Yadollah Javadpour (Persian: یدالله جوادپور) was a fighter pilot flying Northrop F-5 Tiger II in the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, serving for the duration of the Iran–Iraq War. According to some sources, his record qualifies him as an ace.[1][2] French military historian Pierre Razoux has credited him with three aerial victories.[3][4] He immigrated to North America after he was retired.[5]
Yadollah Javadpour | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Allegiance | Iran |
| Service | Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force |
| Battles / wars | Iran–Iraq War |
Career
editHe began his service as a pilot in the IIAF and was a member of the elite flight demonstration team, the Golden Crown.[5]
Iran–Iraq War
editJavadpour's notoriety came while flying the Northrop F-5. He claimed 5 air victories, which makes him an ace, but only two have been reliably confirmed by western sources. His greatest fame came on August 6, 1983 when he claimed (later to be reliably confirmed) to have shot down an Iraqi MiG-25. This was a significant achievement for an F-5 pilot as the MiG-25 is a much bigger and faster aircraft with a substantial altitude advantage. His other confirmed kill was an Su-20 on 17 October 1980.
Air Combat Information Group (ACIG) gives credit of the following confirmed kills to Javadpour:
| # | Date | Unit | Weapon | Victim | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 October 1980 | TFB 2 | 20mm | Su-20 | [6] |
| 2 | 6 August 1983 | TFB 2 | AIM-9J | MiG-25RB | [7] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Airpower Classics: F-5" (PDF), Air Force Magazine, 95 (12), Air Force Association: 72, December 2012
- ^ "Samurai in the Skies", IIAF Association
- ^ Razoux, Pierre (2015), The Iran-Iraq War, translated by Nicholas Elliott, Harvard University Press, Table 1.3: Victories by Iranian pilots (3 or more victories), p. 571, ISBN 978-0-674-91571-8
- ^ Razoux, Pierre (2019), Le siècle des As (1915-1988): Une autre histoire de l'aviation (in French), Place des éditeurs, Section 31, p. 15, ISBN 978-2-262-04827-3
- ^ a b Khanbanpoor, Mehdi (15 October 2016), Maryam Rajabi (ed.), "Memories of the Greatest Air Fight in the World", Iranian Oral History, translated by Rohollah Golmoradi, Resistance Literature and Culture Researches and Studies Center, retrieved 5 November 2020
- ^ "Iranian Air-to-Air Victories, 1976–1981", Arabian Peninsula & Persian Gulf Database, Air Combat Information Group, 19 May 2006, archived from the original on 25 August 2013, retrieved 5 November 2020
- ^ "Iranian Air-to-Air Victories, 1982–Today", Arabian Peninsula & Persian Gulf Database, Air Combat Information Group, 19 May 2006, archived from the original on 25 August 2013, retrieved 5 November 2020