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IRIAF Since 1988

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IRIAF Since 1988
By ACIG Team
Sep 16, 2003, 03:08

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Dassault Mirage F.1EQ in service with the IRIAF

Reports from August 2001 about the crash of a Mirage fighter aircraft near Mashhad, in north-eastern Iran, revealed another interesting detail about the ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN AIR FORCE (IRIAF), an air force which - despite being isolated from standard sources of spares and maintenance support for its aircraft (most of which are still of Western origins) since 20 years, despite working under constant heavy pressure and mistrust from the clerical regime, and despite suffering considerable losses during the long war with Iraq - remained operational and effective, and, which during the last years managed to rebuilt its strength. Tom Cooper explains the background.

Iranian Mirages
Iran is a major route along which drugs originating from Afghanistan and Pakistan are smuggled towards the Europe; huge amounts of heroin, opium, hashish, and morphine are transported each year. Already since 1980 the Iranian authorities have initiated intensive campaigns against - foremost Afghan, but also Pakistani and Iranian - drug smugglers. Tehran is spending some $20 million annually for fighting drug trafficking, and, according to official reports, so far over 3,100 members of Iranian security forces have been killed in drugs-related engagements.

In the past, Iranian drug-busting operations were executed at a very different scale and size. Early operations were conducted by the police and security forces, with minimal help from the IRGC or the regular army. Since the end of the war with Iraq, however, the IRGC and the Iranian Army became more present, especially as by 1996 Iran almost went to war with Taleban regime in Afghanistan. The involvement of regular armed forces reached its peak in 1997/98, when the IRIAA (Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation) operated AH-1J Cobra helicopter gunships and Bell 214Cs, out of the Kerman IRIAA regional base, in a series of massive operations along the Afghan border. These were supported also by RF-4Es of the IRIAF and Mohajer UAVs of the IRGCAF flying recce missions deep into Afghanistan. During this emergency, the IRIAF upgraded its existing ? ?Imam Reza? ? air transport base near Mashhad, into its 14th Tactical Fighter Base, which in turn received two squadrons worth of a total of 24 Mirage F.1EQs.

The history of Iranian Mirage F.1EQ operations is a relatively short one: a total of 24 aircraft - belonging to very different sub-versions, starting with ?vanilla? F.1EQ one-seaters and F.1BQ two-seaters, over the more sophisticated F.1EQ-2s and 4s (equipped with in-flight refueling probes and LGBs), but foremost the more advanced F.1EQ-5s (equipped with upgraded Cyrano IV-radars and capable of deploying AM.39 Exocet anti-ship missiles) and Mirage F.1EQ-6s ? were flown by Iraqi pilots to Iran in January and February 1991, fleeing the Desert Storm onslaught and Saddam?s regime. Together with Mirages, Iraqis also ?relocated? three Il-76MD transports to Iran, all of which arrived loaded to the roof with spare parts and weapons ? including ATLIS II laser designators, AS.30L ASMs, R.550 Magic Is and COR-2 recce pods.

The IRIAF was not in a hurry to put Mirages into service: testing of six chosen examples was started only in 1992, partially at Mehrabad, and partially at Shiraz and Esfahan, and done with some the help of Pakistani crews who had previously flown Libyan F.1s. Pakistanis were out of Iran already by mid-1993 and the IRIAF then started to prepare the TFB.3, or Nojeh AB, in Kaboodar-Ahang near Hamedan (western Iran), to accommodate the new Mirage fighter-bomber wing. However, as mentioned earlier, the whole wing equipped with Mirages was instead relocated to the TFB.14 in Mashhad, to cover the volatile eastern borders.

From sightings in the late 1990s, it seems that Iranian Mirages initialy still wore the camouflage patterns they carried while in service with the Iraqi Air Force: both tan/chocolate brown and Extra Dark Sea Grey painted examples were noticed at Mashhad; albeit, they all have got the black title IRIAF under the cockpit, as well as IRIAF serials. Serials observed in operation with the IRIAF since the early 1990s are: 3-6210, 3-6212, 3-6213, 3-6214, 3-6217, 3-6401, 3-6402, 3-6403 and 3-6407.

Sometimes in the last three years, however, the whole fleet was repainted. The new camouflage pattern should be similar to that worn by IRIAF F-14s and overhauled MiG-29s now.

Drug-Busting Operations
In the period between 2000 and 2001, the Iranian authorities changed their strategy for drug-busting operations. Local security forces were massively reinforced, thousands of villagers along the eastern Iranian borders were armed to help combat drug traffickers and to supplement deployment of both the Iranian Army and the IRGC forces. The IRGCAF remained very active along the border, foremost using its newly acquired Mi-171 helicopters, as well as AB.206 helos and recce UAVs, and reportedly EMB-312 Tucano light-attack prop-planes.

The IRIAF, on the other side, assisted with PC-6Bs transports, some equipped with downward-looking cameras, and also more powerfull reconnaissance assets, like RF-4Es, and Mirage F.1EQs equipped with recce pods. The TFB.14 seems to have been constantly taking part in such operations, the tempo of which was reported as being ?heavy.?

