Free Republic

"Land speculators close to IRGC attacked IranAirForce base in Mahmudabad, Mazandaran province & tried to take over its lands & its residential town in North of Iran. They had brought bulldozers to destroy fence & runway of the base. Three of them were killed." "The base commander ordered the soldiers to open fire at the intruders who had thrown stones at the IRIAF soldiers & had beaten them with sticks." "Iran Air Force uses the Mahmudabad base for training of its CH-47C Chinook helicopter pilots & also for the Search & Rescue training in CaspianSea.

Israel has praised the Lockheed Martin F-35 as a “game-changer”. Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) commander Brigadier General Farzad Ismaili, who had been in office since 2010, has been fired by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after he kept secret that Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-35 stealth fighters had violated Iran’s airspace, the Kuwaiti daily Al Jarida reported on Saturday. The newspaper emphasized that it was the original media source that exposed the Israeli raids, which had taken place in March 2018. Al Jarida cited senior Iranian military who said that only following its March report did...

Something really interesting details have been exposed by the material released by Russia’s MoD lately. Indeed, as you can see in the video below, IRIAF (Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force) F-14 Tomcat interceptors escorted Russian Air Force Tu-95 Bear bombers flying in Iranian airspace during their 9h 30mins missions (from Engels airbase and back, along the Iraq-Iran-Caspian Sea 6,500 km-long corridor) against terrorist targets in Syria. With the U.S. Navy retiring the legendary F-14 in September 2006, nowadays the IRIAF is the only operator of the Tomcat, a type of aircraft that Tehran has kept airworthy throughout the years...

An Iranian McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II jet has struck Islamic State targets in the eastern Iraqi province of Diyala, footage shot by regional media shows. At least one F-4 is seen conducting a bombing run against ground targets in the footage shot by Al Jazeera , which erroneously identified the aircraft as an Iraqi fighter. Iran and Turkey are the only regional operators of the F-4, and the location of the incident not far from the Iranian border, and Turkey's unwillingness to get involved in the conflict militarily, indicate this to be an Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force...

Isfahan Air Base handling maintenance, overhaul of Tomcats Isfahan, Nov. 6, IRNA – Isfahan's Shahid Babaie Air Base is unique in its kind worldwide in terms of maintenance and overhaul of F14 fighter jets (tomcat). Commander of the Air Base, Brigadier Ali-Reza Barkhor told IRNA on Sunday that his Base is the only center for training pilots for fixed wing planes of the Islamic Republic Army. He said his Base is also handling flights F14 planes after 33 years of sanctions which indicates high experience of Air Force technicians. The commander said the flight of such warplanes is of significance...

Iran Test-Fires Super-Heavy Smart Bombs in Air Drills TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Army's Air Force successfully test-fired its Qassed smart bombs during the air drills underway in Northwestern Iran. Air Force Lieutenant Commander Brigadier General Hossein Chitforoush, who is the spokesman of the 'Fadaeeyan-e Harim-e Vellayat III' air drills, said that an Iranian F-4 bomber fired Qassed super-heavy, smart bombs at a target on the second day of the third phase of the air drills, adding that the bomb successfully hit the target. The 2000-pound smart bombs are able to fly a 40km distance and hit the target without pilot's...

Iran Uses F-14 Squadrons for Air Defense TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran uses its F-14 fighter jets for air-defense missions, a senior Iranian air defense commander said, adding that the aircraft has gone under a relevant set of tests in the ongoing air drills in Northwestern Iran. Speaking to FNA, Deputy Commander of Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base for Inspection Colonel Abolfazl Farmahini said that F-14 fighter jets participated in the 'Fadaeeyan-e Harim-e Vellayat III' air drills as part of the country's integrated air defense plan, "and that's why they are operating under the Khatam ol-Anbia base". "These planes are used as...

Iran to build jet trainer aircraft The Air Force of Islamic Republic of Iran (IRIAF) has announced a plan to manufacture jet trainer aircraft in line with the military's scientific breakthroughs. Iran is continuing to “manufacture advanced models of fighter jets, including Saeqeh (thunderbolt) and Azarakhsh (lightning),” IRNA quoted IRIAF Commander Brigadier General Hassan Shah-Safi as saying on Wednesday. He referred to the advances made by the Iranian Air Force to keep abreast with modern technologies and sciences. “The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force is the most powerful air force in the region,” he further added. IRIAF has recently...

Iran Overhauls Strategic Mig-29 Fighter Jets TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Iranian Air Force commander announced on Monday that the country has succeeded in overhauling its strategic Mig-29 fighter jets inside the country. "For the first time in the country, we received the permission for overhauling two Mig-29 fighter jets in Tabriz (air base) and the five-stage overhauling procedures were carried out in two phases in Tabriz," Commander of Tabriz Air Base Mohammad Hellatabadi said in a ceremony in Iran's Northwestern city of Tabriz. "And today, we observe the two overhauled planes flying over Tabriz air base," the commander noted. Earlier...

