The Real Top Guns of Iran

On the fourth of January 1989, two US Navy F-14s are vectored on to two Libyan MiG-23s. The Navy pilots, who had scared off similar MiGs many times before, closed-in, head-on toward the enemy fighters. This time, however, the MiGs do not budge, but continued on a collision course. The Air Warfare Commander gave the green light for the F-14 pilots to engage the two MiGs. A short fight ensued, resulting in the demise of the MiGs.

A few years earlier, on the 19th of August 1981, another two US F-14s intercepted and destroyed two Libyan SU-22s, known as the “Gulf of Sidra incident”. These events could have easily been scenes in the film Top Gun, and have given the F-14 the reputation it deserves.

What few people realize, is that throughout the 1980s, (at the same time as these US Navy incidents were occurring) Iranian pilots were also flying the F-14 routinely into combat, where it also demonstrated great success.

EARLY YEARS

The story of these F-14 aces begins in the 1970s. Iran, at this time, was under the rule of the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. From the 1950s, in what was known as the “White Revolution”, the Shah sought to modernise Iran, and bring it up to the developmental standards of the western world. During this time, the Iranian government had a strong relationship with the western powers, and thus, were seen as an ally in the Middle East.

In the early 1970s, the Imperial Iranian Air Force – as it was then known – sought to procure new fighters to combat potential threats, particularly that posed by the new MiG-25.  The new MiG’s capability was largely a mystery to the west, and Iran needed a strong deterrent for it’s northern border regions. Two options were on the table; the F-15 Eagle, and the F-14 Tomcat. After demonstrations of both aircraft in the US, for the Shah and his officials, Iran chose the F-14A to be its new front-line fighter.

Save some classified components in the cockpit reserved for US Navy aircraft, the Iranians would receive 13 fully kitted F-14s, complete with Phoenix missiles in 1976. This was the first instalment of a total order consisting of 80 aircraft and 700 missiles. Simultaneously, Iranian crews were sent to America for conversion training by US Navy personnel.

But all of this would be cut short in 1979, when the Islamic Revolution swept through Iran. The overthrow of the Shah and the rise of a regime at enmity with the West, saw the rapid cancellation of all arms orders to the country. All F-14 orders were cancelled, so too were all Phoenix missile deliveries. All F-14 personnel were told to get out of the country, and take any equipment they could. Many of these personnel, including some Iranian pilots and crew, did just that, as well as sabotaging some of the aircraft.

THE PILOTS

Many of these pilots – who had been trained under the government of the Shah – were thrown into prison following the revolution, and many others left the country, fleeing to the US. But as hostilities with Iraq increased, the new Iranian government realised that fighter pilots were necessary for survival. Thus, Iranian pilots trained by US airmen under the Shahs government would once again take to the sky, this time against the Iraqis, armed with Russian and French fighters.

During the ensuing conflict, many aces would be forged from among these pilots. These aces include; Fazlollah Javidnia, Jalil Zandi, test pilot Fereidoun Ali-Mazandarani, and Shahram Rostami, and Assadollah Adeli.

AIRCRAFT ROLE

For the Iranians, the F-14 was a vital part of their air defence and offence capability. It was the only aircraft they possessed which could challenge the more modern fighters Iraq was now equipped with, including the Mirage F1, upgraded Mig-21s and Mig-23s, and the Mig-25 Foxbat. There was also serious concerns about the Tupolev Tu-22 – a high altitude supersonic bomber which could strike deep within Iranian territory. The F-14 was the only Iranian aircraft which could quickly and effectively intercept this bomber.

As such, a massive effort was undertaken to source parts for the F-14 by any means necessary; from manufacturing copies inside Iran, to purchasing spares on the black market. This also held true when it came to armament; the limited number of Phoenix missiles lead the Iranian Air Force to rig up makeshift weapons, which included taking surface-to-air missiles and converting them into Fox-1 capable weapons. Anything that could keep the F-14 in the air and fighting was done.

When skirmishes between Iran and Iraq began to increase in late 1980, F-14 pilots returning to service found themselves with aircraft that had some serious deficits and needed to be operated with care. The engines were troublesome and required heavy maintenance. Only a dozen of the original 77 aircraft that had been delivered to Iran before the revolution had functioning radars and therefor the only ones deemed airworthy. By the time war broke out on September 22, shortages of fuel caused by Tu-22 strikes also meant that the cost of flying each aircraft – if they were still airworthy – was going to be high. Nevertheless, the few airworthy aircraft could still put up a good fight against the enemy.

The first combat engagement would occur slightly before war broke out, during a border skirmish. The few operational F-14s were tasked with Combat Air Patrol along the Iranian border with Iraq and on September 7^th, Iranian radar sites picked up contacts crossing the border. Two Tomcats were sent up to intercept. Upon arrival, the contacts had penetrated Iranian air space, and had been identified as Mil Mi-25 Hind attack helicopters. With a green light to engage, the first F-14 entered a dive towards the helicopters, attempting a Fox-2 lock, but losing two sidewinders to the heat of the desert beneath the choppers. Switching to guns, the Tomcat circled back and opened fire, downing one of the Hinds. This event marks the first ever recorded F-14 kill.

Full scale war would follow just over two weeks later. The few available tomcats were rushed to the front lines, where they would see intense combat against an increasingly modernised Iraqi Air Force.

One of the first Iranians to gain distinction in the conflict was Gholamreza Khorshidi, a radar intercept officer, who, in 1981 tracked two Iraqi Mirage F1s entering Iran. Locking up one after the other, Khorshidi successfully fired a Phoenix missile at each aircraft, destroying the lead and damaging his wingman. This incident supposedly marked the first air-to-air victory using a Phoenix missile, and also the first time the Iranians downed the advanced French Mirage in combat.

