Date 23 September 1980 Location Iraq | Result Iranian victory | |
 | ||
Similar Iran–Iraq War, Operation Morvarid, Operation Nasr 4, Operation Nimble Archer, Operation Prime Chance | ||
Iran iraq war operation kaman 99
Operation Alborz (Persian: عملیات البرز), more commonly known by the code-name Operation Kaman 99 (عملیات کمان 99), was an operation launched by the Iranian Air Force in retaliation to Iraqi surprise aerial attacks on Iran the day before which marked the beginning of the 8-year-long Iran–Iraq War.
Contents
- Iran iraq war operation kaman 99
- Naja 3 1 iran air force flv operation kaman 99
- Prelude
- The battle
- Aftermath
- In popular culture
- References
140 Iranian fighter-bombers, plus 60 interceptors and tankers were involved in this operaion, and at least 380 air force personnel were involved in this operation, making this the most large-scale operation conducted by the Iranian Air Force.
Kirkuk, Al-Rasheed, Nasiriya, Habbaniyah (including Tammuz), Shaiba, Kut, and Umm Qasr airbases, as well as Baghdad International Airport and Al-Muthanna Airport were bombed during the operation.
Naja 3 1 iran air force flv operation kaman 99
Prelude
22 September 1980, Iraq launched surprise air strikes on strategic locations in Iran employing a total of 166 fighter and bomber aircraft.
At 1:45 pm local time, 6 Iraqi MiG-23 Floggers bombed an Iranian Air Base near Ahvaz.
Half an hour later, Iraqi MiG-23s attacked Mehrabad Airport in Tehran. At the same time the Iraqis also bombed 8 other major Air Bases in Iran.
Radio Baghdad asks Iranian pilots to defect to Iraq in a message after this operation.
However, having learned from the Six-Day War, Iran had built hardened aircraft shelters where most of its combat aircraft were stored, thus the Iraqis succeeded mainly in cratering Iranian runways (which were quickly repaired), without causing any significant damage to Iran’s Air Force. Now the Iranian Air Force started preparing for a counter-attack which was to be launched the next day.
Two hours after this Iraqi attack, the Iranian air force conducted Operation Entegham (عملیات انتقام, "Revenge"), bombing Shaiba, Umm Qasr and Kut Air Bases in Iraq.
The battle
23 September 1980, Iran launched Operation Kaman 99 as 40 F-4 Phantoms, armed with Mark 82, Mark 83 and Mark 84 bombs and AGM-65 Maverick missiles, took off from Hamadan Air Base. After refueling in mid-air the Phantoms reached the Iraqi capital Baghdad, where they attacked al-Rasheed, Habbaniyah and Kut airbases. Meanwhile, eight more F-4s took off from Tehran's Mehrabad and launched a second attack on the al-Rasheed Air Base.
Iran launched 58 F-5E Tiger IIs from Tabriz Air Base, which were sent to attack Mosul Air Base. After the attack on Mosul Air Base, 50 F-5Es attacked Nasiriya Air Base, which was heavily damaged.
As all 146 Iranian F-4s and F-5s had been sent for a bombing raid on Iraq, 60 F-14 Tomcats were scrambled to defend Iranian airspace against a possible Iraqi retaliation. Iranian F-14s managed to down 2 Iraqi MiG-21s (1 MiG-21RF and 1 MiG-21MF) and 3 Iraqi MiG-23s (MiG-23MS), an Iranian F-5E also shot down an Iraqi Su-20 during the operation.
Timeline of the air raids are as follows:
Aftermath
Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi military were dealt a heavy blow when Iranian Air Force vulnerabilities failed to materialize. All Iraqi Air Bases near Iran were out of order for months and, according to Iran, Iraq's aerial efficiency was reduced by 55%. This allowed Iranians to regroup and prepare for the upcoming Iraqi invasion. However, Iraqis would advance deep into Khuzestan and it would take the Iranians up to 2 years before they would finally expel the Iraqis from their territory and eventually enter Iraq. The War endured another 6 years, becoming the longest conventional war of the 20th century in which perhaps close to one million were maimed and killed.
In popular culture
Iranian book "140+8 Aircraft" (Persian: 8+140 فروندی), written by Brigadier General Ahmad Mehrnia