Iran's military looks to the sky as new priority (AP) – 7 hours ago DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — In military maneuvers and air shows, Iran has been proudly touting advances in its air forces and defenses, including radar systems, anti-aircraft batteries and new attack and reconnaissance drones. It's a sign of a new priority for Iran's military — trying to quickly bolster its ability to patrol its skies in the belief that U.S. or Israeli warplanes or missiles could strike its nuclear facilities. But Iran's highly publicized unveilings of air systems in recent months — including an armed...

A video release on YouTube shows that the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) has a number of Grumman F-14 Tomcats operational with locally-produced parts. The Iranian news agency FNA reports that the aircraft have been fitted with a locally-produced radar system and could carry 2,000lb (900kg) GBU-78/A Qassed (Messenger) 'smart' bombs.

Iran was said to have encountered difficulties in modernizing its Air Force. The U.S. intelligence community has determined that the Iranian Air Force was hampered in several areas of modernization of its 1970s-era U.S.-origin platforms. The Defense Intelligence Agency assessed that the Air Force was blocked in such areas as airborne early-warning and control as well as precision-guided munitions. "The IRIAF [Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force] remains largely dependent on 1970's-era U.S. aircraft like the F-4 Phantom II, the F-14A Tomcat, and the F-5E Tiger II," DIA said in a report titled "Iran's Military Power." The report, released to...

Russia should honor a contract to sell a missile defense system to Iran and not bend to outside pressure, the Islamic Republic's defense minister said in remarks published on Thursday. Russia, which is under Western pressure to distance itself from Iran, has not followed through on proposals to supply high-grade S-300 air defense missiles. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Russia last month for not providing the arms to Iran, which is at odds with the West over its nuclear and missile programs. Israel says the S-300 systems could be used to defend Iranian nuclear facilities against potential air strikes....

An Iranian military plane crashed in the northwest of the country on Monday, killing 13 people including the head of the Revolutionary Guards ground forces, Iranian news agencies reported. The crash came barely a month after a decrepit Iranian military transport plane crashed into the foot of a high-rise housing block after suffering engine failure. A total of 108 people were killed.

Covert "shaved" site show here was moved to Nour nuclear suburb. No one familiar with Iran’s record of broken promises on its hidden nuclear weapons program will be surprised by the allegations leveled against Tehran this week. On Wednesday, November 17, outgoing US secretary of state Colin Powell said to reporters during a South American tour: US has intelligence that Iran is working to adapt missiles for the delivery of nuclear weapons. “I have seen information that they not only have the missiles but are working hard to put the two together.” The highly classified, unverified information Powell referred to...

Tehran, Dec 9 - Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami on Friday accused the United States of committing a "crime" by refusing to sell modern airplanes and parts to Iran, following a deadly plane crash that killed 108 people. "To deprive Iran of the most modern and secure (flight) apparatus is a crime against people that a power like the United States does not have the right to commit," he said. "Unfortunately, after some delay, they (the French) annulled the contract because of the US's refusal... it is a crime against humanity," Khatami said. "Political conflicts, sanctions and wars between countries...

Military aircraft carrying 90 pax crashes into buildings in tehran. More as it develops.

Last update - 14:43 06/12/2005 At least 111 dead as aircraft crashes into Tehran buildings By Reuters TEHRAN - An Iranian military transport plane crashed into a 10-story apartment building in the suburbs of the capital Tehran on Tuesday, killing at least 111 people, according to state media and the city's mayor. All 94 passengers and crew of the plane were killed, the mayor of Tehran said. Tehran state radio said that of the building's residents, 25 people were killed and 15 were injured. The ISNA students' news agency said the aircraft burst into flames and that the fire was...

TEHRAN, Iran - An Iranian military transport plane crashed after clipping a 10-story apartment building as it was trying to make an emergency landing Tuesday, ripping open the top of the structure and igniting a huge fire. At least 128 people were killed — 34 on the ground. The plane was carrying Iranian journalists to cover military maneuvers in the south, and all 94 people on the aircraft were killed. In addition to the 34 residents of the apartment building who were killed, 90 were injured, Tehran state radio said. Flames leaped out of windows and from the roof as...

Iran under fire over plane crash The authorities in Iran are facing bitter criticism over Tuesday's crash of an ageing military transport plane that killed about 110 people. Reports say the plane had experienced technical problems all morning, causing the take-off to be delayed for hours. Iranian media also say the pilot had asked twice to make an emergency landing at Mehrabad airport, but had been refused because it was busy. Military officials have strongly denied any suggestion of negligence. The C-130 came down in a densely-populated residential district of south-west Tehran and ploughed into a 10-storey apartment block, setting...