Friday, September 25, 2015

Sacred Defense Week - IRIAF exhibit at Mehrabad Airport

Iran media imagery of the Sacred Defense Week exhibition held by Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) at Mehrabad International Airport, commemorating the onset of the Iran-Iraq War that took place 35 years ago.

Collection of IRIAF aircraft assembled for exhibition during Sacred Defense Week 2015

Newly unveiled Mohajem 92 ("Attacker 92") unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Claimed specifications include 6-hour flight endurance, 200 kph speed at the sea level, a weight of 80 kilograms and operating radius of 100 km. [source: Tasnim News Agency]

Displayed aircraft, in order:
- IRIAF Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer tandem-seat training aircraft
- IRIAF Bell 214C Isfahan medium-lift helicopter
- IRIAF Boeing (Elicotteri Meridionali) CH-47C Chinook (219) heavy-lift helicopter
- IRIAF Fokker F-27-400M Troopship transport aircraft
- IRIAF Lockheed C-130H Hercules (L-382) transport aircraft

Far left: IRIAF Dassault Mirage F1EQ, serial 3-6202

Detail of IRIAF Dassault Mirage F1EQ, serial 3-6202
Photo: Mehrad Watson

Foreground: IRIAF Grumman F-14A Tomcat, serial 3-6030 / 160328 (H-30) from Isfahan/Shahid Babaei TFB-8

Detail of IRIAF Grumman F-14A Tomcat, serial 3-6030 / 160328 (H-30)
Photo: Mehrad Watson

Foreground: IRIAF McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II fighter bomber of 91st TFS from Bandar Abbas/Shahid Abdulkarimimi TFB-9.

Detail of IRIAF McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II fighter bomber of 91st TFS from Bandar Abbas/Shahid Abdulkarimimi TFB-9.  [photo: Erfan Arabzadeh]

Pair of Owj JT2-2 Tazarve (“Pheasant”) prototype jet training aircraft

IRIAF Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 “Fulcrum” of 11th TFS from Tehran/Shahid Lashkari TFB-1

IRIAF Chengdu FT-7N Airguard, serial 3-7723 of 85th TFS from Isfahan/Shahid Babaei TFB-8

Detail of IRIAF Chengdu FT-7N Airguard, serial 3-7723 of 85th TFS from Isfahan/Shahid Babaei TFB-8
Photo: Erfan Arabzadeh

Foreground, left: IRIAF Northrop F-5F Tiger II, serial 3-7167 / 50694 (cn Z1014) of 21st TFS from Tabriz/Shahid Fakoori TFB-2.
Background, right: IRIAF Northrop (HESA) F-5F Saeghe II ("Thunderbolt II"), serial 3-7182 of 23rd TFS from Tabriz/Shahid Fakoori TFB-2.

Detail of IRIAF Northrop F-5F Tiger II, serial 3-7167 / 50694 (cn Z1014)
Photo: Mehrad Watson

IRIAF Boeing 747-131(SF) from Transport Wing at Tehran/Mehrabad

IRIAF Boeing (Elicotteri Meridionali) CH-47C Chinook (219), serial 5-9307

IRIAF Lockheed C-130H Hercules (L-382), possible serial 5-8501 (cn 382-4115) of 11th TAS from Transport Wing at Tehran/Mehrabad.

Saha Air Boeing 707-3J9C, reg. EP-SHV (cn 21125/912)
Note: vintage aircraft currently used for cabin crew training at Saha Air training center

IRIAF Lockheed L-1329 JetStar 8, serial 5-9001
Photo: Mehrad Watson

IRIAF display of air-launched weapons (1)

IRIAF display of air-launched weapons (2)

General Electric J79 axial-flow turbojet engine from F-4 Phantom II aircraft

IRIAF display of air crew flight gear

Left to right:
- Unidentified IRIAF major, TFB-1 base security
- Unidentified cleric
- IRIAF colonel, F-5 Tiger II pilot "Agressor Squadron" flight instructor
- IRIAF Deputy Commander Brigadier General Alireza Barkhour
- IRIAF Brigadier General 2C Mohammed Tasviyehchi, commander of TFB-1
- Unidentified IRIAF Brigadier General 2C

Photos: F. Samadi at Islamic Republic News Agency, Mehrad Watson and Erfan Arabzadeh

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Most of those air planes are pre 1979.They belong in museums,not as flying suicide machines.

Anonymous said...

Oh look more useless junk... Let's keep it a secret between us and call them "state of the art"; no one's looking. The mullahs and their thug enforcers sure suck at PR.

Mr. K said...

what happen to mass producing of saeghe. iran good at exaggerating. typical.

Anonymous said...

True they are 60's and 70's designs but so are F-15's and they are used very effectively by US and Israel Air Forces, Platform by itself does not define how good or bad they are, Avionics, weapon systems, airworthiness, training, C4I and .... are more important than when the frame was designed.

Anonymous said...

While any thoughtful evaluation of Iraian air force, it must under considration that Iran is under sanction since 35 years.
It is a impressive show to understand how any mindful regime can servived in ODDs , even backbone of servival of others i.e. Syria & Iraq regime.
Critisizing any one without own self placeing always a VERY EASY. JOB.
Iran ageold equipped force is still nightmare to all WAHABI persian gulf states.
Iranian must be appreciated for their performance in defence field with very limited resources. Rizvi/India

Anonymous said...

This is quite embarrassing, in most aviation museums they have more modern planes.

Anonymous said...

It seems they planned for 25 units only and it is under production.

Anonymous said...

