Photo: IRIAF F-4E Phantom II over Tehran. March 2013. (theaviationist.com)
An IRIAF F-4E Phantom II fighter jet crashed in southern Fars province on Tuesday 07/15/2014. The pilot and the co-pilot were killed. IRIAF Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohammadi, the Air Force commander for Fars region.Gen. Mohammadi said the F-4E was based at Bandar Abbas AFB, but had taken off from Shiraz and crashed at 11:15 am local time (0645 GMT) near Bakhtegan Lake in Fars province. The identities of the pilots were not released. (ISNA/Press TV, 15 July)
Iran purchased some 260 F-4s during the Shah’s government in late 1960s and 70s. The first combat use of F-4s was in 1975 when the Shah supported Omani government against the separatist rebels in Dhofar. The F-4s also played key role in the 8-year Iran-Iraq war. To this day the F-4 remains the workhorse of IRIAF, with an estimated 60 F-4s still in service. Last year, the Phantoms were fitted with Qader anti-ship cruise missiles to give Iran air-launched cruise missile capability.
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