The first ever photograph of ex-Iraqi Mirage F.1s released outside Iran shows a Mirage F.1BQ (foreground) and a Mirage F.1EQ during landing at Zahedan's "Imam Reza", TFB.14. (Photo: Siavash B., exclusively for ACIG.org)

The ?Crash?
Starting with early June 2001, the Iranian [internal] Security Force (integrated Police, Gendarmerie and the infamous "Committee" units) - which meanwhile, as reported by IRNA (Iranian News Agency) on 19 June 2001, reached also an agreement with Canada for training its officers there - and the IRGC initiated a series of massive drug-busting operations in ?Sisatan and Baluchestan? province, along the borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan, but also deeper in Iran, especially the Kerman province. During these operations, Iranian security forces managed to wipe out large ? and heavily armed ? bands of drug smugglers, yet, most of such efforts resulted in significant armed clashes with dozens of casualties and arrested personnel.

In early July, the Iranians started a new series of intensive counter-drug operations. Apparently, they were initiated by a series of air strikes and recce sorties undertaken by the TFB.14 Mirages, supplementing reconnaissance operations previously undertaken by IRGCAF helicopters and UAVs. Main area of operations was initially in the more southern regions, on the border with Pakistan, where part of a large drugs shipment of 850kg of opium was confiscated and five drug traffickers killed early in the same month. Another operation followed only days later in the Nehbandan region, and that time the police again confiscated the shipment and the equipment.

On July 10, 2001, the IRNA reported about a ?two-man military training plane crashing in the Amir al-Momenin? neighborhood near the Mashhad international airport/TFB.14, two days earlier - on Tuesday, the July 8, 2001, around 11AM (0630 GMT) - killing an experienced pilot and injuring the copilot.

Subsequently, however, the IRIAF banned any additional reporting on the circumstances surrounding the accident, like in the case of a Yak-40 crash, earlier in 2001. Consequently, no more details surfaced, and ever since, only scarce information became available about the mysterious plane.

In fact, the Mirage which crashed on July 8 in Amir al-Momenin district, near the Mashhad?s airport, was probably a Mirage F.1BQ, and flown by Lt. Gen. Nasser Habibi. Amid a range of rumors about the operation of the Mirage in IRIAF, this report proved for only the second time that Iran was in possession of the type flown to it by Iraqis in 1991, and even more so, utilizing it to the effect. The fighter wsa either on a reconnaissance or a combat mission, taking part in a counter-narcotics cleanup operation in the border region, when hit by an SA-14. Lt. Gen. Habibi managed to fly it back to Mashhad, but he lost control of the plane while landing and the crew ejected, after the pilot managed to avoid populated areas and instead crashed the plane in a garden. Habibi was killed when his parachute failed to open for unknown reasons, but not much is known about his copilot, initially claimed to have parachuted successfully but being injured and hospitalized subsequently: the IRIAF denied that anybody else was involved in the accident and stated that the plane had only one crewmember, while all other Iranian military officials declined to comment on the cause of the crash, or the type of the aircraft.

Despite this loss, Iranians continued their operations along the Afghani and Pakistani borders, and on July 28, 2001 an ultimate success was reported, when authorities reported seizing no less than 4,787kg of opium, 3,101kg hashish, 347kg heroin, 179kg morphine, and arrested 955 traffickers in less than one month, together with considerable number of equipment. Additional reports indicated a heavy use of newly delivered Mi-171s by the IRGCAF in this operation as well.

Considering the amount of confiscated drugs and the number of arrests, as well as the equipment of Afghani and Pakistani drug traffickers, it must have indeed been a very large operation, and it is perhaps a wonder that only one Mirage F.1BQ was lost.

An-140 Attracts Military Support As it Enters Production in Iran

During a ceremony marking the commemoration of the Antonov An-140 first official flight in Iran on 11 October 2000, the country's military officials showed interest toward absorbing the licensed-built turboprop into Iranian armed forces' aging fleet of transport and patrol aircraft.

Iranian military intends to incorporate An-140 in such badly needed roles as light tactical transport, due to its short (1,350m) and unprepared runway performance. Airborne early warning radar platform will also be a desired mission for An-140, taking into account Iran's diverse terrain and the need to provide coverage for low altitude airborne target detection and tracking.

An-140, which is locally named Iran-140, in its naval role can be used for maritime patrol and other related military purposes, including early warning, command and control and target designation. To take advantage of this capability, Iranian navy has expressed its willingness to operate An-140 in offensive and patrol roles, equipping it with a 360-degrees surface search radar. Other equipment options will include a range of Infra-red/Ultra-violet line scanner (IR/UVLS), forward looking airborne radar (FLAR), side looking airborne radar (SLAR), laser Fluorescent sensor (LFS), microwave radiometer (MWR), forward looking Infra-red (FLIR), magnetic anomaly detector (MAD), electronic support measures/radar warning receiver (ESM/RWR), sonobuoy launcher, anti-surface weapons and a video camera with data annotation. The particular systems and subsystems are not yet selected. An-140 is equipped with an auxiliary power unit to provide for necessary power to run the systems.

