War Stories

F-14 Shooting down an Iraqi MiG-21

Attack on Habbaniyah Air Base

On 22 October 1980, two F-4D from the 71st Tactical Fighter Wing (TAB 7, Shiraz), as usual at very low altitude, were on their way to attack a large Iraqi Air Base at Habbaniyah, some 120 kilometers due west of Baghdad. As they flew into the SAM defense of the Iraqi capital, Sadly, an Iraqi SA-6 surface-to-air missile shot down one Phantom, and the crew was captured. Meanwhile, the other F-4 out-maneuvered the second missile by making an 11 G turn while trying to jam the enemy radar emissions with its ALQ-109 jammer pod. The crew soon realized that it was impossible to continue the attack and turned towards the secondary target at Al-Bakr oil refinery.After the successful attack, the F-4D turned toward the border, with two Iraqi MiG-23MS in hot pursuit. The Iranian pilot jettisoned its empty drop tanks and blasted on high speed at very low altitudes, going back with Iraqis behind him, firing a couple of R-13 (NATO code AA-2 Atoll) missiles. All could be evaded; however, some 70 kilometers from the border, the Phantom crew realized they had spent too much fuel and could no longer reach the border. Thus, they declared an emergency and prepared to eject because they had no alternative. The supporting Boeing 707 tanker and two F-14A Tomcats that had waited behind the border crossed into Iraq to provide fuel. At the time of contact between the F-4D and Boeing 707, there were only 700 pounds of fuel left in the tanks of the Phantom. Although the whole refueling operation was undertaken at medium altitude and Iraqi radar had a complete picture of what was happening, not even one Iraqi interceptor dared come close.

Dogfight over Tabriz

It was November of 1980, and I was traveling from Turkey to Tabriz on a bus (Mihan Tour). It was about 3:00 on a clear and sunny afternoon when I heard from the radio we were under an Iraqi aerial attack, and all cars on the road should immediately pull to the side. So naturally, I scanned the sky to see the Iraqi planes, and sure enough, about 4 miles toward the south, I saw two aircraft. At the same time, our bus driver stopped, and we happened to be next to Tabriz Airport runway, which houses the 2nd Tactical Airbase. I saw two F-4Es turning onto the runway with the canopy not fully closed; I heard the afterburner kicking in. Following the path of the runway, the lead Phantom took off at a 45-degree angle, but my eyes were glued to the wingman, second F-4, as he did what is known as Viking takeoff. It was almost a 90-degree angle, and immediately turned to its side! About a quarter of a mile, I saw white smoke coming from the F-4, thinking something was wrong, not realizing that it fired a missile ( educated guess it was an AIM-9 sidewinder). Following the trail of smoke from the missile and seeing the Iraqi plane twist and turn, trying to avoid the missile, bam!!! A hit on an Iraqi plane (later found out it was a MIG-21) shortly after, I saw a white parachute in that direction, which indicated the Iraqi pilot had ejected. Everyone was very emotional, and people started running toward the approximate landing zone of the Iraqi pilot with whatever tool they could find (to use as a weapon ). Soon, I heard the radio announcer pleading with the people not to kill or harm the Iraqi pilot until authorities arrived. Meanwhile, the second Iraqi plane was chased by the other F-4, and that was quickly followed by a sonic boom from the Iraqi aircraft; I guess he knew not to stick around!

Operation Pearl

The Iraqis had positioned radar and monitoring equipment on the Al-Bakr and Al-Omayeh oil rigs in the northern part of the Persian Gulf because a large number of Iranian air operations were routed from near these installations. As a result, a combined air/sea operation, code-named Morvarid (Pearl), was initiated by Iranian Navy Task Force 421 on November 28, 1980, to neutralize these two platforms.

An Iranian La Combatant II missile-equipped fast patrol craft named Peykan engaged Iraqi surface vessels and aircraft and called for air support when the situation got out of its control. Two F-4Es, each carrying four AGM-65A Maverick missiles, were scrambled and flew at 400 kts and 20-50ft (6-15m) above the sea, increasing speed and altitude to 500 kts and 4,000ft (1,200m) once over the area. Mavericks destroyed seven Iraqi vessels in two waves, although Peykan, too, was finally sunk with an Iraqi Styx missile.

