Books about the Iranian military following the fall of the shah are difficult to find. Even more difficult are ones that contain anything really specific or that are not 'officially sanctioned' by the regime. Those of us interested in the subject of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force will find this one to be superbly researched. The author at one time had official access to the Iranian military and was doing work to research the Air Force. All this was with the blessings of the powers to be. However totalitarian governments are known for their paranoia and modern Iran is no different. The author was accused of being a spy for the west (where have we heard that before) and managed to escape the country with most of his research intact.

The main focus of the book is the Northrop F-5 family, an aircraft that was specifically designed to be a potent, yet easy to fly and maintain aircraft. The previous pro-western despot, the shah of Iran was a military pilot himself and so spent a good deal of time building the Iranian Air Force into the most potent air arm in the region. Thanks to his personal contacts, he was able to secure not only a goodly number of F-5s, but also F-4D/Es, F-14s, and at the time of his overthrow, F-16s were being built for his air force.

Initially F-5A/B Freedom Fighters were the major aircraft type provided by Northrop and enough were purchased to equip a number of squadrons. When the more potent F-5E/F Tiger IIs became available, the earlier versions were supplied to countries like Jordan and South Vietnam. With the fall of South Vietnam, many of these aircraft were returned to Iran and later supplied to other US-acceptable nations.

With the Iranian Revolution of 1979/80, Iran lost what was a very well trained and very potent air force. Mostly due to the suspicions of the ayatollah, a huge percentage of trained pilots and other personnel were removed from the service. Some fled the country, some were imprisoned, some were executed. What was left was a shadow of an Air Force. Maintenance was shoddy, and overhaul/repair centers were left languishing and abandon.

This was a perfect opportunity for Iran's biggest enemy in the area, Iraq, to build up forces and invade the country. Without a decent air force, Iraq was able to make major gains. Nearly too late, the mullah's in Tehran realized they had pretty much shot themselves in the foot by allowing the air force to fall into disarray. Attempts were made to bring back many who had been let go, though those who answered the call only made up a small number, and who would blame them. Slowly the air force was able to build itself back up to where it was a viable military arm.

It was in this climate that the F-5 showed it was a potent weapon. Used mostly for ground attack missions, this small, but growing force was able to pull off some very successful missions and with F-14s flying top cover, the Northrop fighters along with the Phantom did the major amount of grunt work in support of the Iranian Army.

Yet things were not rosy. These planes did not have decent defensive avionics in terms of jammers and warning sets. A goodly number of planes were either shot down by Iraqi jets, SAMs, or AA. Getting them repaired was even more of a challenge as the small spares stock was steadily consumed. Thanks to Israel, Singapore, and South Korea, the situation improved and parts were available on the black market, including dozens of new J-85 engines from an exporter in the US (who was discovered and sentenced to prison), but by the end of the war, the percentage of Full Mission Capable (FMC) planes was quite small.

It was then that a wide net was cast, looking for replacement aircraft. Some were found in Ethiopia or Jordan or in Vietnam. Repair and rebuilding centers were developed to keep the F-5 flying. Airframes were even modified and today, the F-5 is still a major player in the IRIAF.

The book itself is a great read. I learned a great deal about a subject in which I've always been interested. There are some great pilot stories of combat and a lot of intrigue as well when it came to efforts to keep the fleet viable. It is a book that I most highly recommend to not only enthusiasts of the aircraft, or those interested in the IRIAF, but to general aviation readers as well.

December 2015

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Review book courtesy of  Casemate Publishing, where you can order your copy at this link.

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