Iran Army's An F-4 Phantom II Crashed Near Chahbahar, Both Pilots Killed

 

Crash site of Iran Army's F-4 Phantom II near Chahbahar

Pilot & Co-pilot died when a military jet crashed Chahbahar, a south-eastern Iranian port-city while on a training mission, local media reported. The jet crashed was an F-4 Phantom II of IRIAF bought by Tehran from the US before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. 

 

IRIAF F-4 Phantom II

The fighter jet, was on a training mission, crashed near the western border of Pakistan's Balochistan. On Tuesday Tasnim News, an Iranian news agency,  reported the news from Ali Asghar Mirshekari, the security and political deputy to the governor general of Sistan and Baluchestan (Iran) Province. “Unfortunately a military training aircraft crashed today due to technical problems,” Mirshekari also told state TV. The pilot and co-pilot both died in the crash, he said. Mirshekari added the jet belonged to the Iranian Army, while the cause of the crash is under investigation.

#phantom jet crashed in South East #Iran (photo) #F4 pic.twitter.com/QC7OniTNEB

— Hossein Dalirian (@HosseinDalirian) January 12, 2016

Fars news agency reported that a fighter jet had gone down near the port city of Konarak, in Sistan and Balouchestan province. Fars cited local sources who witnessed the crash. They also said that both men in the jet had died. Other reports suggested the plane went down outside the town of Chabahar, which like Konarak is situated on the coast of Chabahar Bay, but on the opposite side. 

#Pilot and co-pilot were killed in the #crash of #Iran #army's fighter jet in southeastern port city of #Chabahar

— Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) January 12, 2016

Iran unveils new “indigenous stealth reconnaissance, combat drone” that will never evade radars

Here we go with another Iranian indigenous project.

After unveiling the Qaher 313 stealth fighter jet last February, a mock-up plane that will never fly in spite of Tehran’s claims, Iran has just rolled out its latest UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle).

Dubbed “Hamaseh”, the “reconnaissance and combat drone” displayed on May 9 during a ceremony attended by Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, “has been built by defense industry experts and is simultaneously capable of surveillance, reconnaissance and missile and rocket attacks.”

The drone, a HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance) type, “can avoid detection by the enemy” thanks to its stealth features, according to Vahidi.

Although, unlike the Qaher 313, the Hamaseh drone is probably capable to fly because its shape is aerodynamically plausible, it simply can’t be stealth: the unretractable landing gear, the weapons hanging from the wings, the glaring paint job and the unsheltered wooden push propeller make the UAV very well visible to radars.

Image credit: FARS News Agency

Another aircraft, another joke by Tehran that, in the last years has produced some real UAVs, like those sold to Assad to spy on therebels in Syria or the indigenousKarrar and Shahed 129 projects.

Mystery drone emerges from the sea in the Gulf of Oman. American, Israeli or …. Iranian?

The following image shows a drone reportedly recovered by the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution from the sea in the Gulf of Oman, near the port of Jask, Iran.

The mysterious UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) appears to be covered by mud and seaweeds and it does not look like any known type at first glance.

Although the quality of the photo does not help identifying it, the drone, seemingly painted in a desert color scheme, has something in common with the somehow famous “Pahpad” drone, made in Iran and used by Syria to spy on the clashes in Homs:similar nose section and, possibly fin (the one in the image could be displaced and the only surviving the impact).

Still, the drone recovered from the sea seems to lack the typical tail boom that in the “Pahpad” (image below) is connected to the vertical stabilizers in the middle of the fins.

Iranian Mirage F1 Air-Superiority Fighter and Attack Aircraft

 Rare shots of the Iranian Mirage F1 Air-Superiority Fighter and Attack Aircraft.

Iran has managed to overhaul  Mirage F1 Air-Superiority Fighter and Attack Aircraft and these are based at the Shahid Nasser Habibi air base in Northeastern Iran.

Flying Aces - Heroes Of Air

A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more. The few aces among combat pilots have historically accounted for the majority of air-to-air victories in military history.

Most promionent  Flying Aces

The "first ace", Frenchman Adolphe Pégoud being awarded the Croix de guerre.

Manfred von Richthofen, better known as the "Red Baron". He scored the most kills in World War I and is arguably the most famous flying ace of all time.

The American literary scholar Francis Peabody Magoun claimed to be Canadian in order to join the RAF, in which service he achieved ace status.

Albert Ball, Britain's first famous flying ace. He was killed in 1917, aged 20.

German Erich Hartmann is the top ace of all time with 352 kills.

Russian Lydia Litvyak of the Soviet Air Force, one of only two female flying aces in history.

On one occasion 87-kill Japanese ace Hiroyoshi Nishizawa flew loops over an enemy airfield as a stunt.

Air Commodore Muhammad Mahmood Alam "Little Dragon". Ace in a Day of the Pakistan Air Force

Colonel Giora "Hawkeye" Epstein, Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter ace credited with 17 kills, "ace of aces" of modern, supersonic fighter jets.

Brig. General Jalil Zandi, an ace fighter pilot in the Iranian Air Force. The most sucessful F-14 Tomcat pilot ever with 8 confirmed and 3 probable kills during the Iran-Iraq war

Charles B. DeBellevue, the first USAF Weapon Systems Officer to become a flying ace.