Phantoms Phorever, Part 6: Iran

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Phantoms Phorever, Part 6: Iran
By Tom Cooper
Nov 16, 2003, 17:31

Iran was only the second country to receive the Phantom, right after the UK. The first 16 F-4Ds were ordered in July 1967, followed by 16 more, and deliveries commenced in September 1968. By 1973 Iran ordered also 177 F-4Es and 16 RF-4Es, all of which were delivered by 1977, together with a considerable number of "white-tail" or "Unknown Iranians" RF-4Es, supplied directly from USAF stocks as replacements for examples lost over the USSR during a joint (but clandestine) US-Iranian reconnaissance operations. Also, a number of F-4Es was leased to Iran by the USAF in order to ease the initial re-qualification of the crews. Most of these were returned to the USA, but at least two examples were not. Consequently, Iran received at least 227 Phantoms, but more likely around 240. And additional order for 31 F-4Es and 16 RF-4Es was placed, and aircraft partially built, but never completed.

Iran received the following F-4Ds:

Operation Peace Roll I
67-14869 - 3-601 - (later 3-665, then 3-6697, for details see bellow)
67-14870 - 3-602
67-14871 - 3-603 (w/o 11/1968)
67-14872 - 3-604
67-14873 - 3-605 (w/o 1971)
67-14874 - 3-606
67-14875 - 3-607
67-14876 - 3-608
67-14877 - 3-609
67-14878 - 3-610
67-14879 - 3-611
67-14880 - 3-612
67-14881 - 3-613
67-14882 - 3-614
67-14883 - 3-615
67-14884 - 3-616
68-6904 - 3-617
68-6905 - 3-618
68-6906 - 3-619
68-6907 - 3-620
68-6908 - 3-621
68-6909 - 3-622
68-6910 - 3-623
68-6911 - 3-624
68-6912 - 3-625
68-6913 - 3-626
68-6914 - 3-627
68-6915 - 3-628
68-6916 - 3-629
68-6917 - 3-630
68-6918 - 3-631
68-6919 - 3-632

By 1975 the surviving F-4Ds were re-serialled 3-665 thru 3-691 (although, it must be mentioned that it is known that there was also an F-4E with the serial 3-668, which would therefore conflict with an F-4D with the same serial), but already in January 1976 a new serialling system was introduced according to which the serials consisted of a single prefix and a sufix of four digits. In the frame of this re-serialling, remaining Iranian F-4Ds were re-serialled 3-6697 thru 3-6725 or 3-6726. While the F-4D 67-14869 is confirmed as being kept the first in the sequence, and wearing the serial 3-6697 until today, however, the remaining aircraft were not serialled in this sequence any more: on the contrary, during the 1980s all the surviving F-4Ds were re-serialled at least two times, causing a considerable confusion even between the crews, and making it almost impossible to track them any more.

Operation Peace Roll II
In 1969 Iran ordered the first 32 F-4Es, and the deliveries of these started on 30 March 1971. The aircraft delivered and their original serials were as follows:
69-7711 - 3-633
69-7712 - 3-634
69-7713 - 3-635
69-7714 - 3-636
69-7715 - 3-637
69-7716 - 3-638
69-7717 - 3-639
69-7718 - 3-640
69-7719 - 3-641
69-7720 - 3-642
69-7721 - 3-643
69-7722 - 3-644
69-7723 - 3-645
69-7724 - 3-646
69-7725 - 3-647
69-7726 - 3-648
69-7727 - 3-649
69-7728 - 3-650
69-7729 - 3-651
69-7730 - 3-652
69-7731 - 3-653
69-7732 - 3-654
69-7733 - 3-655
69-7734 - 3-656
69-7735 - 3-657
69-7736 - 3-658
69-7737 - 3-659
69-7738 - 3-660
69-7739 - 3-661
69-7740 - 3-662
69-7741 - 3-663
69-7742 - 3-664

These Phantoms were already AGM-65 Maverick compatible, but they were delivered without the LES (leading edge slats) for improved maneuverability: these were only added at a later stage, as they went through general overhaul.