Iran had purchased about 2,850 AGM-65As before the Islamic Revolution. As well as being used against sea targets, they were carried to destroy bridges.

During the early phase of the war, there were few IRIAF pilots, for example, only two at Bushehr AB, who were trained and rated for firing Mavericks. Many pilots had to practice locking on and firing the missiles during combat missions.

Operation Morvarid Linked to IIN Site

MIG Kill Over the Persian Gulf

In early December 1980, a single F-14 took off from Khatami Air Base in Esfehan. The pilot was patrolling and scanning the sky over the Persian Gulf about 60 to 70 miles west of Bushehr at an altitude of about 3 to 4 thousand ft. when ground radar advised the F-14 pilot of multiple boogies closing fast toward him. His aircraft was too far out to send in any backup help, so ground radar told the pilot you are on your own and good luck. The pilot turned around towards them, knowing he had a disadvantage in numbers. By now, the F-14 and two boogies were head to head about 20 miles apart. The crew got a Phoenix Missile lock at about 10 miles, although it was a close range for Phoenix. The pilot went ahead with fox1; he fired an AIM-54 Phoenix. Following the smoke path of the Phoenix, he saw a ball of fire from the wing of MiG-21 that was breaking up. Moments later, a splash down from pieces of MiG-21 was visible in the ocean. In the meantime, the F-14 pilot observed the second MiG-21 making a hard G-turn away from the fireball since the 2 MiGs were flying too close together. He was going back toward Iraq. The F-14 in pursuit could not get any radar lock on the second MiG-21 before he went supersonic. Submitted by F-14 Pilot

SU-22 Kill Over the Persian Gulf

In late January 1981, two F-14s from Khatami Air Force Base were on combat patrol over the southwest region of the Persian Gulf. At around noon, Iranian ground radar picked up a target approximately 100 to 200 feet above sea level in the southern region of the Gulf, moving at a high rate of speed toward Bushehr. The ground radar operator directed the F-14s to the incoming object. The lead F-14 radar picked up the same aircraft and secured a radar lock on the target. After confirming the target was hostile and flying at a very low altitude and only a little over 30 miles away, the lead F-14 fired an AIM-54A Phoenix missile. The Phoenix hit the Iraqi SU-22 in the middle of the fuselage, cutting it in half.

