fatman17
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Date Posted: 17-Aug-2010
Jane's Defence Weekly
Iranian F-4 crashes into Persian Gulf
Gareth Jennings Jane's Aviation Desk Editor - London
An Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II combat aircraft has crashed into the Persian Gulf off the southern Iranian province of Bushehr, Iranian state media announced on 17 August.
According to Press TV, which quoted a Bushehr provincial official, the aircraft came down near Shif island on 16 August after suffering "technical faults".
The two crew members ejected safely and were recovered shortly after, the report said.
The IRIAF has approximately 60 operational F-4s out of an inventory of 225 such aircraft that were procured from the US before the fall of the Shah of Iran in 1979. With the bulk of Iran's fighter inventory made up of similar US-supplied aircraft, such as the Grumman F-14A Tomcat and Northrop F-5 Tiger II, the IRIAF has had to either cannibalise aircraft or source parts from third parties to keep its fleet serviceable.
While Hevapeimasazi (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries Company - HESA) has managed to reverse-engineer and produce some components indigenously, its ability to produce such parts is believed to fall somewhat short of the numbers needed to sustain the US-supplied aircraft in an airworthy condition.
The IRIAF operates F-4D, F-4E and RF-4E-variant Phantoms, although it is not known which type was lost in this incident. Given the location of the crash, in the south of the country, it is likely that it was an F-4E operated by the either the 61st or 62nd Fighter Squadrons of Tactical Air Base 6, Southern Air Command. These units operate out of Bushehr Air Base, not far from the crash site.
This is the second such loss of an Iranian F-4 in recent years. In November 2007 a Phantom crashed into the Gulf of Oman off the southeastern coast of Iran. At the time, it was suggested that a mechanical fault may have been to blame, although no official cause has yet been released.
In addition to its ageing fleet of US aircraft, the IRIAF also operates a number of Mirage F1, F-7M, MiG-29, Su-24 and Su-25 aircraft, many of which it seized from Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War from 1980 to 1988, as well as over 100 Iraqi MiG-29s that fled to Iran in 1991 during the first Gulf War.
Date Posted: 17-Aug-2010
Jane's Defence Weekly
Iranian F-4 crashes into Persian Gulf
Gareth Jennings Jane's Aviation Desk Editor - London
An Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II combat aircraft has crashed into the Persian Gulf off the southern Iranian province of Bushehr, Iranian state media announced on 17 August.
According to Press TV, which quoted a Bushehr provincial official, the aircraft came down near Shif island on 16 August after suffering "technical faults".
The two crew members ejected safely and were recovered shortly after, the report said.
The IRIAF has approximately 60 operational F-4s out of an inventory of 225 such aircraft that were procured from the US before the fall of the Shah of Iran in 1979. With the bulk of Iran's fighter inventory made up of similar US-supplied aircraft, such as the Grumman F-14A Tomcat and Northrop F-5 Tiger II, the IRIAF has had to either cannibalise aircraft or source parts from third parties to keep its fleet serviceable.
While Hevapeimasazi (Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries Company - HESA) has managed to reverse-engineer and produce some components indigenously, its ability to produce such parts is believed to fall somewhat short of the numbers needed to sustain the US-supplied aircraft in an airworthy condition.
The IRIAF operates F-4D, F-4E and RF-4E-variant Phantoms, although it is not known which type was lost in this incident. Given the location of the crash, in the south of the country, it is likely that it was an F-4E operated by the either the 61st or 62nd Fighter Squadrons of Tactical Air Base 6, Southern Air Command. These units operate out of Bushehr Air Base, not far from the crash site.
This is the second such loss of an Iranian F-4 in recent years. In November 2007 a Phantom crashed into the Gulf of Oman off the southeastern coast of Iran. At the time, it was suggested that a mechanical fault may have been to blame, although no official cause has yet been released.
In addition to its ageing fleet of US aircraft, the IRIAF also operates a number of Mirage F1, F-7M, MiG-29, Su-24 and Su-25 aircraft, many of which it seized from Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War from 1980 to 1988, as well as over 100 Iraqi MiG-29s that fled to Iran in 1991 during the first Gulf War.
