RAF in Iran?
Thread Starter
RAF in Iran?
Many moons back (1960s) my family lived in Iran. Two friends of my folks were RAF, based in Iran. A Wing Commander, Doug Adams, and a Squadron Leader, Geoff Neal.
They used to talk about exercises with the Iranian Air Force. The IAF had F-86 Sabres, and the RAF were intruders with Canberras.
I haven't been able to find anything about the RAF in Iran. Does anyone know anything about it?
They used to talk about exercises with the Iranian Air Force. The IAF had F-86 Sabres, and the RAF were intruders with Canberras.
I haven't been able to find anything about the RAF in Iran. Does anyone know anything about it?
Many moons back (1960s) my family lived in Iran. Two friends of my folks were RAF, based in Iran. A Wing Commander, Doug Adams, and a Squadron Leader, Geoff Neal.
They used to talk about exercises with the Iranian Air Force. The IAF had F-86 Sabres, and the RAF were intruders with Canberras.
I haven't been able to find anything about the RAF in Iran. Does anyone know anything about it?
They used to talk about exercises with the Iranian Air Force. The IAF had F-86 Sabres, and the RAF were intruders with Canberras.
I haven't been able to find anything about the RAF in Iran. Does anyone know anything about it?
As 'late' as 1970 8 Squadron Hunters from RAF Sharjah simulated GA missions for IIAF F-5 defenders in CENTO Exercise Midlink '70. Possibly the Canberras were on detachment to Sharjah from Akrotiri. Exercise Midlink was a long running annual exercise and the US carried on participating until close to the fall of the Shah, the UK withdrew from CENTO after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The Akrotiri Canberra squadrons were committed to CENTO under MEAF/NEAF.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Iran was a member of CENTO up to its demise in as a consequence of the Iranian revolution and the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
(I was in Cyprus in 76-78 (when we were ordered to destroy all our CENTO documents) and I went as a NATO observer at a CENTO exercise in Diyarbakir*. Fond memories of the Iranian and Pakistani observers, always wondered what happened to the Iranians.
The Vulcan squadrons at Akrotiri, 9 and 35, were assigned to NEAF and the CENTO nuclear role until the Turkish invasion and their withdrawal in 1975.
Not sure how many RAF personnel were permanently based in country in CENTO roles prior to its demise, but you will find stories on pprune of crews recalling their flights, night stops in Teheran in transit to the Far East and return along with other stories.**
* Taceval, Maxival and Minival
** Did You Fly The Vulcan?? (Merged)
(I was in Cyprus in 76-78 (when we were ordered to destroy all our CENTO documents) and I went as a NATO observer at a CENTO exercise in Diyarbakir*. Fond memories of the Iranian and Pakistani observers, always wondered what happened to the Iranians.
The Vulcan squadrons at Akrotiri, 9 and 35, were assigned to NEAF and the CENTO nuclear role until the Turkish invasion and their withdrawal in 1975.
Not sure how many RAF personnel were permanently based in country in CENTO roles prior to its demise, but you will find stories on pprune of crews recalling their flights, night stops in Teheran in transit to the Far East and return along with other stories.**
* Taceval, Maxival and Minival
** Did You Fly The Vulcan?? (Merged)
Last edited by ORAC; 10th Sep 2023 at 13:58.
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23 Sqn Lightnings staged through Iran ( Hamedan, or Isfahan ? ) to test deployment to Masirah without Cyprus support or ME tankers; and without escort for single seat transit Syria-Russia gap. Circa 1969 ?
Iranian F5 escort for arrival.
Some diplomatic stick-waving by flying from Iran to Sharjah, then to Masirah.
Outbound UK tankers as far as OH Italy; stage through Ankara, Iran, Sharjah.
Return via Sharjah, Izmir, to meet UK tankers off Italy to Leuchars.
Iranian F5 escort for arrival.
Some diplomatic stick-waving by flying from Iran to Sharjah, then to Masirah.