UFO Dogfight Over Tehran

Declassified Defense Intelligence Agency documents released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that on 19 September 1976, an unusual incident occurred in Tehran.At about 0030 hours, the Imperial Iranian Air Force command post at Tehran received four telephone reports from citizens in the Shemiran (north of Tehran). Some callers reported seeing a bird-like object in the sky, while others reported a helicopter with a bright light. When the command post found that there were no airborne helicopters, they called General Yousefi, assistant deputy commander of operations. General Yousefi at first said the object was only a star, but after talking to the tower at Mehrabad Airport, he looked for himself and saw a very bright object more significant than a star. At that point, he scrambled one F-4 Phantom jet from Shahrokhi Air Force Base in Hamadan. At 0130 hours, the F-4 took off and proceeded to a point 40 nautical miles north of Tehran. It was noted that the object was of such brilliance that it could be seen up to 70 miles away. The jet suddenly lost all instrumentation and communications when the F-4 came to within about 25 nautical miles of the object. The pilot broke off the intercept and turned away. When the F-4 had turned back toward Shahrokhi, the aircraft regained instrumentation and communication. At 0140 hours, the second F-4 was scrambled, piloted by Lieutenant Jafari, and it acquired a radar lock on the object at a range of 27 nautical miles. The radar signature of the UFO resembled that of a Boeing 707 aircraft. They were closing on the object at 150 nautical miles per hour. The object began to move at a range of 25 nautical miles, keeping a steady distance of 25 nautical miles from the F-4. The object's size was difficult to determine due to its intense brilliance. The object's lights were alternating blue, green, red, and orange and arranged in a square pattern. The lights flashed in sequence, but the flashing was so rapid that they could all be seen simultaneously. As the object and the F-4 continued on a southerly path, a smaller second object detached itself from the first and advanced on the F-4 at a high rate of speed. Thinking he was under attack, Lieutenant Jafari launched an AIM-9 sidewinder missile, but he suddenly lost all instrumentation, including weapons control and communication. The F-4 pilot then instituted a turn and a negative G dive as evasive action. The object fell behind him at about 3 to 4 nautical miles distance for a short time, then turned and rejoined the primary object.Once again, as soon as the F-4 had turned away, instrumentation and communications were regained. The F-4 crew then saw another brightly lit object detach itself from the other side of the primary object and drop straight down at a high rate of speed. The F-4 crew expected it to impact the ground and explode, but it came to rest gently. The F-4 crew then overflew the site at a decreased altitude and marked the position of the light's touchdown. Then they landed at Mehrabad, noting that each time they passed through a magnetic bearing of 150 degrees from Mehrabad, they experienced interference and communications failure. A civilian airliner approaching Mehrabad experienced a loss of communications at the same position as Mehrabad. As the F-4 was on final approach, they sighted yet another cylinder-shaped object with bright, steady lights on each end and a flashing light in the middle. Mehrabad tower reported no other aircraft in the area, but tower personnel could see the object when given directions by the F-4 pilot.The next day, the F-4 crew flew out in a helicopter to the site where they had seen the smaller object land. It was determined to be a dry lake bed in the daylight, but no traces could be seen. They then circled the area to the west and picked up a noticeable "beeper" signal. The signal was loudest near a small house, so they landed and questioned the house's occupants about any unusual events of the previous night. They reported a loud noise and a bright light like lightning.Further investigation of the landing site, including radiation testing of the area, was done, but the results were never made public. Since this event occurred before the fall of the Shah, any records in Tehran itself may be lost. The Defense Intelligence Agency itself called this report:An outstanding report. This classic case meets all the criteria necessary for a valid study of the UFO phenomenon…One of the most exciting things about this event is that it was apparently detected by a military spy satellite. This DSP-1 satellite was launched to warn of ballistic missile launches by detecting infrared heat sources. It was used to detect SCUD missile launches during Desert Storm. An analysis of computer printouts from DSP-1 by researchers Lee Graham and Ron Reghr of Aero-Jet in California shows that it detected an infrared anomaly over Tehran at the time of the UFO event reported above.

Super Frelon Kill Over the Persian Gulf

Iranian offensive against the Peninsula and the city of Al-Faw started at 01:00 hour on 9 February 1986. The attacker's targets were in and around the Peninsula. Under cover of bad weather, Iranian commandos managed to destroy two Iraqi early warning radar sites placed on oil rigs in front of the port. The demise of those radar stations caused grievous problems for the Iraqi Air Force and one further loss.The problem was that Saddam Hussein ordered an attack on the shipping around Khark Island as soon as the weather cleared. During the next few days, however, the Iraqi Air Force was on the verge of collapsing under the Iranian attack and the bad weather. Iranians prevented any further operations of Iraqi aircraft and helicopters over the Northern Persian Gulf. However, the order for the attack on tankers around Khark was not recalled, and nobody in the Iraqi Air Force cared to warn the crews of the Super Frelon squadron, whose helicopters were also armed with French-built AM.39 Exocet anti-ship missiles, of the danger from newly active Iranian interceptors, could not be detected as early as before. Thus, at around 11:00 on 14 February 1986, one Super Frelon helicopter took off from its base in Shaibah with its five-day-old order to attack tankers at Khark island. The helicopter flew very lowly through the mist and closed to its target. However, the crew wasn't concerned: they thought that Iraqi interceptors were close by and early warning radar stations would warn them of any Iranian aircraft nearby. The defense of the Khark island detected the Super Frelon and sent in two F-4s to intercept. Crews of both Phantoms left their radars "off" to avoid revealing their positions and getting close undetected. In the last minute, just as the radar of the Iraqi Super Frelon finally found something, its crew thought it was a tanker, and one AM.39 was fired. Iranian Phantoms switched their radars "on." The Iraqi crew was perplexed, but they couldn't run or hide. One of the phantoms fired an air-to-air missile, which was enough to destroy the rotor, and threw the Super Frelon against the ocean surface. There were no survivors. Later, Saddam Hussein accused the commanding officer of the Super Frelon squadron of this loss (even though he forgot to recall his 5-day-old order) and sent him to prison. Also, a couple of high-ranking Iraqi Air Force Support Command officers were punished.