1978

aerobatic team

Speaking of Iran's current lack of an aerobatic team, it's actually disappointing that the Saeqeh is not used in this capacity. They (I believe there are five) are all painted in Blue Angels color schemes. 

Unfortunately the planes are rumored to have stability problems (incurred by the use of twin tails on the original F-5 design), which actually preclude its use of the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile.

There's also the matter of allocating resources for formation training, and the related maintenance that would incur.

Too bad, as it looks like the Saeqeh's primary role might actually be limited to that of a demonstrator at national air shows.

General Amir-Hossein Rabii (photo #6)

was the latest IIAF commander. Days after the arrival of Khomeini in Iran, soldiers at the Doshan Tappeh air force base began to riot. Insurgents helped by Mujaheddins stole weapons from the armoury and fires broke out throughout Tehran. Bakhtiar ordered to bomb the Base but General Rabii among other officers refused the order, as they believed that the army should be in the service of people. In less than a day, many military leaders were then been assassinated by their own troops.

Without its leadership the military collapsed and the Bakhtiar government with it. Rabii stayed in Tehran as he believed in the justice promised by Khomenei. That was to overrate the great Ayatollsheytan. Rabii was trialled, charged for treachery (!) and executed by Mullahs in 1979.

kharmagas

the fact is that so far they have kept this military corporate fascism that has surrounded Iran and is responsible for death and destruction in Iraq and years of cold war related misery in Afghanistan, out of Iran.

Really? At what cost?  I guess the big trade off there and something to be proud of is that defensless ordinary citizens have to face off with the armed militia and anti-riot forces and Plain-cloths... and so on and so forth. keep the foreign and external facism out but let's shower the people with the internal brand. what a trade-off! awsome deal.

So much for giving the Bilakh!

Emil

"PEOPLE HATED the X-dictator Mohammad Reza pahlavi's military as much as YOU HATE Bassijies and sepahe Pasdaran today."

This is a false statement reflecting only your blind hatred toward the Shah. Your comparison of the Basiji thugs with the IIAF personnel is first and foremost an insult to your very own intelligence.

I suggest your re-evaluate your perspectives and the way you look at things - for your own good, as blind hatred always inflicts its victims with a "compounded" ignorance.

Emil

the only misinformed Iranian in here is YOU!

happy holidays

-F 

There is always one

This Emil character is a well known nobody, and we all know he has issues.

He's like a fly. Comes into the room every once is a while, veezveez meekone, meereh.

Just ignore the little booger.

Safa Ali

RP (Reza Pahlavi) recently advocates santions and not war. Some of the "radical" monarchists (likes of Rob Sobhani) very close to AIPAC and Michael Ledeen, pushed very hard for war but supposedly they did not have RP with them.

My impression is that many of them and MEKs are now pushing for sanctions as they know sanctions will likely evolve to war.

Marhoum Kharmagas

I have never heard of any promininent Iranian monarchist figures support a war on Iran.  Could you please name a few, so I know what you are talking about.  (By the way, I'm not doubting you, I just want to know who these people are). 

Shah's people (one more thing Emil!)

With many pro war and pro sanction people among the Iranian monarchists one could end up regarding every one who is/was with monarchy as one who sells his country, but people such as Dr. Etemad, Zahedi, and many others are there too:

Akbar Etemad's interview:

//iranian.com/main/2009/feb/akbar-etemad

These people don't sell their country no matter how negatively they feel about IRI.

Emil,

To az adamiat chi boo bordi? Who is praising Shah here? If you are too blind to see what we are telling each other, go take a breathe and come back if you think that you have something intelligent to say.

As you seem to have difficulties to read comments, here a summary. We are praising bravery and every single help that these people and others gave for the progress of Iran. That's all and it has nothing to do with politics, ok?

I saw your comments from the beginning here and in the other rooms and they all show that your are someone with full of hate. You use to see the world in black (everything else than Emil) and white (yourself) or what?

Now, stop fooling yourself. If you can't put two consecutive words other than hate-hate, GFY elsewhere.

it is all hate for you! (to Emil)

Emil says: "PEOPLE HATED the X-dictator Mohammad Reza pahlavi's military (pic
above) as much as YOU HATE Bassijies and sepahe Pasdaran today."

I participated in 1979 revolution from before it became popular until it won. I did't see any hatred for Iran's Military. As for the Basijies and Pasdars, although I don't agree with much of what they do, the fact is that so far they have kept this military corporate fascism that has surrounded Iran and is responsible for death and destruction in Iraq and years of cold war related misery in Afghanistan, out of Iran.

Remember that Joe Scarborough shortly before the Iraq war of 2003 said explicitly the goal was to capture Iraq and sandwich Iran and then go for Iran ..... so far they have got big bilAkh, and $trillions debt to China! 

Criminals are criminals...

PEOPLE HATED the X-dictator Mohammad Reza pahlavi's military (pic above) as much as YOU HATE Bassijies and sepahe Pasdaran today.

PEOPLE HATED the X-dictator Mohammad Reza Pahlavi  as much as YOU HATE dictator akhond Khamenie today.

