So formidable an opponent did the Iraqi airforce consider the F-14 that during the Iran-Iraq war, they ordered their pilots not to engage F-14s and the presence of one in an area was usually enough to empty it of Iraqi aircraft. Officially losses where tiny; only one F-14 was lost in aerial combat (to a MiG-21), one to a control problem and one downed by a ground-to-air missile. This book looks at the F-14's Iranian combat history and includes first hand accounts from the pilots themselves. It will consider key engagements and the central figures involved, illustrating the realities, successes and failures of the Iranian air campaign.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
A True Representation of IIAF Personnel:
In his review, R. A Forczyk (Laurel, MD USA), unwittingly notes the cause of US animosity towards Iran as the 1979 Hostage Crisis. However, he fails to mention that the source of hostage crisis is indeed the 1953 CIA coupe against the democratically elected and legal government of Iran. In fact, it is this unwise, and shortsighted effort by CIA only a few months after a Republican was elected into the office, that set the stage for terror in the Middle East in the coming years. R. A Forczyk conveniently... more info
The Iranian Tomcats were tough opponents indeed:
F-14 Tomcats remain the mainstay of the IRIAF today and pose a serious challenge to anyone who plans an air strike against Iran. The book gives a nice operational record of the type in Iranian service with many photos and personal stories of heroism, triumph and sacrifice. The IRIAF of the 1980s was initially decimated by the mullahs but the F-14 fleet kept enough of its skilled personnel to give the Iraqis a bloody nose. "Shah's pilots" returned to duty en masse after the Iraqi invasion (pardoned by the... more info
Not Factual:
A weak book written by an annonymous author of some unknown origin claiming to be an expert on Iranian Air Force. The book is only based on rumors, Iranian regime's official stories and some other lies told to the unknown author by, again, unknown people. One of the weakest books of the Osprey series. Not Recommended!
another side of tomcat:
this book tell us about F-14 tomcat belong to IRIAF, not U.S Navy, very good book,many stories is new for me, just like shot down Tu-22 iraq by AIM -54 Phoenix.
this book highly recomended for F-14 tomcat Fans just like me.
