot Lt Abdul Salam Al-Nuaimi claimed to have shot down a Tiger with guns, while TFB.2 pilot Lt Jamshid Owshal claimed to have shot down an Su-22 with an AIM-9J Sidewinder AAM. However, the raid did not stop the Tigers from taking off and delivering a successful attack on Kirkuk, which closed the runways.
During the afternoon, Maj Muhammad Ahmad Matlab al-Juhaishi from 29 Sqn IQAF led four MiG-23BNs to attack Dezful. Unfortunately, the Number 2 aircraft flown by Lt Muhammad Jaafar Hassan became separated from his leader off target and then became lost, ending up flying over the Shuaibah oil refinery where he was mistaken for an enemy aircraft and shot down by two SA-3s. Another 29 Sqn MiG-23BN, flown by Maj Rashid Al Sadoon, was also shot down by a SAM, while leading a four-ship against Dezful airbase.
The IRIAF air strikes of September 23 had been effective in closing down, at least temporarily, the IQAF airfields at Kirkuk, Al-Kut, Shuaiba and Nasiriyah. Nevertheless, IQAF aircraft were in action the next morning, carrying out attacks against Tabriz, Dezful, Shahrokhi, Kermanshah, Ahwaz and Sanadaj. Two Su-22s were claimed by Rapier SAMs over Tabriz. IRIAF sorties over Iraq had also started early in the morning and marked a departure from a counterair campaign, possibly in response to Iraqi artillery bombardment of the Abadan oil refinery the previous day. At first light, a pair of Phantoms from TFB.6 bombed the oil refinery at Zubair, just south of Basra, causing large fires and killing a number of foreign workers. Almost simultaneously, four Tigers from TFB.2 attacked the refinery at Irbil. Further oil facilities were also attacked in the morning, including the oil storage site northwest of Kirkuk, which was bombed by four Phantoms from TFB.3 led by Lt Col Abbas Dowran. Meanwhile IRIAF air strikes continued against the airfields at Basrah, Baghdad and Mosul.
A pair of IQAF Mirage F1EQ-2s get airborne from Mont de Marsan
A pair of IQAF Mirage F1EQ-2s get airborne from Mont de Marsan Jean-Jacques Petit
In the early afternoon, Lt Col Mohagheghi, with Lt Khosravi, led four Phantoms from TFB.6 against targets in the Al Kut area, while Capt Zarif-Khadem of TFB.2 led four Tigers against Kirkuk. The latter formation lost the Number 2, Capt Farshid Eskandari, to a SAM and the remaining aircraft were intercepted by a pair of MiG-21s. In the ensuing engagement, Capt Yadollah Sharifi-Ra’ad claimed a MiG-21 with an AIM-9 missile. Further to the south, an IQAF force of four Su-22s and four MiG-21s heading for Dezful was intercepted by a pair of IRIAF Tomcats, led by Capt Javad of the 81st TFS, close to the border near Ilam. Two of the MiG-21s were claimed to have been shot down. The IRIAF lost another Tiger, which was shot down by friendly fire near Dezful, but although the pilot, Lt Bijan Harooni, ejected successfully, he was killed by villagers who took him to be an Iraqi.
During the afternoon, in retaliation for IRIAF attacks against Iraq’s oil production sites, IQAF aircraft bombed the Iranian petrochemical plant at Bandar Khomeini, some 50 miles east of Abadan, and the oil terminal at Kharg Island, temporarily halting Iranian oil exports.
An IRIAF F-5 Tiger II firing a salvo of unguided rockets at a ground target (this photograph was taken after the Iran–Iraq War)
An IRIAF F-5 Tiger II firing a salvo of unguided rockets at a ground target (this photograph was taken after the Iran–Iraq War) Babak Taghvaee Archive

