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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Iran
Index
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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