Notable Pilots
Unlike many other nations with modern air forces, Iran was engaged in a long and protracted war. The 9 year long conflict with Iraq gave the IRIAF the opportunity to develop some battled tested and hardened fighter pilots. Though information about the IRIAF is, at best, hard to access, two men stand out as the best Iranian fighter aces.
Jalal Zandi is Iran's most successful fighter pilot. Flying the American made F-14 Tomcat he claimed 12 aerial victories, with 9 of those being confirmed by western sources. These include 2 MiG-23s, 2 Su-22s, 1 MiG 21 and 3 Mirage F1s. These totals make him the most successful Iranian fighter pilot, the most successful F-14 Tomcat pilot, and the most recent (and last man) to claim ace status.
Yadollah Javadpour flew the F-5 Freedom Fighter, another American made jet, and claimed five Iraqi aircraft shot down; two being reliably confirmed. This makes him an ace and the most successful F-5 fighter pilot, but his greatest claim to fame happened on August 6, 1983 when he shot down an Iraqi MiG-25. This was a significant achievement for an F-5 pilot, as the MiG-25 is a much bigger and faster aircraft with a substantial altitude advantage. His other confirmed kill was an Su-20 on October 17, 1980.
Read more about this topic: History Of The Iranian Air Force
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