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Iran
Role of the Air Force
Despite Iraqi success in causing major damage to exposed Iranian
ammunition and fuel dumps in the early days of the war, the Iranian
air force prevailed initially in the air war. One reason was that
Iranian airplanes could carry two or three times more bombs or
rockets than their Iraqi counterparts. Moreover, Iranian pilots
demonstrated considerable expertise. For example, the Iranian
air force attacked Baghdad and key Iraqi air bases as early as
the first few weeks of the war, seeking to destroy supply and
support systems. The attack on Iraq's oil field complex and air
base at Al Walid, the base for T-22 and Il-28 bombers, was a well-coordinated
assault. The targets were more than 800 kilometers from Iran's
closest air base at Urumiyeh, so the F-4s had to refuel in midair
for the mission. Iran's air force relied on F-4s and F-5s for
assaults and a few F-14s for reconnaissance. Although Iran used
its Maverick missiles effectively against ground targets, lack
of airplane spare parts forced Iran to substitute helicopters
for close air support. Helicopters served not only as gunships
and troop carriers but also as emergency supply transports. In
the mountainous area near Mehran, helicopters proved advantageous
in finding and destroying targets and maneuvering against antiaircraft
guns or man-portable missiles. During Operation Karbala Five and
Operation Karbala Six, the Iranians reportedly engaged in large-scale
helicopter-borne operations on the southern and central fronts,
respectively. Chinooks and smaller Bell helicopters, such as the
Bell 214A, were escorted by Sea Cobra choppers.
In confronting the Iraqi air defense, Iran soon discovered that
a low-flying group of two, three, or four F-4s could hit targets
almost anywhere in Iraq. Iranian pilots overcame Iraqi SA-2 and
SA-3 antiaircraft missiles, using American tactics developed in
Vietnam; they were less successful against Iraqi SA-6s. Iran's
Western-made air defense system seemed more effective than Iraq's
Soviet-made counterpart. Nevertheless, Iran experienced difficulty
in operating and maintaining Hawk, Rapier, and Tigercat missiles
and instead used antiaircraft guns and man-portable missiles.
As the war continued, however, Iran was increasingly short of
spare parts for damaged airplanes and had lost a large number
of airplanes in combat. As a result, by late 1987 Iran had become
less able to mount an effective defense against the resupplied
Iraqi air force, let alone stage aerial counterattacks.
Data as of December 1987
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