DT Variant - Eagles - Background (Pt 4)

24 Sep 80

• IrAF
• 4 MiG-21 and 4 Su-22 are engaged by F-14A in the area of Dezful airbase
• 3 MIG-23BN attack Khark Island (subsequently shot down by F-14A)
• IRIAF
• 2 flights of 2 F-4 (6000lb bomb load) in two waves targets near Kut
• U/I Iranian aircraft strike Shaibah

25 Sep 80

• IrAF
• Tu-22B attacks against Tehran
• IRIAF
• a large raid was conducted by the IRIAF (20 F-4E reported) on the two Iraqi airbases at Tahmmouz/al-Habbinayah and al-Taqqadum. The striking Phantoms attacked in two waves 10 minutes apart. Reported that at least 12 MiG-21MF and MiG-23MS engaged the strike on egress).
• The al-Taqqadum strike comprised wave 1 of 5 F-4D and 3 F-4E and the second wave comprised 8 F-4 (undisclosed marks but assumed to be F-4E)
• 0500hrs two strikes one against al-Hurriya and the second against Ar Qayyarah
• ?hrs 8 F-4E and 1 RF-4E attack Al-Rashid

26 Sep 80

• IrAF
• 2 IL-28 Attack Panjwin
• IRIAF
• 2 F-4E attack ? Iraqi Airbase
• 3 F-4E from TFB.6 attack Bridge near Basrah with AGM-65

28 Sep 80

• IrAF
• Tu-22B attack Tehran

30 Sep 80

• IRIAF
• attacks on Baghdad and the Osirak Nuclear Reactor
• 2 F-4E are reported to have attacked the Osirak Reactor as part of a larger raid on conventional power stations in the area of Baghdad

3 Oct 80

• IrAF
• 2 Tu-22B attack Tehran (Rey Oil Refinery and Mehrabad Airport)
• 2 Tu-16 attack Mehran and are intercepted by 2 F-4E Scrambled from ?
• 2 MiG-21 on a hit and run attack are intercepted by F-4D (Mentioned in Osprey Arab MiG-19 and MiG-21 book but not on the ACIG.ORG database)
• IRIAF
• 30 Phantoms raid eight different targets in Iraq, including airfields and oil terminals near Basrah.
• 4 airfields
• 2 deep-sea oil terminals near the port of Faw

4 Oct 80

• IRIAF
• 2 F-4D with LGB attack Buzaragan oil pumping station

6 Oct 80

• IrAF
• 3 Tu-22B supported by ? MiG-23BN attack Mehrabad

12 Oct 80

• IrAF
• 2 Tu-16 attack Tehran intercepted by F-4E
• IRIAF
• 2 F-4D attack Tammouz/Al-Habbinayah Air Base
• RF-4E photo recon run over Baghdad

16 Oct 80

• IRIAF
• 2 F-4D escorted by 2 F-14A and Tanker support attack Tammouz/Al Habbiniyah

21 Oct 80

• IrAF
• 2 Tu-22B attack Karaj EWR near Tehran

25 Oct 80

• IrAF
• 4 IrAFi Su-22 intercepted by 2 x F-14A over Abadan

26 Oct 80

• IrAF
• 2 MiG-21MF and 2 MiG-23BN attack Abadan (0910hrs ?)

29 Oct 80

• IrAF
• Tu-22B heading towards the Iranian holy city of Qom or Esfahan intercepted by 2 F-14A (TFB.8)
• Tu-22B City of Qom bomb the Shahin-Shahr thermal powerplant
• IRIAF
• On 29 October, 1980, a complex raid on the al-Hurriyah airbase north of Mosul. Carried out to destroy a major part of the IrAFi Mirage fleet. The raiders (Sultan 1-10) approached from the north (rather than from the east, the most direct approach to the airbase from Iran), skirting several SAM sites and CAP MiG-21s in the process. To approach from this direction, the Iranian raiders required re-fueling tankers to accompany them on the raid. Two were assigned to this raid, and were escorted by two F-14As, one of which has 3 x AIM-7E-2 Sparrow and 2 x AIM-54, the other has 4 x AIM-9J. The raiders, consisting of six F-4Es armed only with 12 Mk-82 bombs each, were to bomb the airbase, then rendezvous with the tankers and then head back to Iran. As the raid was underway, two flights of two patrolling IrAFi MiG-23s happened to be flying towards the raiders. The F-14s left the tankers and took off after the MiGs, hoping to intercept them before they encountered the F-4s.

28 Nov 80

30 Nov 80

• IRIAF
• On November 30, 1980, a single IRIAF RF-4E - escorted by two F-4Es armed with air-to-air missiles - took off from TFB.3 to take pictures of Tuwaitha. The F-4Es entered Iraqi airspace first, drawing the attention of the Iraqi defenders away from the sole RF-4E. The recon-Phantom approached to the south of the target at low level, then turned back towards the east and made a single pass over the Osirak reactors while being fired at by several Iraqi AAA and SAM sites. Once out of the target area, the two F-4Es joined up again and escorted the RF-4E safely out of Iraq.

7 Jan 81

• IrAF
• 4 MiG-23BN interdiction raid near Ahwaz intercepted by a pair of F-14A

4 Apr 81

• IRIAF 6 F-4E and 2 F-4D attack 3 airfields making up the H-3 Complex support by two F-14A, two 707-2J9C tankers, one C-130H COMINT and two F-5E (TFB.2)

6 Apr 81

• IRIAF Attack on Haj Sen Airbase
• Tu-22 Bombers reported to be target

25 Apr 81

• IRIAF
• F-4E from TFB.3 Hamadan attack Shaibah. MiG-21MF CAP is reported as being present

AIRCRAFT LOADOUTS

22/23 Sep 80

F-14A 2 Phoenix, 2 Sparrow, 2 Sidewinder

F-4E attack al Rashid AB 2 Sparrows and 6 GP Bombs

F-4E attack al Rashid AB 2 Sparrows, 2 Sidewinders, 6 GP Bomb (Lead aircraft of each pair)