Credit: Roundels of the world

Bases

  - Teheran/Mehrabad = 1st Tactical AF Base
  - Tabriz           = 2nd Tactical AF Base
  - Dezful/Vahdati = 4th Tactical AF Base
    - Akha Jari/Omidieh = 5th Tactical AF Base
    - Isfahan                = 8th Tactical AF Base
    - Chah Bahar            = 10th Tactical AF Base
    - Mashad              = 14th Tactical AF Base

All datas given in this section are unofficial, details
written in blue without underline are not confirmed.
Only confirmation is to where aircrafts are based
as F-5s have the number of the Air Base where
they are based painted on the tail.

The Islamic Republic has been lately more open in
showing aircrafts, but sometimes mixing reliable to
confusing information. Good photos of F-5s have
surfaced thanks to local information agencies and
aviation enthusiasts.

Transitional Period 1979-1980
The Islamic Republic of Iran was officially declared on 01-04-79, after the overthrow of the Imperial Iranian government.
Withdrawal of membership to the CENTO defence pact had already been announced in February 1979 as well as the cancellation of USD 7 billion worth of arms purchase, amongst which 160 F-16s foreseen as successors to the Northrop F-5.
Much of the Air Force equipment was grounded in the latter half of 1978 and for most of 1979; a high number of personnel had left the country and many others were no more available. Foreign technicians had been withdrawn, while the new government assumed an anti-Western stance; the US declared an arms embargo on 09-11-79 and broke diplomatic relations with Iran on 07-04-80.
It is claimed that the departing American advisors wiped out the computer-based spare parts inventory control system, causing a logistical headache, which took Iran years to sort out.
All these evenments brought as a consequence a severe spare and maintenance problem for the F-5 fleet.

By late 1979 following Wings/Squadrons were thought to exist
1st Reconnaissance Wing at Teheran/Mehrabad
    11th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron with RF-5A (Sqn had also RF-4E, RT-33A)
    12th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Tehran /Mehrabad with F-5A / F-5B
21st Tactical Fighter Wing at Tabriz
    21st, 22nd, 23rd Tactical Fighter Squadron with F-5E
41st Tactical Fighter Wing
    41st, 42nd Tactical Fighter Squadron at Dezful/Vahdati with F-5E
    43rd Tactical Fighter Training Squadron at Dezful/Vahdati with F-5E, F-5F

The war with Iraq (1980-1988) brought a sharp change to this situation.
Starting from beginning of 1980 friction along the 800 miles Iraqi/Iranian border, initially limited to small arms and artillery shells and flights along the borders. This evolved into full war on 22-09-80 when Iraqi MiG-21s and MiG-23s attacked 10 Iranian air bases in an attempt to destroy the Air Force on the ground. This failed, mainly because most of the aircrafts were in specially strengthened hangars and within a few hours Iranian fighters attacked two Iraqi Air Bases. A total of approximately 160 Northrop F-5E were available.
Operation "Kaman 99" was organised for the next day as a response to the aggression; 48 F-5Es from Tabriz AB participated attacking Mosul AB in northern Iraq and 40 F-5Es heavily damaged Nasiriyah AB in southern Iraq.

All available personnel (mainly young, at any level) was mobilised; the operation's target was to cause as much damage as possible to the enemy while saving the aircrafts as there were no replacement ones and little spares available. Every damaged F-5 was repaired as quickly as possible or, if not possible, stored, cannibalised (to keep others flying) to be repaired after the war in thousands of working hours.

        Bomb laden F-5F 3-7172 ready to go on next mission with Mk82 bombs equipped with "Snakeye"
        fins.                                                                                                    Photo: unknown

Spare parts were bought through any possible source, arms dealers and from other F-5 users, but in the later years the own aircraft industry could supply locally manufactured parts.
Main duty of F-5E Squadrons was initially to attack advancing Iraqi armor in Southern and Central flat desert war fronts with CBU cluster bombs, heat bombs, napalm bombs and Maverick missiles as well as to attack ground targets like bridges with 500 lbs bombs; second duty was interception. These duties remained throughout the war.
Northrop RF-5As deployed to three bases undertook reconnaissance flights; by 1979 only approximately four of these were operational.

Northrop RF-5A 2-7207 11th Squadron Photo: unknown

Iran and Iraq generally sought to conserve their aircraft though there were domr F-5 combats against Iraqi MiG-21s with losses on both parts, in addition to losses due to anti-aircraft fire during ground attack operations; the number of F-5s available for combat continually decreased reaching about 65 serviceable by beginning of 1983 and about 40-45 by October 1985.

Reports also indicate that Ethiopia was the source an unknown number of aircrafts. This varies according the source between 8 F-5A, 2 F-5B and 4 F-5E or only 10 F-5s of an unknown mix, bought in June 1985 at an initially extremely high price, USD 68m, later reduced to USD 34m; it seems that the Air Force would have preferred not to accept the aircrafts at all after seeing the first ones. No confirmed details are known, as all involved parties prefer to keep silence.
This deal is confirmed with the sighting in April 2009 of 3 Northrop F-5A and 1 Northrop F-5E in September 2009.

