maybe i should write this in the history forum , i dont know MODS if its in the wrong section i'm sorry
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Since 1972 the Shah of Iran had taken interest in buying some new American built hi-tech interceptor aircraft, Iran had taken interest in the General Dynamics F-111 since 1968 but the US turned down this request instead sending some 32 F-4 Phantom II's to Iran in the early 1970's.
In light of air to air combat experience from Vietnam the Grumman Cooperation designed the F-14 Tomcat, a fast and powerful interceptor that could face down nimble Russian MiGs, it also had the large powerful AWG-9 radar that could scan the battlefield for miles and could carry six AIM-54 missiles, these large long range missiles could be fired and reach a speed of Mach 4 before hitting their target from up to 100 miles away.
This incorporated with the AWG-9 radar meant that the F-14 could track 24 different targets and fire 6 missiles at them, all of this under a single airframe, truly the worlds first super fighter.
But after the delivery of the first 20 or so in 1976 the Shah orders another batch bringing the total number of orders up to 80, these made up the bulk of the IIAF air defense that would cover all of Iran, most of the F-14's to be situated at the massive Khatami Air Base built in the desert outside of the city of Esfahan in the centre of Iran.
But why the development of such huge aerial defence logistics in so short a time?
Well Soviet MiGs had performed several overflights of Iran during the 1970's and the Iranians were finding it difficult to cope with their F-4 Phantoms, and intercepting the fast MiG-25 Foxbats (still one of the fastest jets in the world), it became dangerous when an F-4 intercepted and managed to hit the MiG-25 which managed to fly over the northern border into the USSR before crashing.
The Soviets responded by shooting down one of the IIAF EF-4's, not long later the first F-14's begun to arrive.
The IIAF was improving their air defense to be one of the best in the world, the AIM-54 armed F-14 Tomcat proved a real threat to the Soviets compared to the Sparrow armed F-4, over the desert the F-14's trained by shooting down drones from long distances with their new AIM-54 missiles testing the deadly system.
The Shah seemed to think seriously that the Soviets were going to invade, if coordinated properly the IIAF would be a match for even the Soviet Air Force and would be able to keep Irans air space well guarded, the Shah had also ordered the delivery of some 150 F-16 Fighting Falcons about a year before the revolution but that never happened and they were given to Israel instead in 1980.and about 5AWACS which 3of them were deliverd at the time of the revoloution,but later returned due to ayatollah khomeinis words
But that would have been one formidable force if held together properly, the F-16's just add it to a standard that would ensure the Russians had no air superiority and would therefore be unable to launch a ground invasion of northern Iran.
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Since 1972 the Shah of Iran had taken interest in buying some new American built hi-tech interceptor aircraft, Iran had taken interest in the General Dynamics F-111 since 1968 but the US turned down this request instead sending some 32 F-4 Phantom II's to Iran in the early 1970's.
In light of air to air combat experience from Vietnam the Grumman Cooperation designed the F-14 Tomcat, a fast and powerful interceptor that could face down nimble Russian MiGs, it also had the large powerful AWG-9 radar that could scan the battlefield for miles and could carry six AIM-54 missiles, these large long range missiles could be fired and reach a speed of Mach 4 before hitting their target from up to 100 miles away.
This incorporated with the AWG-9 radar meant that the F-14 could track 24 different targets and fire 6 missiles at them, all of this under a single airframe, truly the worlds first super fighter.
But after the delivery of the first 20 or so in 1976 the Shah orders another batch bringing the total number of orders up to 80, these made up the bulk of the IIAF air defense that would cover all of Iran, most of the F-14's to be situated at the massive Khatami Air Base built in the desert outside of the city of Esfahan in the centre of Iran.
But why the development of such huge aerial defence logistics in so short a time?
Well Soviet MiGs had performed several overflights of Iran during the 1970's and the Iranians were finding it difficult to cope with their F-4 Phantoms, and intercepting the fast MiG-25 Foxbats (still one of the fastest jets in the world), it became dangerous when an F-4 intercepted and managed to hit the MiG-25 which managed to fly over the northern border into the USSR before crashing.
The Soviets responded by shooting down one of the IIAF EF-4's, not long later the first F-14's begun to arrive.
The IIAF was improving their air defense to be one of the best in the world, the AIM-54 armed F-14 Tomcat proved a real threat to the Soviets compared to the Sparrow armed F-4, over the desert the F-14's trained by shooting down drones from long distances with their new AIM-54 missiles testing the deadly system.
The Shah seemed to think seriously that the Soviets were going to invade, if coordinated properly the IIAF would be a match for even the Soviet Air Force and would be able to keep Irans air space well guarded, the Shah had also ordered the delivery of some 150 F-16 Fighting Falcons about a year before the revolution but that never happened and they were given to Israel instead in 1980.and about 5AWACS which 3of them were deliverd at the time of the revoloution,but later returned due to ayatollah khomeinis words
But that would have been one formidable force if held together properly, the F-16's just add it to a standard that would ensure the Russians had no air superiority and would therefore be unable to launch a ground invasion of northern Iran.
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