Maximum effort​

The air campaign continued the next day, although the IQAF had adopted a defensive posture and its offensive missions were limited. Early raids by IRIAF Phantoms targeted Kirkuk airbase and the newly constructed airbase at Qayyarah, as well as some oil-related sites. However, the main IRIAF thrust was against the airfields around Baghdad. Eight Phantoms from TFB.1 led eight more from TFB.3 against Habbaniyah and Al Taqaddum. While egressing from the targets, these formations were intercepted by MiG-21s from 47 Sqn IQAF, which were on CAP. In a running combat, one Phantom was damaged by an R-13M missile, which had been fired at maximum range. Eight more Phantoms from TFB.1 attacked Rashid air base, where they were met by heavy anti-aircraft fire. In the afternoon, a pair of Tigers flown by Capts Kazem Zarif-Khadem and Del-Anwar from TFB.2 bombed the Khanaqin refinery. They were intercepted by two MiG-21s and Zarif-Khadem was killed when he flew into a hill while evading his attacker.
An air-to-air shot of a Mirage F1EQ-5. This variant was capable of carrying the French-built Exocet ASM
An air-to-air shot of a Mirage F1EQ-5. This variant was capable of carrying the French-built Exocet ASM Jean-Jacques Petit
Meanwhile, in the southern sector, the Iraqi 9th Armoured and 5th Mechanised Divisions were advancing towards Dezful – with only light Iranian ground forces in the area, it depended on the Tigers of TFB.4 to stop the Iraqi thrust. Over the next four days, Dezful airbase launched a maximum effort against the Iraqi armoured columns.
The IRIAF also attempted to interdict the resupply routes for Iraqi forces by destroying bridges over the Shatt Al-Arab. On the afternoon of September 26, three Phantoms from TFB.6 scored hits with AGM-65 Maverick AGMs on a bridge to the east of Basra, before attacking shipping in Basra port. The same day saw missions by IQAF MiG-23s and MiG-21s attacking oil facilities at Abadan. During these sorties, an IRIAF Tomcat claimed to have shot down one MiG-21. However, IQAF MiG-21s did score some successes: Lt Zia al-Hamd shot down an IRIAF RF-4E Phantom reconnaissance aircraft. The pilot, Lt Nasser Dezpasand, was killed but the weapon system operator, Lt Nasser Arkan Abadi, ejected and was taken prisoner.
A post-war photograph of an IRIAF F-5E Tiger II
A post-war photograph of an IRIAF F-5E Tiger II Shahran Sharifi
There was another attack against bridges the following day, when two Tigers from TFB.2 bombed a bridge in northwest Iraq. In the south, the Tigers of TFB.4 were still busy holding back Iraqi armour. During the day, 64 sorties were flown from Dezful, but Maj Fat’h-Allah Gholem-Rezaiee was shot down and killed. The battle lasted through the next day (September 28), during which the Tigers blunted one Iraqi assault for the loss of one more aircraft flown by Capt Hossein Moghimi, who was shot down near Ein-e Khoosh. However, Dezful was also subjected to an attack by four Su-22s from 109 Sqn IQAF, which targeted a barracks in the south of the city and an equipment storage area to the north. The Su-22s of 109 Sqn also carried out another raid against Bushehr.
In the north, the IRIAF campaign against Iraqi oil production continued with 21 sorties launched by TFB.2 from Tabriz against oil installations at Hamam al-Fil and Sulaymaniya, and the oil storage depot outside Mosul. However, a Phantom from TFB.9, flown by Capt Firouz Rahmatian Masoleh and Lt Hossein Yazdan Doust, was shot down by a MIG-23MS from 39 Sqn IQAF, intercepted over Sumar after attacking Iraqi troops in the area.
By September 28, it had become clear to the Iraqi leadership that Iran would not be the walkover it had predicted. President Saddam Hussein expressed his wish to find a negotiated settlement to the crisis (before Iraq started losing ground again), but the Iranians made it clear they would continue the fight to reclaim their territory.
A Mirage F-1EQ-2 of the IQAF
A Mirage F-1EQ-2 of the IQAF Jean-Jacques Petit
Another 29 sorties were mounted by TFB.2 against the Iraqi oil infrastructure on September 29, losing Capt Asadollah Akbari Farahani who was shot down and taken prisoner over Kirkuk. In the early afternoon, eight Phantoms from TFB.3 bombed the oil refinery at Al Dora, on the southern outskirts of Baghdad. The formation was intercepted as it approached the target area by a mixed formation of MiG-21 and MiG-23s, but the MiGs scattered after missiles were fired at them. However, one Phantom, flown by Capt Hoosahng Azhari with Lt Mohammad Sadiq Ghaderi, was lost to ground fire over the target.
The same day, Col Faysal Hobo led four Su-22s from 109 Sqn IQAF against Bushehr. The formation was intercepted by IRIAF Tomcats and Numbers 2 and 4 Su-22s, flown by Lt Sabah Saad Hussein Al Jader and Lt Naji Ahmed Abd, were shot down just off the coast near Bandar Khomeini.
In the first weeks of the conflict, the IRIAF had adopted the tactic of establishing defensive CAPs by Tomcats near the frontier so that they could engage any IQAF aircraft approaching the battle areas. With its long-range radar, augmented by the Combat Tree system, which could detect the Identification Friend or Foe transponders of Soviet-built aircraft at even longer ranges, the Tomcat proved to be extremely effective in this role.
Flashpoints cover
Flashpoints cover Osprey Publishing
 
At first light the following morning, three formations of Phantoms crossed the border into northern Iraq. Two remained in the Kirkuk and Mosul areas, where they attacked oil-related targets, but the third, made up of four Phantoms from the 33rd TFS, headed towards Baghdad. Splitting into two pairs, two Phantoms bombed the oil storage tanks next to the Al Dora power station; the other two bombed the nuclear reactor that was under construction at Al Tuwaitha, some ten miles southeast of Baghdad, damaging the buildings. Despite poor weather in Khuzestan region, IRIAF Phantoms also destroyed an ammunition dump west of Ahwaz and flew armed reconnaissance sorties in the Iraqi rear areas. Eight Tigers from Tabriz were re-tasked to support the battle around Dezful and they joined the Tigers of TFB.4 operating against nearby Iraqi ground forces.
Four Su-22s from 5 Sqn IQAF, which had previously deployed to Shuaibah, were employed for a strike against the vital Iranian oil pumping station Goreh, some 70 miles northwest of Bushehr. This installation feeds the tanker terminal at Kharg Island and its destruction would have been a major blow to the Iranian oil industry, but the Su- 22s were unable to reach their target because of low clouds. Instead, they bombed their secondary target at the port at Bandar Khomeini.

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Originally published in FlyPast Magazine​

 
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