Iraqi Weapons under the sands and ground

ACIG ^ | ACIG

[F14 Pilot]

On 6 July 2003, the US troops deployed to Iraq found a large number (between 30 and 40) of Iraqi Air Force (IrAF) aircraft, dug in into the sand near the al-Taqaddum AB, some 250km west of Baghdad.

[blackie]

Good stuff ~ Bump!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[eastforker]

I like the "let's roll" on the side of the truck in the last picture.

[Reeses]

Iraq tried to use the Mig-25 as a normal air superiority fighter, with diastrous results.

I'd say they hid them from the inspectors and didn't use them during Desert Storm because they were intended for delivering biological weapons to Israel at high speed.

[Minutemen]

The way the Iraqi's "mothballed" them, I'd give the engines about 2 minutes run-time before self-destruction.

[Alamo-Girl]

Wow! I didn't notice that on the first read. Thank you so much!

[Pete'sWife]

I knew a guy who buried his Corvair (it was still running), but this is ridiculous!

[PhilDragoo]

All the anthrax Saddam is reputed to have had would fit in the space of one of these 30-40 planes.

But, of course, Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction.

[Criminal Number 18F]

There also was at least one Libyan Arab Revolutionary Aiir Force MiG-25 that approached too close to a US carrier group in about 1986. I believe that it was destroyed by an AIM-7 fired by an F-14, but I'd have to hit the books to be sure.

In a separate incident, a Libyan Su-22 was shot down. It was the same day, or the same week. I believe both pilots perished. They may have ejected but the US could not find them and the Libyans, of course, have no SAR capability to speak of. Flying feet wet is a brave thing for those guys to do, but I suppose they are young and immortal.

Ejection from the MiG-25, especially at speed/altitude, is problematic. Most of the incidents I know of the crews do not survive.

Speaking of Iran and F-14s, though, it's quite amazing that the IIRAF has kept them flying. Especially considering how hard the Air Force was purged after the revolution. A testimony to Iranian ingenuity (and perhaps, to American cupidity).

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[F14 Pilot]

Yeah, There are many F-14s flyable in the IRIAF...

[Criminal Number 18F]

Well, the new government will need them so I hope the crews (air and ground) keep their heads down when the ayatollahs start to fall... because I don't think that they will go gently from the positions of power. There are probably still guys in Pasdaran who consider ability to operate something like an airplane as prima facie evidence of apostasy.

But I think now it is a question of when rather than if.

And that raises the interesting question of what comes next?

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[F14 Pilot]

IRIAF ( former IIAF ) is a small scale force of the USAF.
All officers have been trained here, in the US on our AF Bases. No worries in time of uprising.