Operation Peace Roll III
The third batch of F-4Es for Iran was ordered in 1971. Delivered was a total of 73 aircraft, with US serials 71-1094 thru 71-1166, and 73-1519 thru 73-1554. These aircraft have already got the so-called Mod.556 cockpit; all had LES and were AGM-65 Maverick compatible. 49 aircraft from this batch have subsequently got also the APX-80 Combat Tree enemy-IFF-interrogator, and a new digital navigation system.

Operation Peace Roll IV
Finally, in 1972 the last large batch was ordered, consisting of 35 F-4Es, with US serials 75-0222 thru 75-0257. The last aircraft from this batch was supplied only in 1978, but these Phantoms were some of the best equipped ever, then they have got not only the ASX-1 TISEO electro-optical sensor, but also the APX-80 Combat Tree enemy-IFF-interrogator, a new digital ARN-101 navigation system, and a cockpit layout with vastly improved position of instruments and switches (the so-called Mod.556 cockpit, which was a predecessor to subsequent "HOTAS" cockpits).

The serialling system of the Iranian F-4Es since January 1976 remains not entirely clear. It is known that at the time the F-4Es have also got serials consisting of a single-digit prefix and four-digit sufix, and ranging from 3-6501 thru 3-6691, however, no 191 F-4Es are known to have been delivered to Iran. Only 177 were. Besides, there was some attrition already by the time. Consequently, it is obvious that already then there were several gaps in the sequence.

To make matters worse, since 1980 the surviving F-4Es were re-serialled at least four times more. Even if few examples went through this all - and the war with Iraq - without ever being re-serialled (at least after 1976), the eventual current serials of most aircraft remain completely unknown.

Dark Gene
The story of RF-4Es in Iranian service is probably one of the most secret chapters in the history of the Phantom II. As it seems at one point in the early 1970s the USAF loaned two RF-4Cs to Iran. Actually, the aircraft - known to have been 69-0369 and 69-0370 - were used for "top secret" reconnaissance flights behind the Sovit borders, in a joint US-Iranian operation. It is known that these two Phantoms passed through US European bases underway to Iran on 8 August 1970.

Interestingly, only a month later Iran officially ordered six RF-4Es, and it is even more interesting to note how swiftly these were built and delivered at the time McDonnell Douglas was overloaded with orders from the USAF, USN, Luftwaffe and some other customers. Equally interesting is that although the official serials of the first six RF-4Es destigned for Iran were 72-0266 thru 72-0269, the first Iranian recce-Phantom was rolled off the production line already in the late autumn 1970, and made its maiden flight on 14 December of the same year! Even more so, it arrived in Iran already in March 1971, thus enabling the USAF to get back its two RF-4Cs to their bases in Germany and the UK (where these were noticed because of their desert camouflage pattern), in early March 1971. The serials of all the Iranian RF-4Es were:
72-0266 - 2-6501
72-0267 - 2-6502
72-0268 - 2-6503
72-0269 - 2-6504 (remaining Iranian serials remain unconfirmed)
74-1725
74-1726
74-1727
74-1728
74-1729
74-1730
74-1731
74-1732
74-1733
74-1734
74-1735
74-1736

It must be mentioned, however, that these were certainly not all the RF-4Es delivered to Iran. Very early in the 1970s the USAF started supplying additional examples, so-called "Unknown-Iranians" (or "UKIs"), full of exotic equipment and therefore sometimes nick-named "Dark Genes". The main purpose of the UKIs was to replace losses that eventually occured during reconnaissance missions deep into the USSR. It is believed that Iran received between six and 12 of such airframes.

IIAF & IRIAF F-4 Phantom Units
During the 1970s the Iranian Air Force was almost permanently busy acquiring new aircraft and training large numbers of crews for them. Consequently, its unit structure was frequently chaning. Only the break of the relations to the USA brought an end to this development, resulting in a relative "stabilization" of the unit structure by 1980.

At the time, the Iranian F-4-units were organized and equipped as follows:

- 11th TFW, based at Mehrabad/TFB.1, with 11th "Instructors" (the unit was actually a Fighter-Weapons School) and 12th TFS, flying F-4Es and RF-4Es (the last were shared also with the 1st ERW). From spring of 1981 for several months the 11th TFW had a squadron-sized detachment of F-4Es based at Vahdati/TFB.4.

