Here's How Iran's Aging Air Force Would Take On America's F-22 Stealth Fighters

nationalinterest.org ^ | December 23, 2019 | Staff

[Seruzawa]

Without the Phoenix missiles the Tomcats would be hopeless against anything we have in the air.

Maybe they could find some Sopwith Camels and try to come in under the radar.

[setter]

I sure would hate to see those Tomcats wasted even though they belong to Iran.

[Red Badger]

They are so old now I bet they have been cannibalized ...............

[cranked]

This entire article could have been summed up in one frakin’ word: NOT!

[xkaydet65]

Iran remembers Praying Mantis. I am certain Trump’s Nat Sec team does as well. Maybe a bit more formidable today, but so are we and Iran knows this.
Look for assymetrical targeting. Then what we do in response.

[SuperLuminal]

Another big problem, IMHO, would be to keep the Israelis from going full frontal and converting most of Iran, Lebanon, and wherever Palestinians are to glassified dust particles...

[Bon mots]

A F-22 Raptor Snuck Right Underneath an Iranian Fighter Jet

In a war, Iran won't know what hit them.

^{by Robert Beckhusen}

Key point: Stealth is one of the most important elements of combat.

Back in 2013, Pentagon press secretary George Little said that an Iranian air force F-4 Phantom combat plane attempted to intercept a U.S. MQ-1 Predator drone flying through international airspace near Iran.

As we reported back then, one of the two F-4 Phantom jets — in service in Iran since the Shah — came to about 16 miles from the Predator, but broke off pursuit after two American planes escorting the drone broadcast a warning message.

It was a close call.

The March 2013 episode happened only a few months after a two Sukhoi Su-25 attack planes operated by the Pasdaran (the informal name of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards) attempted to shoot down an American MQ-1 flying a routine surveillance flight in international airspace some 16 miles off Iran.

After this attempted interception, the Pentagon decided to escort drones involved in reconnaissance missions with fighter jets: either F-18 Hornets embarked on the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, currently in the U.S. Fifth Fleet area of responsibility, or F-22 Raptors like those deployed to Al Dhafra in the United Arab Emirates.

New details about the latest episode were recently disclosed by Air Force chief of staff Gen. Mark Welsh at an annual conference of the Air Force Association. On Sept. 17, the general not only confirmed that the escorting fighters were F-22 stealth fighters but also said that: “He [the Raptor pilot] flew under their aircraft [the F-4s] to check out their weapons load without them knowing that he was there, and then pulled up on their left wing and then called them and said ‘you really ought to go home.’”

If the episode went exactly as Welsh described it, it was something more similar to Maverick’s close encounter with Russian MiG-28s in Top Gun than a standard interception.

It would be interesting to know how the Raptors managed to remain in stealth. Did the pilots use radar? Were they vectored by an AWACS? Why didn’t an E-2 — providing Airborne Early Warning in the area — not broadcast the message to dissuade the F-4 from pursuing the drone before the Iranian Phantoms and the U.S. Raptors came close to a potentially dangerous and tense situation?

Anyway, the U.S. pilot scared the Iranian pilots off and saved the drone. A happy ending worthy of an action movie.

[Bon mots]

Would probably look something like this...

[Widget Jr]

"With the United States withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal with Iran, a war with Tehran seems to be a distinct possibility. In the event of a military conflict between Washington and Tehran, there is also the ever growing possibility that the White House might seek regime change in Iran."

The President has stated he does not want regime change in Iran. That is why he fired Bolton, who kept speaking for it in public despite the President's wishes. The longer this goes on without a fight, the less likely there will be any conflict. No fight means Iran looks weak and the U.S. looks strong. No war means we win, for now.

If it comes down to it, the US will take out the Iranian Air Force the same way it took out the Iraqi Air Force. Getting them on the ground or as they try to get away to any country that will take them.

Iran tries to look tough, while avoiding direct confrontation. They do not want the U.S. Air Force and Navy launching an all out attacks on them. For now, they are making threats they have no intention of backing up to save face after the President humiliated them by killing Soleimani and heading off their next wave of terrorism.

[Tallguy]

The Iranian’s were using their F-14’s as a poor man’s AWAC’s during the Iran-Iraq War. They didn’t very often get up-close-and-personal with Saddam’s MiGs. They made some long-range shots for sure, but mostly they were vectoring in other planes — F-4’s and F-5’s to get in behind Saddam’s planes.

[Bon mots]

[notpoliticallycorewrecked]

We have more aircraft that are superior in all ways in most states than Iran has in its entire air force.

[trebb]

So, unless it gets down to throwing rocks, because the other armaments have already been used to kill their AF, our guys won’t even work up a sweat...

[minnesota_bound]

How this will be handle. The clay pigeons are Irans air force.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnIEev6ncBc

[AppyPappy]

Iran uses the F-14’s as an AWACs

[Red Badger]

We can use them as target practice................

[masadaman]

No need to hypothesize when a video game trained Air Force computer jock based in Tampa can take out every airstrip in Iran over 1000 feet with his keyboard. No runway = no fly zone. No casualties, just more business for the local road maintenance company.

[Red Badger]

Back in the Desert Storm era, the military didn’t think it was very economical to use expensive bombs to blow up runways, since they could be repaired relatively easily and quickly...........

[AppyPappy]

Iraq was a military powerhouse compared to Iran. Iran has been suffering under sanctions for too long. Being a religious state, they are prone to removing military people who don’t toe the line. Their soldiers are better than Saddam’s but their equipment is complete shiite. Their best stuff is anti-ship missiles and S-400’s. They can hurt us with both.

Six B-52’s carrying cruise missiles can reduce them to cave-dwellers. They’ll be limited to launching SCUD’s at Saudi Arabia and Israel. But invading them will be tricky if not impossible.

[Red Badger]

Invasion would not be necessary.

Destroying Iran’s military power would allow the citizens to rise up and take control..............