The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF; Persian: نیروی هوایی ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران, romanized: Niruye Havâyiye Arteše Jomhuriye Eslâmiye Irân) is the aviation branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army. The present air force was created when the Imperial Iranian Air Force was renamed in 1979 following the Iranian Revolution. The IRIAF was heavily involved in the Iran–Iraq War, carrying out major operations like Operation Kaman 99, Operation Sultan 10, the H-3 airstrike, and the first attack on a nuclear reactor in history, Operation Scorch Sword.
After eight years of aerial combat in that conflict, the IRIAF has the second highest claimed number of fighter aces in the region, exceeded only by the Israeli Air Force; as many as seven IRIAF pilots claimed more than six kills, mostly achieved in the F-14 Tomcat. Veterans of the Iran–Iraq War formed the core of the IRIAF command. Due to its outdated equipment and lack of spare parts for its aircraft due to international sanctions, the IRIAF was unable to counter Israeli air strikes during the Twelve-Day War, with no reports of its fighter jets being deployed, which gave Israel air superiority over Iran.
During the 2026 Iran war, Iranian F-4E Phantom II, F-5E Tiger II, and Su-24MK attempted attacks on U.S. military bases in the region, including a successful strike on Camp Buehring in Kuwait, the first time in many years that a foreign fixed-wing aircraft struck a U.S. base. They used extremely low flying to increase survivability.
In February 1979, the IRIAF came into being when the former Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) was renamed following the Islamic Revolution in Iran. The date of renaming was 19 Bahman 1357.
This "new" Iranian air force largely inherited the equipment and structure of the former IIAF, losing most of its leading officers in the course of post-revolutionary chaos, as well as due to the prosecution of those considered as loyal to the Shah, pro-U.S. or elsewhere by the new government in Tehran.
Due to strained relations with the West, Iran had to procure new equipment from Brazil, the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China. Since the Revolution, the exact composition of the IRIAF has been hard to determine. Many aircraft belonging to the Iraqi Air Force took refuge in Iran during the Gulf War in 1991, and many were put into service with the IRIAF or taken apart for spare parts.
Due to the continuous spare parts shortages faced by the air force, a decision was made in the late 1980s to develop a local aerospace industry to support the air force.
In 2002, Iran with the co-operation of Ukraine, successfully started the manufacture of the Iran-140, a licence-built version of the Antonov An-140 transport aircraft. Simultaneously, Iran began construction of two domestically produced fighters, upgraded using technology from the Grumman F-14 Tomcat and the F-5 Tiger II. The fighters have been named the Azarakhsh and the Shafaq.
Since then, Iran has also become self-sufficient in the manufacture of helicopters. Iran claims that it is capable of producing the U.S. AH-1 Cobra gunship. Iran produces Bell Helicopter Bell 212 and Bell 206 helicopters in serial production. These are known respectively as the Shabaviz 2-75 and the Shabaviz 206.
A series of purges and forced retirements resulted in the manpower of the airforce being halved between February 1979 and July 1980, leaving the IRIAF ill-prepared for the Iran–Iraq War, also called the "1st Persian Gulf War". The sudden Iraqi air strikes against eight major Iranian airbases and four other military installations, launched on the afternoon of 22 September 1980, came as a complete surprise and caused a shock in the IRIAF.
On 23 September 1980, the Iranians retaliated with Operation Kaman 99, which involved 206 F-4, F-5 and F-14 aircraft. In that operation, 40 F-4 Phantoms, armed with Mark 82, Mark 83 and Mark 84 bombs and AGM-65 Maverick missiles, took off from Hamadan. After refueling mid-air, the Phantoms reached the Iraqi capital Baghdad, where they attacked the al-Rashid, al-Habbaniyah and al-Kut airbases. Meanwhile, eight more F-4s took off from Tehran and launched a second attack on the al-Rashid airbase.
Iran proceeded to launch 58 F-5E Tiger IIs from Tabriz, which were sent to attack Mosul Airbase. After the attack on Mosul Airbase, another 50 F-5Es were dispatched to strike Nasiriyah Airbase, which was heavily damaged.
As all 148 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 two Iraqi MiG-21s (one MiG-21RF and one MiG-21MF) and three Iraqi MiG-23s (MiG-23MS). An Iranian F-5E also shot down an Iraqi Su-20 during the operation. Iraqi MiG-23s managed to down two F-5Es, while Iraqi MiG-21s downed two F-5Es. The Iraqis also shot down one of their own Il-76MD strategic airlifters with a SA-3 SAM.
The Iraqis were well prepared for the attack, and had flown most of their air force to other Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia. This made sure that most of the Iraqi Air Force survived the operation.
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 weeks and, according to Iran, Iraq's aerial efficiency was reduced by 55%. This allowed Iranians to regroup and prepare for the upcoming Iraqi invasion.
Although the readiness rates of the IRIAF significantly increased in the following months, its overall role and influence declined, as the clerical government prioritized resources for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) militias, and simultaneously attempted to develop a separate air arm for the IRGC.
Despite limitations and sanctions, the IRIAF achieved a successful kill rate in air-to-air combat against Iraqi jets. In air-to-air engagements, Iran's kill ratio was roughly 5:1, which was surpassed by the Israelis against Syria in 1982 and the US in the Gulf war in 1991. It got to the point where Iraq ordered its pilots to avoid air-to-air engagements, especially with the F-14.
After the successful liberation of most Iranian areas captured by the Iraqis in the first half of 1982, the situation of the IRIAF changed completely. From an air arm that was offensive by nature, it was largely relegated to air defense and relatively infrequent bombing attacks against targets of industrial and military significance inside Iraq. Simultaneously, the IRIAF had to learn how to maintain and keep operational its large fleet of U.S.-built aircraft and helicopters without outside help, due to American sanctions. Relying primarily on antiquated equipment purchased from the US in the 1970s, the Iranians began establishing their own aerospace industry.