The F-4E 3-6558 was one of the early Iranian "gun-nosed" Phantom IIs. Early during the war with Iraq it served with the 11th TFS "Instructors", based at Mehrabad AB: on 26 September 1980, for example, it was used to shot down an Iraqi MiG-23 only four kilometers outside Tehran.

As of present time only few F-4Es are based in Mehrabad, and operated by the Test & Evaluation Squadron. This unit frequently changes its aircraft as it usually flies Phantoms sent to IACI for general overhaul and upgrades.

- 31st TFW (CO Col. Golchin in 1980), based at Nojeh (former Shahrokhi)/TFB.3, with 31st and 32nd TFS, flying F-4Es and RF-4Es.

F-4E 3-6529 was in service with the 31st TFW, based at Nojeh AB (former Shahrokhi AB) for most of the war with Iraq. It is shown here armed with British-built Huntington BL.755 CBUs, as armed on 19 November 1980, when dispatched with three other Phantoms to strike the football stadium in Badreh, Iraq, which was used as a staging area for Iraqi army helicopters.

The F-4E 3-6570 was the Phantom belonging to the 31st TFW, and flown by Lt.Col. Abbas Dowran and Capt. Mansour Kazemiyan into attack on the National Conference Center in Baghdad, on 21 July 1982. While approaching the Baghdad IAP, the crew was surprised by an Iraqi Roland 2 SAM-site and the aircraft hit: Capt. Kazemiyan ejected safely and was captured, but Lt.Col. Dowran flew his aircraft into the control tower.

The TISEO-equipped F-4E 3-6684 was originally assigned to the 91th TFW, based at Bandar Abbas AB, but in autumn 1981 it was sent as reinforcement to a squadron of the 31st TFW, forward-deployed at Vahdati AB (TFB.4). It was a favourite mount of several successful IRIAF pilots, and used to shot down at least one Iraqi MiG-21.

The RF-4E 2-6510 was one of relatively few Iranian recce-Phantoms that survived the long war with Iraq. For most of the war it was assigned to the TFB.3, Nojeh AB, near Hamedan. Note that the aircraft is shown with the ejector rack for flash-cartridges open. In November 1973, while underway over the USSR, an Iranian RF-4E - flown by an IIAF pilot and USAF RIO - was intercepted by a Soviet MiG-21SMT: using his flash-cartriges, the USAF RIO spoiled four K-13 attacks of the Soviet interceptor and finally forced the pilot to ram the recce-Phantom in order to bring it down.

- 32nd TFW, based at Nojeh (former Shahrokhi)/TFB.3, with 306th and 308th TFS, flying F-4Ds: both of these units were disbanded in late 1980 and sent their aircraft to 71st TFW; instead, the 32nd TFW was reorganized with newly-formed 33rd and 34th Squadrons, both of which flew F-4Es. The 33rd Squadron has also got a detachment of four RF-4Es, and is still flying these today.

From late 1980 until the end of the war with Iraq, the 31st and 32nd TFW had an almost permanent squadron-sized detachment at Vahdati/TFB.4, near Dezful. In 1988 also a squadron-sized detachment was sent to TFB.9, where it remained for some two months. TFB.3 remains the main Iranian F-4E- and RF-4E-base until today, albeit with only one wing, consisting of three squadrons.

This F-4D was the first ever delivered to Iran. Initially after delivery, it entered service with the 308th TFS IIAF, and was serialled 3-601. Already in 1974 it was re-deployed to Hor AB, near Shiraz, to serve with the 72nd TFS, and re-serialled to 3-663, but in 1976 it was assigned back to the 308th TFS at Shahrokhi AB, near Hamedan, and re-serialled to 3-6697, in accordance with the new Iranian serialling system, according to which all aircraft of the IIAF were to have five-digit serials, of which the prefix was designating the role (3 = combat aircraft). Like other Iranian F-4Ds, this aircraft was equipped to carry and use the AVQ-9 "Zot Box" laser designator and GBU-10 LGBs. It survived at least two tours during the war in Oman, and the fighting in Iranian Kurdistan, in 1979-1980, and was used during the whole war with Iraq, during the 1980s, at the time assigned to the 71st TFS, while again based at Hor AB, but frequently also at Vahdati, Tabriz and other forward airfields.