Outbound UK tankers as far as OH Italy; stage through Ankara, Iran, Sharjah.
Return via Sharjah, Izmir, to meet UK tankers off Italy to Leuchars.
Canberras in Iran: I can remember fetching a Canberra detachment out of Bandar Abbas when I was on the Belfast (en-route Masirah to Akrotiri on 02/02/76). The Canberras had been target-towing for the IIAF.
I remember a couple of Cyprus Vulcan detachments to Shiraz in the early 70's and working with the Iranian Air Force - good value to all!
Thread Starter
Thanks for the info guys. It makes a lot more sense now. I remember reading about CENTO in the local papers at the time. There was also SEATO (South-East Asia) wasn't there.
The Akrotiri Vulcans would detach to Iran once a year. In 1968-9, I went as 2nd. line Avionic support and we were based at Mehrabad Airport. It was a 2 week detachment and the Vulcans would fly daily intruder sorties against the Iranian F4s, usually under American guidance.
Towards the end of the detachment the Vulcans would fly a bit closer to the Russian border, they would launch their QRA and light up their radars only for a 51 Comet to appear and "hoover" up everything they could find.
Towards the end of the detachment the Vulcans would fly a bit closer to the Russian border, they would launch their QRA and light up their radars only for a 51 Comet to appear and "hoover" up everything they could find.
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From Winged Warriors -The Cold War from the Cockpit:
'My first sortie was a high-level recce of the Iranian Air Force base at Bandarabbas on the northern side of the Arabian Gulf. The sortie lasted four hours, and we were intercepted by Iranian F4 Phantoms. The F4s had very ‘dirty’ engines and we could see their smoke from many miles away, so we could then turn to make their task of intercepting us so much more difficult. The following day we flew a similar sortie, this time against the Iranian base at Mashad in north-eastern Iran. It was another four hour sortie and we eventually landed at Tehran International Airport. We had about an hour on the ground to refuel before taking off again and after checking the weather forecast for our return I went outside the Met Office for a quick cigarette. So there I was, a rather unkempt RAF flying officer in a sweaty flying suit, no hat, having a quiet smoke when guess who came round the corner? An RAF Air Marshal in his very best uniform and he was looking for me! I almost wet myself on the spot! But all he wanted to do was to shake my hand and have a chat. He was Air Marshal Sir Alfred Ball, the UK Permanent Military Representative to CENTO, and he had flown in for a high powered CENTO meeting. As he and the many other senior delegates were walking along the red carpet to meet their hosts, he spotted our aircraft, exclaimed ‘that’s a XIII Squadron Canberra’ and promptly hurried off to find the crew. He was a delightful man and didn’t seem to mind my casual turn-out in the slightest.'
This sortie took place in 1976. The book also contains other tales about the author in Iran.
'My first sortie was a high-level recce of the Iranian Air Force base at Bandarabbas on the northern side of the Arabian Gulf. The sortie lasted four hours, and we were intercepted by Iranian F4 Phantoms. The F4s had very ‘dirty’ engines and we could see their smoke from many miles away, so we could then turn to make their task of intercepting us so much more difficult. The following day we flew a similar sortie, this time against the Iranian base at Mashad in north-eastern Iran. It was another four hour sortie and we eventually landed at Tehran International Airport. We had about an hour on the ground to refuel before taking off again and after checking the weather forecast for our return I went outside the Met Office for a quick cigarette. So there I was, a rather unkempt RAF flying officer in a sweaty flying suit, no hat, having a quiet smoke when guess who came round the corner? An RAF Air Marshal in his very best uniform and he was looking for me! I almost wet myself on the spot! But all he wanted to do was to shake my hand and have a chat. He was Air Marshal Sir Alfred Ball, the UK Permanent Military Representative to CENTO, and he had flown in for a high powered CENTO meeting. As he and the many other senior delegates were walking along the red carpet to meet their hosts, he spotted our aircraft, exclaimed ‘that’s a XIII Squadron Canberra’ and promptly hurried off to find the crew. He was a delightful man and didn’t seem to mind my casual turn-out in the slightest.'
