Free Republic

Iran Boosts Combat Capability of Strategic Aircraft TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Iranian Air Force commander announced on Monday that the Iranian experts have successfully revived the capabilities of the country's strategic Sukhoi-24 aircraft, including its laser missile capabilities. "Our experts have revived important capabilities of Sukhoi-24, including its laser missiles, radar-guided air-to-ground missiles and long-range missiles," Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Air Force for Operations General Seyed Mohammad Alavi told FNA. "Recently, the aircraft's laser missiles in a successful test-fire hit the target with zero-zero error," Alavi added. He further said that the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF)...

Iran claims that three of its pilots who disappeared after their aircraft were shot down during the war nearly six months ago are alive and being held by Qatar, prompting Tehran to call for international intervention and their immediate release. According to reports published Saturday, a senior Iranian armed forces official said the three pilots were captured by Qatari forces after the Su-24 aircraft they were flying were shot down during fighting in March. The claim represents a dramatic change in Iran’s account of the pilots’ fate. For months, Tehran said it did not know what had happened to the...