Imagine this Arab Islamo fascist regime collapsed today and 30 years from now, some body puts up a photo of Bassijies and sepahe Pasdaran's leaders  on a site, and people start praising them, what would be your reaction?

It is the same crap here...Criminals are criminals no matter what they wear, be it a uniform and hat or Aba and a turban...be it a clean Shaven or bearded one...

From some of the comments here I can see that the culture of SUCK UP (Khaye Mally) is well and alive among misinformed Iranians specially left over monarchist in particular...the same culture that was one of the factors in collapsing the X- dictator's regime ... 

Shah/Monarchy, Akhond/Islam, two side of the same crap...

A Clip for Emil

These men had a job to do and they did it well!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=hopNAI8Pefg

The Iranian Air Force Lady officers by early 70's

I Salute all of them as well.

Picture: //iranian.com/main/blog/oktaby/women-iran-air-force 

OKtaby

Look at the photos! That's why we had respect around the world!

See how organized the photo and Nezaami boodan dar vojoodeshaan hast. I am not supporter of the shah, but let's admit that these new guys are all real daahaati! (now i am going to be attcked why i insulted the daahaati!) They don't have the manners that Tehrani or some big cities have. Daahaatis are good people, but they are not Shahris! 

It seems the pre-requisite to becoming an official in this government is to be ugly and not to know anything about fashion, and be a AADAM KOSH! Did you you how fat the guy next the damn leader is? what kinda uniform is that? i guess, they want to hide their big moftkhori bellies!

As they say in the west, your image is very important. Dress for success! The west sees these ugly guys, and judges the country the same way! If the current government would look like this photo, we wouldn't be hiding behind the chair when they would show them on TV. We always have to explain to people: we are not all that ugly! LOL

Faramarz

General Khosrodad also was in Air Force, I think Havaneeroz. Do U know his biography?

Emil, you are one dumb cucumber

And... one stars don't qualify as hotels and don't have doormen with uniforms. You are thinking prison which is likely where you write from. They are called hostels and the like but don't stress yourself with facts, relevance, context, sensitivity or common sense. Notice, I did not say intelligence, as I granted that exception right off the bat with your first burp on this thread.

tof be goor

khomeini.....that gutless idiot, who could not even speak correct farsi!

these men should have burned the akhoonds to hell....but they were never given a chance.....

I wonder how khomeini is doing in hell right now for all his sins against iran and its wonderful people 

Doorman...

Got uniform...got hat...knows how to salute...all qualified as DOORMAN at 1 star hotel...

in case some lost uniform, would be placed as a GREATER at Wal-Mart...

Shah/Monarchy, Akhond/Islam, two side of the same crap...

General Jahanbani

was the heart of the Iranian Air Force. True, he had high standards, but he always was a pilot at heart and I have heard cases of him walking around after an intense flight sweating in a pilots suit without the general insignia, and personnel who were at ease seeing him and suddenly realizing it is Jahanbani jump to attention, and him smiling at them and saluting them saying "relax, at ease". In one case, a very good old friend of mine who was a homafar was talking with Jahanbani before Jahanbani took up the plane, and then Jahanbani just casually asked him if he wants to come along. My friend was shocked and said with taarof no sir, I can't, and Jahanbani said really, it is ok with me if you want. So Jahanbani took up my friend, gave him the ride of his life, and my friend's flight suit was covered in vomit when they landed, and both of them were laughin their heads off.

Jahanbani loved to fly. He was in instructor pilot training (top gun school) in USAF in Germany in the 1950's when he saw the USAF aerobatic team, the SkyBlazers. He was inspired to build such a team for Iran, and in 1958 after intense preparation formed the IIAF Acrojet team, himself being the flight leader. The Acrojet team became world class, performing with the Blue Angels and in the Paris Air Show. To give you an idea, Turkey formed their team in 1993, Saudi Arabia formed theirs in 1999, Switzerland formed theirs in 1964, and Pakistan formed theirs in 1972. There is no acrojet team in Iran today.

Jahanbani wanted the best for Iran, and kept a standard for Iranian aviation that was second to none. He was a world class pilot, commander, and leader, and the medals on his chest were very well deserved. He was executed by the Islamic regime on Chaharhshambeh Soori on March 13, 1979 for the following charges:

"Association with the Shah's idolatrous regime; Corruption on earth;
Unspecified anti-revolutionary offense; War on God, God's Prophet and
the deputy of the Twelfth Imam "

-Fair

General Jahanbani

General Jahanbani was a charismatic and highly respected leader in the Iranian Air Force. He created among other things, Iranian Air Force version of the Blue Angels, Acro Jet e Taj Talaai.

His mother was Russian and according to the IIAF folklore, he was of “blue blood!” Some believe that his unique leadership style and charisma and the “blue blood” background intimidated the late Shah to the point that he was not promoted to the top job at the IIAF.

The officers that were at the Air Force headquarters in Dooshan Tapeh spoke highly of his leadership. As the late general was walking from one building to the other, the officers would change their route, in order not to come face to face with him! Any trembling of the arms or other signs of weakness as they stopped and saluted, would have resulted in reprimands. Here is more on him.