The exact serialling history of the F-4D "3-6712" remains unknown, as while re-serialling their aircraft, the IIAF would cover the eventual operational losses (so after the F-4D 3-602 was lost in a crash, in the early 1970s, during the next re-serialling the former 3-603 took its place instead). As the Iranian F-4Ds were re-serialled at least two times already by 1979, and at least two times ever since, it is almost impossible to find out the original USAF serial of this Phantom II. Nevertheless, it was one of the Iranian F-4Ds equipped with advanced RHAW-systems (mounted in the redundant IRST-housing under the radome) in early 1979, and it played a prominent role in many strikes deep into Iraq: its advanced RHAWS, namely provided the crew with excellent capability to track the work of the Iraqi SAM- and AAA-sites ahead of them, and lead the rest of the formation along the less-well defended routes. After serving with the 71st and 72nd TFS for most of the war, and being used for downing of at least one Iraqi MiG-21MF (in October 1980), the plane survived the war and remains in service.

Since the year 2000, the IRIAF repainted at lest one of its surviving RF-4Es into this "low-wiz" camouflage pattern, similar to that now applied to refurbished F-14As and some MiG-29s.

- 61st TFW (CO Col. Dadpay), based at Bushehr/TFB.6, with 61st and 62nd TFS, flying F-4Es. RF-4Es were also operated by the units of this squadron: the 61st TFS usually had four between 1974 and 1990, while the 62nd TFS also had a flight of up to eight RF-4Es until 1992.

F-4E 3-6611 was one of six Phantoms belonging to the 61st TFW, based at Bushehr AB, used in conjunction with AGM-65A Maverick missiles to literaly destroy most of the Iraqi Navy, during the Iranian operation Morvarid, on 29 November 1980.

F-4E 3-6645 (73-01457) was assigned to the 61st TFW for most of the waar. It also participated in the Operation Morvarid, when it was flown by Maj. Yassini, who sunk several Iraqi missile boats.

RF-4E 2-6507 was apparently one of the last Iranian "UKI" Phantoms (white-tail examples, delivered to Iran straight from USAF stocks). It was used for flying dozens of recce sorties deep over the USSR, in the mid-1970s, and then extensively during the war with Iraq, while officially assigned to the 62nd TFS, based at Bushehr AB.

- 71st TFW (CO Maj. Daneshmandi), based at Hor/TFB.7 (near Shiraz), with 71st TFS, flying F-4Es.

- 91st TFW (CO Col. Zowghi), based at Bandar Abbas/TFB.9, with 91st "Sharks" and 92nd TFS, flying F-4Es. The 91st TFW was decimated in 1988, when a C-130 carrying most of the flying crews crashed near Bandar Abbas, killing all aboard. Although not having any F-4-units permanently deployed any more, the TFB.9 remains an important Phantom base, with frequent detachments from TFB.3 and TFB.10.

- 101st TFW, with 101st TFS was based at Chabahar/TFB.10, and flew F-4Es; it was disbanded early after the start of the war with Iraq, with its aircraft and crews being sent as reinforcements to other units. Nevertheless, the 101st TFS was reorganized in the 1990s again, and this time re-equipped with surviving F-4Ds (replaced within the 71st TFW by Su-24MKs).

Another significant change came already by the end of the year 1980, when the 32nd TFW and 71st TFW swapped their Phantoms: F-4Ds were all concentrated within the 71st TFW, forming the 71st TFS and the 72nd TFS. Both units have frequently deployed detachments to different air bases closer to the battlefield, and these were usually designated "306th" or "308th" TFS, in memory of the former units. Simultaneously, the 33rd and 34th TFS were formed at Nojeh AB, both equipped with F-4Es. In this way no less but 120 F-4Es and most of the RF-4Es were concentrated on only three bases: Mehrabad, Nojeh, and Bushehr, while Hor had "only" F-4Ds (and F-14As).

Finally, Iranian RF-4Es were always operated as flights within F-4E units, based at Mehrabad, Shahrokhi/Nojeh, and Bushehr. In the recent years the survivors were all concentrated within the TFB.3.