Imperial Iranian Army Aviation In 1962, the core of the force was established as the
Imperial Iranian Army Aviation (
IIAA) during the
Pahlavi era as part of the
Imperial Iranian Army with 6
Cessna 180 (U-17) aircraft and 6 pilots based in
Isfahan. Officers were sent to the
United States to be trained. The number of aircraft was 30 by 1966. In 1966, 17
Kaman HH-43B Huskie helicopters were purchased from the United States. Iran also received 12
Cessna O-2As, which still can fly but are out of service. In 1971, the unit was expanded from an Aviation Battalion into an Aviation Regiment, with the purchase of
Agusta-Bell 205A Iroquois and
Agusta-Bell 206 JetRanger helicopters from
Italy. Officers were sent to Italy for the related flight and technical courses. The Cessnas were phased out of service as the 205A's became operational. of Imperial Iranian Army Aviation In 1973, a group of American advisors arrived in Iran to assess the geography and climate of Iran. It was decided to establish three combat units in
Kermanshah,
Masjed Soleyman, and
Kerman, and one general support unit in
Isfahan, and a pilot and technical education center at Vatanpour Airbase. After the Revolution, Iran took delivery of 70
Boeing (Elicotteri Meridionali) CH-47C Chinooks and 11 more from Italy. IRIAA flew more than 300,000 hours in direct support of the operations throughout the war, in addition to around 59,000 hours in training sorties, with an average of 100 hours of flight per day during the war. During the initial months of the war, the Army Aviation, usually operating on its own and using intelligence from local people, managed to stop Iraqi tanks from advancing further into western Iran. This was usually done by using units of
AH-1J SeaCobras and a
Bell 206 JetRanger. Among the Iranians, the Cobras gained a reputation as good as those of the
F-14 Tomcats and the
F-4 Phantom II. Iranian AH-1Js, particularly the
TOW-capable ones, were "exceptionally effective" in anti-armour warfare, inflicting heavy losses on Iraqi armoured and vehicle formations. In operations over the barren terrain in
Khuzestan and later in southern Iraq, beside the standard tactics, Iranian pilots developed special, effective tactics, often in the same manner as the Soviets did with their
Mi-24s. Due to the post-Revolution weapons sanctions, Iranians equipped the AH-1Js with the
AGM-65 Maverick missiles and used it in some operations with some success. Starting from October 1980, the AH-1Js engaged in
air-to-air combat with Iraqi
Mil Mi-24 helicopters on several occasions during the Iran–Iraq War, the only war with confirmed "dogfights" between helicopters. The results of these engagements are disputed. One document cited that Iranian AH-1Js took on Iraqi
Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters. Sources report that the Iranian AH-1 pilots achieved a 10:1 kill ratio over the Iraqi helicopter pilots during these engagements (1:5). One source states that 10 Iranian AH-1Js were lost in the war, compared to six lost Iraqi Mi-24s. The skirmishes are described as fairly evenly matched in another source. The Mi-24 was more powerful and faster, but the AH-1J was more agile. About half of the AH-1Js were lost during the conflict from combat, accidents, and simple wear and tear.
Contemporary From 1979 to 2011, more than 800,000 flight hours were logged by the Havānīrūz. Many of the helicopters delivered before the Revolution need to be repaired and refurbished. The
Iranian Helicopter Support and Renewal Company, IHSRC, also known as PANHA or Panha, was founded for this purpose.
Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) is manufacturing new helicopters, usually based on those that Iran already has in its arsenal. == Equipment ==