//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nader_Jahanbani 

p.s. The uniforms should all be dark blue (Soorme’i). The difference in the
color is probably from the lighting and the fact that some of the
fabric (Faastooni) was foreign-made and some were home-made, I am told.

Q,

you quote from the Global Security site regarding the initial Iraqi arial attack:

............They succeeded in destroying runways and fuel and ammunition depots, but much of Iran's aircraft inventory was left intact. Iranian defenses were caught by surprise, but the Iraqi raids failed because Iranian jets were protected in specially strengthened hangars and because bombs designed to destroy runways did not totally incapacitate Iran's very large airfields.........

I have bolded the relevant sections >>>>> what Global Security site refers to as "specially strengthened hangers" were in fact underground bunkers for every single jet fighter that Iran possessed at the time. The size of our Air Bases and these underground bunkers were one of a kind at the time (even the US didn't have them), and they where designed by the very people whose pictures are the subject of this bog, for exactly such eventuality.

What ever is said about the Shah and the previous regime, the capability of the Iranian armed forces where the direct result of the foresight and planning by the Shah and these men and others like them. This capability was mocked by khomeini during his interview with Le Monde in April 1978, by saying that the Shah squandered Iran's income from oil by buying useless western arms as toys for himself and to show off. These purchases was used as a stick to beat him and the regime by all (foreign and Iranian) his opponents. He was called a megalomaniac and the gendarme of the Persian Gulf.

It was these Arms and the military bases and defence infrastructure that enabled Iran not to be overrun during the early days of the Iraqi attack and sustained our brave soldiers (Armed Forces, Sepah, and Basijis) during the 8 year war. Today IR spends a bigger portion of Iran's income on (useless Chinese, Russian, and North Korean) arms than the Shah ever did.

The Iranian People owes a debt of gratitude to these men (most of whom were executed) as well as to all those who fought and gave their lives in defence of Iran.

KP

Fair,

Thank you very much. Yes I also believe that we’ll once return home and it’s important for our future generations to know the sacrifices of their fathers. I have forwarded your kind proposition to my nephew, who is the official defender of the memory of his father. Let me email you his response.

Khosh va roshan bashi, aziz.

To Fair:

Thank you Fair for deconstructing Mr. Q's phantom hogwash. It's a tall order that requires patience of Jobe. You can't really ever convince  those who are so attached to their ideological dogma.

God Bless your Father Major

I hope one day you can live up to him by standing with your people and defending their honor.

-Fair

During Iran-Iraq fight they were distributing hulva!

Just like they offered a degree to our own Eino-allah! 

Everything is sacred.

The kindness is all yours Hajminator

Thank you for sharing the amazing story of your loved one as well as the pain with us, your friends and compatriots. I cry with you for him.  There were many (too many) like him who chose to give everything for our motherland. It is important for us and our children to know about them.

If you don't mind I would like to put you in touch with Tom Cooper (if you are not already), who has written the definitive history of the Iran Iraq war in the air, and is documenting the missions and the men of the IRIAF and their fate. This is a tremendous task, as many years have passed and interviewing pilots and their loved ones can be tricky (he has done hundreds of such interviews over the years). I think that this is important because one day, back in our home in Iran, we want to build a worthy memorial for all these heroes with all their names for everyone to see and remember.

I also share your hope that from the ashes of all this madness and senseless loss, the new generation of Iranians will rise, and show the world our true face, a beautiful wise and ancient one. They have done this already and will not stop until victory.

You and I are proud of them, and your brother would be too.

RIP.

-Fair

Fair, Q, Sargord Pirouz

Fair: As always, you demonstrate a strong logic in your arguments with this Q character, exposing his targeted lies and half truths. As we say in Farsi, poozesho khoob be khaak maalidi.

Q: I'd like to ask this Q character one question since he always blames foreigners for the Iran-Iraq war: If Khomeini wanted to accept the peace offer of the eager Saddam in 1982, could foreign powers do anything to stop him? If not, who do you think then "imposed" the war on Iran's populace from 1982 to 1988? Khomeini or foreigners?

I am just curious.

Sargord Pirouz: Have you served in the Iran-Iraq war, and if so may I ask under what capacity?

Iran's Commander in Chief before and Now

Pahlavi and General Jahanbani

//www.iiaf.net/home.html

Khamenei and Mozdoor Khomreyee

//3.bp.blogspot.com/_c3WtQv44wGc/SyWmSVFSYeI/AAAAAAAAB-k/JUEuei_I0rs/s640/ruling+crew.jpg

 What a difference

Emil,

تو احساس میکنی اینجا کسی آدم حسابت میکنه، هر چند وقت یکبار میائی برای خودت یک نطق ناکاملی میکنی میری؟ اگر در ریل لایف احساس تنهائی میکنی و کسی نیست حرفت گوش کنه برو جزو این دسته ان−و−نیم الکلیکها بغزت بترک‫ون راحت میشی. برو جانم این طیاریکه برای تولدت خریدی رنگش هم خیلی خوشگله، اونم یادت نره ببری، حتماً اوناهم خوششون میاد.