Iran's Air Force Tried To 'Shock And Awe' Iraq In 1980. It Failed.
Swift and decisive aerial campaigns are easier said than done.
by PAUL IDDON
Iranian leaders took careful note of Israel’s stunning victory in the June 1967 Six Day War. They aimed to duplicate Israel’s success—and avoid Egypt’s defeat.
As an American ally under its last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran acquired some of the best American fighter jets money could buy. McDonnell Douglas F-4s, Northrop F-5s and even Grumman F-14s.
Meanwhile, Iraq acquired Dassault Mirage F.1s from France to complement its Soviet-made warplanes.
After revolution ended the shah’s rule in 1979, Saddam Hussein consolidated power in Iraq. His forces invaded Iran in September 1980. In the opening hours, the Iraqi air force bombed Iranian air bases. The Iraqis hoped they could repeat the Israelis’ own swift victory 13 years earlier.
They failed.
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