Native name جلیل زندی Name Jalil Zandi Years of service 1970–2001 | Rank Brigadier General Allegiance Iran | |
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Born May 2, 1951Garmsar, Iran ( 1951-05-02 ) Died April 1, 2001, Tehran, Iran | ||
Brig. General Jalil Zandi (Persian: جلیل زندی) (1951–2001) was a fighter pilot in the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force who served for the full Iran–Iraq War. His record qualifies him as an ace and the most successful pilot of that conflict in air-to-air combat. It also made him the highest-scoring pilot in the history of the F-14 Tomcat.
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Career
Jalil Zandi began in the IIAF and stayed on to serve in the IRIAF when it was somewhat dangerous for pilots to continue their military service. While a major, he often clashed with his superior Lt. Col. Abbas Babaei. Abbas Babaei was "notorious for his merciless treatment of the pilots and officers" considered disloyal to the new regime and because of this Jalil Zandi was condemned to ten years of imprisonment. When he was in prison, he was threatened to be sentenced to death, but by demand of the then-air force commander and many other air force pilots, he was released after six months.
Iran–Iraq War
He earned his fame as an F-14 Tomcat pilot during the Iran–Iraq War. He has been reliably credited with shooting down 11 Iraqi aircraft (8 confirmed victories through examination with US intelligence documents released according to FOIA inquiry and 3 probable victories). The victories include four MiG-23s, two Su-22s, two MiG-21s, and three Mirage F1s. This makes him the most successful F-14 Tomcat pilot ever.
Post-war
His last official post, before his death, was deputy for planning and organization of the Iranian Air Force.
He died with his wife Zahra Moheb Shahedin in 2001 in a car accident near Tehran. He is buried in Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in the south of Tehran. He had three sons: Vahid, Amir, and Nader.