Model of a maritime patrol version of the Iran-140 (Antonov An-140), with the Iranian Navy markings, and two generic AShMs, resembling Harpoon or C.801, under its wings.

Above and Below: The same model, this time with Iranian Air Force markings.

Maritime patrol, including roles such as electronic warfare, anti-ship missile firing and long range missile guidance relay, emphasizes a need for at least 7 hours endurance. An-140 does not have such a capability yet, but some modifications are being planned to enlarge aircraft's fuel tanks, and by adding additional tanks to the outboard wing section.

Model of the maritime patrol version of the Iran-140, complete with search radar, FLIR, external fuel tanks/search lights, and a distinctive camouflage pattern similar to the Iranian P-3F Orions.

Retouched photo of a model of Iran-140, for maritime surveillance missions. Note the under-wing torpedo.

Light transport for Iranian armed forces is another envisaged mission for the multirole An-140. Currently three directorates within the Iranian Ministry of Defense and Support of the Armed Forces are tasked with assessing requirements to absorb this aircraft within the Iranian armed forces. A separate committee will also be set up to establish specifications and missions. In case of its selection, reportedly no other similar aircraft will be allowed to be procured from abroad.

The interior configuration of the Iran-140MP

The limited production of the original 52-seat civilian An-140 has been commenced at the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries' (IAMI or Hesa as it is known by its Persian abbreviation) vast plant in Shahin-Shahr, 28km northwest of Esfahan. The second prototype recently was rolled out. At its predicted peak rate, twelve airframes will be built annually in collaboration with Ukrainian and Russian companies.

Designed as a successor to the earlier generation An-24/-26/-30 and -32 twin-turboprop transports and survey aircraft, An-140 enjoys a fully loaded (6,000 kg) range of up to 1,134nm (2,100km) with a cruising speed of 315 KTAS (575km/h) at 18,000ft. Its maximum take-off weight is 42,130-lb (19,150 kg).

It was projected that all three production lines in Kharkov, Ukraine; Samara, Russia and Hesa, Iran to be in operation by the end of year 2000. The Progress of Zaparozhiye/Motorsich 2,500shp TV3-117-VMA-SBM1 engine developed in Ukraine from an earlier turboshaft version is also going to be manufactured at the Iran Aircraft Industries (IACI) in Tehran. This engine is claimed to have a TBO of more than 4,000 hours.

Future plans for the aircraft include an An-140T military variant with rear ramp cargo door, to accommodate wheeled vehicles, An-140TK combi and An-140-100 stretch version with uprated engines. Hesa's "Aircraft Design Bureau" is reported to be actively participating in the design phase of the 68-seat An-140-100.

Ukraine and Iran are also about to set up a joint consortium to jointly assemble An-140 passenger jets. The parties had signed a contract for serial production of An-140 jets back in 1995, but so far Iran has assembled only two jets. The consortium is planning to assemble about 100 jets by the year 2020, but some technical as well as certification problems have delayed the programme. Antonov originally planned to issue An-140 a type certificate within the first six months of 2000. The production capacity of 12 planes per year is to be reached in 2004. Each jet costs 8.5 million dollars.

The first accident involving an An-140 occured on 23 December 2002, in central Iran, killing all 45 people on board. The passengers consisted of top managers and leading specialists from a number of Ukrainian and Russian aviation companies involved in the An-140's license production by Hesa. They were scheduled to attend an official ceremony, in Shahin-Shahr, to celebrate roll out of the second license-manufactured Iran-140 aircraft, by Hesa. As expected, Iranian authorities confirmed that the crash would not affect the joint venture.

The first Hesa-produced Iran-140 was completed in 2001, but company has yet to find a domestic customer for the aircraft, which is being seen with scepticism by Iranian civilian operators.

In addition to An-140, Hesa upgrades and manufactures turboprop and jet training aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, hovercrafts, as well as ultralight planes.

HESA Maritime Surveillance (HMS)

Mission Operation:

- Search and Rescue (SAR)
- Sea Surface Surveillance (SuS)
- Sub Surface Surveillance (SSS)
- Maritime Patrol (MP)
- Pollution Control (PC)

Important Mission Equipment:

- Forward-Looking Infra Red (FLIR)
- Search radar
- Electronic Support Measures (ESM)
- VRR (Video Recorder Reproducer)
- MAD (Magnetic Anomaly Detector)
- SAR Kit
- MWR (Microwave Radio Meter)
- Bubble Windows
- Hand-held Camera

Above and Below: HESA's Iran-140 in the percieved AWACS role. Antonov An-140 military AEW version will be equipped with a rotodome and a yet to be determined surveillance radar. Iran has an urgent requirement for at least a dozen of such aircraft due to its diverse topography!

Another model of IR-AN-140 in Iranian Navy colours. The type might replace aging Fokker F27s in service with the IRIN, in VIP and personnel transport role.

Model of the tactical transport version of the Iran-140, in a colour-scheme similar to that of the existing Iranian An-74s. HESA hopes to sell Iran-140 to Iranian armed forces, including to replace the aging Fokker F27 Friendship planes in service with IRIAF and IRIAA.