Totally agree with you. They are living with their own resources and doing good actually. They are doing prototyping jet aircraft, J-90 engine development and a more powerful one not disclosed yet to avionics and avionic software. They are working on engineer management and learning as it goes by. Perhaps they spend billion dollar on these projects and 80% go to waste still the know how and engineers trained helps in future. Their work has made purchasing foreign planes a delicate subject as it should add to existing knowledge and has raised the bargain level.

Anonymous said...

When somebody talks about having the latest weapons and technologies.... I say look at the US with all these high tech and advanced weapons... Remember how well they did in Iraq??? Or maybe look at Israel with even more advance weapons than US and how well they did against Hezbollah in 2006 war!!! I rather have old weapons and win a conflict than have the latest weapons out there and lose... having the latest weapon and technologies does not necessary means you are the best when it comes to a real conflict...

Anonymous said...

It is true that airpower alone does not win wars, just look at the pathetic US experience since Rolling Thunder in Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan or Zionist failures against Hezbollah or even against largely defenceless Palestinians in Gaza, but Iran does need modern aircraft as it has a big airspace to cover in a very volatile neighborhood. A country the size of Iran needs at least 500 front-line aircraft and that was the Shah's astute vision. Iran would have had 300 F-16, 80 F-14A, 277 F4E/D & R and 220 F-5E to say the least.

The 300 F-16 order was scrapped by the mullahs in 1979, however, the Shah's planes did save Iran in the 8 years of war. Today, even compared to puny petro-Sheikhdoms of the Persian Gulf, Iran technically has no real airforce. Even dead broke Pakistan is ordering SU-35 from Russia.

Anonymous said...

Oh yes, I also agree. Photoshopping cluster of missiles, photoshopping their fiberglass jet fighter flying over Albourze mountain, the hilarious cockpit of their all stealth jet fighter, etc. Are you serious? Future is now, not 50 yrs down the road. When you make claims as this evil system does and instead show off your old useless junk you gotta question their sincerity and capabilities.

Anonymous said...

I think you have your facts messed up: Israel destroyed Lebanon's infrastructure and severely diminished Hezboluh's capabilities. And as I recall we, the US, destroyed Iraq's army in less than 2 weeks. You are confusing lack of, or execution of, political objectives, after the war was fought and won, with military objectives.

Anonymous said...

@Anon 11:15, May be an idiot did that photo shop but are you so naive to say, a cluster of missiles do not exist? May be and idiot Ahmadinejad and some bunch there showed a project that the MOD was not in favor of and ridiculed themselves (May be as there is more into it), are you saying Saegheh-2 and other projects do not exist? I assume the claims they made they have already shown so don't know what you are talking about. It is better for you to be a fair enemy rather than an angry one without any logic who ridicules himself.

Anonymous said...

I had not seen a photograph of Lockheed Jet star L-1329 before , nor did I know if it existed . With four smaller jet engines and multi-faceted wind shield , it certainly has a peculiar arrangement for a vip transport plane of its time .My guess is that it was used as a training platform for a much larger transport plane .ala TU-134UB .

Anonymous said...

Marg bar Amerika is still written on most bomb transporter trailers if you pay attention to the photos.

Anonymous said...

Those F15's are new build fighters with latest avionics,not the musium pieces that is used by IRIAF.

Anonymous said...

I am no enemy, and why would you even suggest that?! Because I am critical of the mullahs and their lies does not make me an enemy. This is the problem with people who equate criticism with animosity, no tolerance or space for a dialog; have I seen and heard many like you, boy have I. I am simply stating facts about what is being shown and described, rather deceitfully, as state of the art.

Anonymous said...

@anon 12:19
You are strangely placed to talk about openness to dialogue.. Although the Air Force is indeed in a dire state, your original comment didn't offer much in the way of fair criticism. If I am not mistaken the photoshopped image did come from an enthusiast's work spreading on social circles and someone mistaking it as a semi-official leak.

Though officials of the IRI are much much too prone to talk about immeasurable accomplishment, 50 years from now is still the future while today is the present. Acknowledging what has been accomplished so far is absolutely necessary if you want to analyze the future and hope for some semblance of understanding. Claiming that all Iranian aerial knowledge & capacity is either junk or photoshopped does classify you as an enemy to anyone who respects &/or wishes for its expansion.

BTW Your initial post had a single sentence containing facts (one of them disputable). It is good to be reminded of hard truths, but you had 4 other sentences.. which were either opinions or stylistic rhetoric meant to harm one's opinion of any who disagree with you.

Anonymous said...

What planet are you from again? You bandy about the word "enemy" as if it's confetti. Who are you to judge who is an enemy and who isn't?! Shame on you for being so callus. You only have to listen to the mullah propaganda machine to know that they are full of it. Look for yourself at the "state of the art" armament they produce: junk.

Anonymous said...

Still facts? or is that your tolerance and openness to dialogue speaking?

enemy : "a. One who feels hatred toward, intends injury to, or opposes another; a foe. b. One who opposes or is hostile to an idea or cause" reread your comment and seriously consider whether you declared yourself as such through our current exchange (I'm only the author of the 5:43 post before this one). It is rather disappointing to see how someone who says he support freedom of speech and discourse so easily fall into one-liners and insults. Boy have I seen and heard many people like you, who believed they had depth yet were no,t but idiotic trolls spewing repetition and refusing to question themselves.

Anonymous said...

Talk to the hand buddy. You don't deserve my attention.

Anonymous said...

That Jetstar ID was EP-VRP, it was only used for VIP