This sortie took place in 1976. The book also contains other tales about the author in Iran.
All a long time ago, but having just joined the MOD Exercise staff in early January 1979, I accompanied the boss to a planning meeting for a CENTO exercise that we must have been down to run. When no Iranian delegates showed up, it became clear that CENTO was de-facto defunct.
I believe the Shiraz Vulcan was XJ781 which landed with one main leg stuck "up" on 23.05.73. Damaged beyond repair. I see from my log book that I got involved. Belfast XR370 29.05.73 Akrotiri - Shiraz. 30.05.73 Shiraz - Teheran. 31.05.73 Teheran - Shiraz - Teheran - Akrotiri. I think we were fetching bits of broken Vulcan out of Shiraz. I also seem to remember that there was an Iranian Air Force pilot on board the Vulcan when it crashed and that this had raised a few eyebrows (he wasn't hurt).
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Many moons back (1960s) my family lived in Iran. Two friends of my folks were RAF, based in Iran. A Wing Commander, Doug Adams, and a Squadron Leader, Geoff Neal.
They used to talk about exercises with the Iranian Air Force. The IAF had F-86 Sabres, and the RAF were intruders with Canberras.
I haven't been able to find anything about the RAF in Iran. Does anyone know anything about it?
They used to talk about exercises with the Iranian Air Force. The IAF had F-86 Sabres, and the RAF were intruders with Canberras.
I haven't been able to find anything about the RAF in Iran. Does anyone know anything about it?
Hi. My dad was in Iran/persia in the 60's and 70's. He was there with Nimrod 203 Squadron on detachment. There was definitely a very close working relationship with the Iranians in those days. Also as unbelievable as it may sound, Tehran had a very large Israeli community until 1979. The Iranian people are very much a different entity to the "Islamic Republic of Iran " regime.
Apologies for the repeat, I know I posted same line somewhere else, before, but, me too ; long history with Iran and Dad worked and lived there for 30 years. Thanks to the RAF in Iran, he was evacuated in the back of a Herc, having lost everything. Two houses, four cars and sizeable bank accounts. My repeat is of the Hercibird's Skipper who at one point made a PA with the comment :"If you wish to reset your watches to UK time, just wind them back two hours. If you prefer to keep Iran time, wind them back 200 years". Priceless.
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Apologies for the repeat, I know I posted same line somewhere else, before, but, me too ; long history with Iran and Dad worked and lived there for 30 years. Thanks to the RAF in Iran, he was evacuated in the back of a Herc, having lost everything. Two houses, four cars and sizeable bank accounts. My repeat is of the Hercibird's Skipper who at one point made a PA with the comment :"If you wish to reset your watches to UK time, just wind them back two hours. If you prefer to keep Iran time, wind them back 200 years". Priceless.
Then just before they were to be escorted to a flight out of the Country they were told one bag, so he had to rapidly sort what he wanted to keep.
Leaving the house and cars etc, he handed the keys to his long serving faithful Iranian housekeeper and said thank you, it is all yours now.
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Hi. My dad was in Iran/persia in the 60's and 70's. He was there with Nimrod 203 Squadron on detachment. There was definitely a very close working relationship with the Iranians in those days. Also as unbelievable as it may sound, Tehran had a very large Israeli community until 1979. The Iranian people are very much a different entity to the "Islamic Republic of Iran " regime.
Canberras in Persia
In the mid 70s Malta's 13 Sqn Canberra PR7s detached to Mashad in north-east Persia regularly. We then went on low level trips around the east of the country - complete with a Persian Air Force observer down in the nose (being sick most of the time!). The maps were a bit basic which lead to some unexpected mountains a good 2000 feet higher than the hills shown. Happy days.