Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

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Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
نیروی هوایی ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران Nirū-ye Havāyi-ye Arteš-e Jomhūri-ye Eslāmi-ye Irān
Badge of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
Founded	25 February 1925; 99 years ago (1925-02-25) (as the Imperial Iranian Air Force) February 1979; 45 years ago (1979-02) (as the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force)
Country	Iran
Type	Air force
Role	Aerial warfare
Size	37,000 (MEI 2011 estimate) [1]
Part of	Islamic Republic of Iran Army
Headquarters	Tehran
Nickname(s)	Persian: تیزپروازان "Fastflyers"
Motto(s)	Persian: بلند آسمان جایگاه من است "Skyhigh is my place"
Colours	Ultramarine blue
Anniversaries	8 February (Air Force Day)
Engagements	Anglo-Soviet invasion Project Dark Gene Dhofar War Joint Operation Arvand 1978 Iranian Chinook shootdown 1982 Harmak incident Iran–Iraq War Syrian Civil War Military intervention against ISIS
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief	Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
Commander of the Air Force	Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi
Deputy Commander	Brigadier General Mahdi Hadian
Coordinating Deputy Commander	Second Brigadier General Ali-Akbar Talebzadeh
Insignia
Roundels
Fin flash
Aircraft flown
Attack	F-4D/E, Su-24MK, F-5E/F, Saeqeh, HESA Karrar
Electronic warfare	B707 Elint
Fighter	F-14A, MiG-29A/UB, Mirage F1EQ4/EQ5/EQ6, F-7M
Helicopter	CH-47, Bell 212, Bell 206
Patrol	P-3F
Reconnaissance	RF-4E UAV: Kaman 22 (UAV), Kaman-12 (UAV), Mohajer-6 (UAV), Qods Mohajer
Trainer	F-5A/B/Simorgh, PC-7, F33C, Fajr-3, FT-7, Mirage F1BQ, Yak-130, HESA Yasin
Transport	C-130, IL-76, F27, Boeing 747, Boeing 707, Falcon 20, Falcon 50, JetStar, PC-6, Socata TB, HESA Simourgh

The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF; Persian: نیروی هوایی ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران, romanized: Nirū-ye Havāyi-ye Arteš-e Jomhūri-ye Eslāmi-ye Irān) is the aviation branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army. The present air force came into being 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. As a result of 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 would go on to form the core of the IRIAF command.