Summary

• Iran's historic air strike against Israel escalates tensions, disrupting civilian air traffic in the region.
• Iranian Air Force boasts a variety of warplanes, including Western designs acquired during the Shah's rule.
• From F-4 Phantom to MiG-29 Fulcrum, Iran's Air Force maintains a diverse fleet of combat aircraft.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has made a historically unprecedented military strike against the State of Israel. This is the first time that Iran has chosen to take direct military action against the Jewish state, heightening tensions in the region and causing disruption to civilian air traffic.

While the initial unsuccessful attack over the weekend relied on Iran’s drones, Simple Flying considered it timely to also examine the current combat capabilities of the Iranian Air Force.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force quick facts

The World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft (WDMMA) notes that (as of March 26, 2021) the IRIAF (نیروی هوایی ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران/ Nirvi-ye Hevayi-ye Artesh-e Jimhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Iran) has a total active inventory of 343 aircraft, ranking the IRIAF as 43rd among “a total of 100 total air services from 74 nations” that the website was tracking at the time that segment was published. WDMMA labels 183 of these warbirds as fighters, divvying that category further into the sub-categories of pure fighters, interceptors, multirole, and attack aircraft.

A 2011 report by the Middle East Institute estimates IRIAF manpower strength at 37,000 personnel.

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

The single most numerous warplane in the IRIAF arsenal is one that was most heavily combat-tested by the armed forces of two of the Islamic Republic’s current rivals: Israel, and the United States.

So, how did a radically anti-Western regime like Iran’s end up with 63 specimens – according to WDMMA – of an adversary nation's aircraft design? Quite simply, they’re a carryover from the days of the Shah’s rule, i.e. when Iran was in fact allied with the US and Israel.

The Phantom made her debut way back in 1958, and was a truly state-of-the-art warplane back in her heyday; as this writer noted in an article published in The National Interest:

“The F-4 made quite an impression in a short space of time, setting 16 (that's right, sixteen) world speed and altitude records between 1959 and 1962. Five of those records would stand until the F-15 Eagle —another McDonnell Douglas product — came along in 1975… This combo of high speed and large measurements prompted Vietnam veteran pilot Dick Anderegg to joke that this big bird provided 'proof that if you put enough thrust behind a brick you can make it fly.'”

Needless to say, the Phantom is well past her prime, yet the IRIAF doggedly keeps this proud old warbird flying. In fact, according to BBC News, the Iranians used them in combat as recently as 2014, in strikes against the Islamic State (ISIS).

Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Another warbird the IRIAF acquired from the US, the F-14 Tomcat is most famous to American movie audiences thanks to the box office blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick.

SPOILER ALERT: The adversary nation from whom Maverick and Rooster oh-so-conveniently steal an F-14 in the movie’s climatic air battle scene isn’t explicitly identified as Iran, but it’s easy enough to infer it, especially since Iran was indeed the only non-U.S. nation ever to purchase the Tomcat in real life.

As this writer noted two years ago in an article for 19FortyFive, IRIAF Tomcat drivers claimed a 130:4 kill ratio during the Iran-Iraq War. That said, just like the Phantom, the venerable old Tomcat is past her prime, having debuted in 1970. IRIAF has an estimated 26 Tomcats.

F-5E Freedom Fighter AKA Tiger II/HESA Saqeh

This IRAF warbird is another American fighter design immortalized by the Top Gun franchise: In the original 1986 Top Gun, the F-5 Freedom Fighter was role-played as the fictitious “MiG-28.” The genuine Tiger II variant made her maiden flight in 1972. Besides Iran, the most significant user of this plane today is Taiwan’s Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF).

Learn more about the F-5E here.

In addition to the 17 American-built F-5s, Iran also has an estimated eight of the homegrown HESA Saqeh clones, as reported by the aforementioned WWMDA piece:

“The Saqeh retains its single-seat, twin-engine arrangement, but introduces outward-canted tailplanes…A first flight was revealed in July of 2004 and service entry began in September of 2007.”

Dassault F1 Mirage

Iran's Air Force relies on yet another Western jet. This 1966 French-made fighter also saw heavy use by Iran’s opponent during the Iran-Iraq War. While the Dassault F1 Mirage has long faded from the Iraqi Air Force (IqAF), the IRIAF still reportedly retains nine of them.

Mikoyan MiG-29 “Fulcrum”

Besides Western-made warbirds, the IRIAF has its fair share of fighters made by non-Westen countries. The Soviet-designed MiG-29 is a prime example—IRIAF has an estimated 20 Fulcrums. Comparatively speaking, the Fulcrum is Iran’s newest vintage combat aircraft. Having made her maiden flight in October 1977, the jet was officially introduced in August 1983. On paper, the MiG-29 was supposed to be the equal of the F-15 and F-16, but actual aerial battles during Operations Desert Storm and Allied Forces demonstrated otherwise.

Sukhoi Su-24 “Fencer”

Another Soviet design, the Sukhoi Su-24 is the lone warbird in the IRIAF arsenal designated in the “attack” category by WDMMA. This variable-geometry all-weather supersonic bomber celebrates her 50th birthday this year, and the Iranians have 23.

Chengdu J-7/F-7 ‘Fishcan”

We wrap up our review of Iran's Air Force aircraft capabilities with an IRIAF fighter produced by a different Communist country—the People's Republic of China. Yes, it’s a Chinese copy of the Soviet MiG-21 “Fishbed,” hence the similar NATO reporting name of “Fishcan.” This 3rd Generation jet fighter made its maiden flight in January 1966, with 2,400 airframes produced between 1965 and 2013. The IRIAF has 17 of them left.