A book containing much information about the air war is "Iran-Iraq War in the Air, 1980-1988" by Tom Cooper & Farzad Bishop; other "acig organisation" pages give details about the battles between the two countries.

Losses of Northrop F-5 since 1971 can be found in ejection-history.org.uksite. Here 28 F-5s are listed as lost during the war. Unconfirmed reports estimate that a total of approximately 90 aircrafts were lost. Also unconfirmed is the information that one F-5E pilot deserted in 1983 to Turkey and one in 1984 to Saudi Arabia. Both aircrafts were returned to Iran later.

Islamic Revolutionary Guards - Guards Suicide Squadron
This is a special Corps formed to defend the Islamic Revolution. Some Guards were trained to fly and it has been reported that during the conflict they planned in 1983 suicide missions against the US Fleet in the Persian Gulf. The Squadron was scheduled to fly McDonnel F-4s, but these were too precious to be lost in such missions; they obtained 3 F-5As, 4 F-5B and 1 F-5E, it seems in poor conditions. Training on these aircrafts was at Dezful/Vahdati AB (Otober 1983). The attacks never happened and the Squadron was disbanded within a relatively short time , returning the aircrafts to the Air Force.

After the conflict (from 1988)

Couple of Sidewinder armed F-5E flying over a majestic desert landscape Photo: MEHR Agency

Reconstruction of all damaged airframes, some of them under cannibalisation, started to augment the approximately 60 remaining airframes, while Mikoyan MiG-29s were bought from Russia and China to re-equip some Squadrons.
As of the beginning of 1995 the Northrop F-5 changes were reported as follows:
the only RF-5A equipped Squadron 11 at Mehrabad AB, as well as 23rd Squadron at Tabriz formerly with F-5E, were re-equipped with MiG-29A/C and MiG-29UB received 1990-1991 changing their role to air defence; the remaining Northrop RF-5A (possibly 2) were transferred to Dezful/Vahdati AFB; Squadrons 51, 52, 53 at Omidieh had received Shenyang F-7M and FT-7M (the improved Chinese MiG-21 copy) about 1991, also for air defence.

Present deployment

Northorp F-5F 3-7172 50689 4th Tactical AB Photo: S. Shahram

    Northrop F-5E 3-7331 2th Tactical AB landing at Teheran-Mehrabad; well visible in the
    background the snowcovered Albourz mountains.                                       Photo: T. Babak

Recent photos show F-5s tails adorned with the numbers 2, 4 or 8, relating to the Tactical AB where they are based. Only four Tiger Squadrons have been reported to exist after the war, plus one advanced training Squadron with F-5B/Simorgh.

Western - Tabriz              / 2nd Tactical AB with the 21st Tactical Fighter Squadron with F-5E, F-5F
           - Dezful/Vahdati   / 4th Tactical AB with the 41st, 43rd Tactical Fighter Squadrons with F-5E, F-5F
               it is reported that some RF-5E are based here (if true, modified with RF-5A noses?)
Southern - no F-5 equipped unit
Eastern - Isfahan          / 8th Tactical AB houses the Air Force Flying School with the
                                    85th Tactical Fighter Squadron with F-5A (few), F-5B and Simorgh
            Mashhad        / 14th Tactical AB with the 141st with F-5E, F-5F. The unit had a few Mirage F-1 EQ/BQ
                                      used between 1996 or 1997 and until they were grounded in 2001.
                                    142nd Tactical Fighter Squadron with F-5E from 2001 to replace the Mirage F-1s

On the National Army Day, April 17th 2008, a total of 23 Northrop F-5E and F-5F participated to a flypast: 1 F-5A, 15 F-5E, 7 F-5F, in addition to 10 locally modified versions (see Iran Upgrades page). Some are shown hereunder:

Line-up of Northrop F-5E and F-5F at Tehran-Mehrabad on 17-04-2008 to participate to the air-parade
Photo: T. Babak

Several Northrop F-5E, F-5F, Azkharash and at least 2 Segeh participated to the "Milad-e-Noure-Velayat" exercise, held over the Persian Gulf between June 22nd and 24th 2009, together with McDonnel F-4 Phantoms and Sukhoi Su-24s; one of the participating Northrop F-5F from 43rs TF Squadron crashed during the manoeuvers.

Photo: unknown
Northrop F-5E 3-7335 50689 2th Tactical AB with 2 exercise bombs seen on take-off during
Milad-e-Noor-e-Velayat manoeuver June 22-24 2009 in Southern Iran.

The parade on 22-09-09 brought six Northrop F-5E, 9 F-5F from Tabriz AB (2nd TAB) and Dezful (4th TAB) plus 2 Northrop F-5B from Izfahan (8th TAB) and 4 Saegeh over Teheran's sky.
An unusual accident happened on September 22nd; according one version, one Northrop F-5E (of two escorting it), collided with the only ex Iraqi Antonov An-76 Adnan AWACS in Iranian service and crashed during the Air Force fly-past over Teheran.
Another collision on the same day was between 1 Northrop F-5E and 1 Northrop F-5F of the 21st Tactical Fighter Squadron.