Over the next few years, twelve confirmed flying aces would be forged. Among them were several notable pilots; Jalil Zandi, Fazlollah Javidnia, and test pilot Fereidoun Ali-Mazandarani.  All three achieved ten or more kills, setting them apart from all other jet-age flying aces.

ZANDI

Of the three, Jalil Zandi remains the most widely known both within Iran and abroad. This is in part due to his early success in the F-14, supposedly making him the first of the three aces to score ten kills, and for some time he was considered the highest scoring F-14 ace of all time, however he would lose his title later in the war.

Like many Iranian pilots from before the revolution, Zandi had a distrust for his new superiors, which in part played into his public image. In one instance, he was momentarily thrown into prison by Abbas Babaei, a Lieutenant Colonel infamous among pilots for his harsh treatment and revolutionary attitude. Nevertheless, Zandi’s skill as a pilot made him somewhat indispensable.

By the end of the war, Zandi had achieved 11 kills; 9 during the earlier years, and two unconfirmed victories during the closing days of the war in 1988, when he was ambushed by a flight of Mirage F1s. Zandi and his RIO managed to hit two aircraft before escaping from the engagement.

MAZANDARANI

The second of these standout aces was Fereidoun Ali-Mazandarani, another experienced pilot trained before the revolution. Mazandarani’s career saw him oscillate between test-pilot work and frontline combat in Iran. (He also played a role in the Sedjil missile program – which was discussed in a previous video). Before the revolution – in the early 1970s – he had been sent to the United States, where he flew training aircraft and did conversion training for the F-14.

Throughout the war, Mazandarani relied on American tactics he had learnt. During one mission, on final approach to land from a 6-hour combat air patrol and low on fuel, Mazandarani and his RIO were ordered to cancel their approach and respond to radar contacts near Kharg Island – an important port for Iranian oil tankers. Refueling in the air, the F-14 reached the ocean to find a flight of thirteen aircraft on their radar. As he recalls, it was a strike mission, with five Mirage F1s escorting eight Mig-23s. Alone, Mazandarni and his RIO considered turning back, but were likely to be engaged by the enemy anyway. So, Mazandarani recalls setting altitude to 35 feet, reckoning the surface of the water could potentially throw off infrared and radar guided weapons. Moments later his RIO calls missiles being fired. Flying low and fast across the ocean, Mazandarani began jinking to dodge and notch the missiles, before dispensing chaff and flare. As the F-14 continued to push forward, the attacking aircraft began to break off and fly back to Iraq.

Today, Mazandarani is credited with somewhere between 9 and 11 kills. As he recalls, he had managed to successfully hit 16 aircraft over the course of the war, though many of these were not confirmed as kills.

JAVIDNIA

The last pilot to mention is Fazlollah Javidnia. Although he never achieved the fame of Zandi or Mazandarani, Javidnia’s skill in the F-14 may have been unparalleled. Today, he is recognised by some historians as the highest scoring F-14 pilot of all time, with 12 aerial victories, and one other claimed kill. Information surrounding these kills came to light sometime after the war, perhaps lending to his lesser fame within Iran when compared to his contemporaries.

Javidnia is said to have become one of the first Iranian pilots to be placed on an Iraqi Air Force “hit list”, after several successful engagements early on in the war. It is claimed that his initial successes are what led to Iraqi pilots being advised to avoid engaging the F-14.

IRAQI ACES

As good as they were, these Iranian pilots were not the only aces in the sky; they went up against other very experienced pilots, including several Iraqi aces. Among them was MiG-25 ace Mohammed Rayyan, who scored 7 kills during the war: two with a modified MiG-21, and five with the MiG-25 Foxbat.

Rayyan would himself become a victim of the F-14, with his feared MiG-25 being shot down during an engagement in 1986. Proof yet again that the F-14 – despite its drawbacks – was still capable against faster aircraft.

Throughout the war, the biggest threat the F-14s faced was the Mirage F1. This was possibly due to a strategy employed by the Iraqi’s, in which flights of Mirages were sent out at low altitudes and with radars off, vectored onto Iranian targets by ground radar. Once positioned optimally within engagement range, the radar operator would give the signal for the Mirages to switch on their radars and climb. This tactic has directly been linked to the defeat of four F-14s during the conflict. It is also likely that the Mirage F1 held the advantage over other Iraqi aircraft in terms of maneuverability, perhaps playing into its revered reputation amongst Iranian F-14 pilots.

OUTRO

The pilots mentioned thus far are just three of the top scoring aces flying the Iranian F-14s. Trained by the Americans during the time of the Iranian Shah, these pilots proved they were more than capable.

Although often overlooked, F-14s in the Iran/Iraq war saw unprecedented combat use, defeated many capable fighter aircraft, and forged many ace pilots. Even with makeshift weapons, the F-14 remained a formidable aircraft, challenging anything that Iraq could throw at it. In a recent interview, the now retired Mazandarani mentioned that throughout the war, the Iranians had tracked at least 180 kills with the F-14; 160 using the phoenix, 10 using Fox-2 missiles and guns, and another ten to manoeuvre kills. Mazandarani estimates that – during his service – they lost less than 10 F-14s in combat, although the number of F-14 losses remains unconfirmed.

Today, it is often believed that during the war, Iran produced twelve flying aces, all of them on the F-14 Tomcat, and none of them well known outside of Iran. This is a testament to two things. Firstly, the dedication and training of the Iranian pilots prior to the revolution, who employed the tactics they had learn from American airmen. And secondly, the capability of the F-14, even with its many problems and shortcomings. It is events like this that have helped immortalise the Tomcat as perhaps the most well-regarded jet fighter of the 20^th Century.