Iraqi Falcon 50s

[Diverskii]

Recently fell down the rabbit hole of looking in to the Iraqi govs fleet of Falcon 50s. I thought I'd put together a write up for those interested, and maybe encourage some discussion from people who know any other details. This includes the very interesting history of YI-ALE, the Exocet carrying biz jet which reportedly attacked USS Stark in 1987.

Iraq ordered 5 jets, registering 4 to the Iraqi government and another in Switzerland (more on that later).

YI-ALB, S/N 71, (F-WZHF,YI-ALB,J2-KBA,N352WB)
Delivered in March 1982 painted in full Iraqi airways colours. Later given as a gift to the government of Djibouti before the the Gulf War. Still active (https://uk.flightaware.com/live/flight/N352WB) as N352WB in the USA.

https://live.staticflickr.com/4846/45838059865_7556b05ba6_w.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/320x223/2bx6tjem_d883b64ce0de0e62d8a830eee8870e4694f71700.jpg

Image: Reinhard Zinabold, Flickr. Image: T.Laurent (https://www.airhistory.net/photo/182217/J2-KBA)



YI-ALC, S/N 101, F-WPXH,YI-ALC,5-9012,EP-TFA
Delivered Nov 82. Flew to Iran just before the Gulf War, first registered as 5-9012, then as EP-TFA.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/320x224/wybm5qim_beddc477d9a63a6ffb9c2ff8b3f49328ab9b3511.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/320x234/hcar4oam_4d8f2d8995d16e6731f5d2c3b276926ff2af70d8.jpg
Image: Peter Smithson (https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/8775925), Image: Jeremy Denton (https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/8991994)

YI-ALD, S/N 120, F-WPXJ,YI-ALD,5-9011,EP-TFI,
Delivered Oct 83, to Iran before the Gulf War as 5-9011, later EP-TFI.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/320x210/5yxszexm_d80aa734990ba1995e8da9b7f7eefc874c14342c.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/320x205/9a9upnpm_f956bc97aeacd2dd02ebd88ff0b398130c98ff38.jpg
Image: Kevin Colbran (https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1138071), Image: Sadra Mosalla (https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/9245971)

YI-ALE , S/N 122 F-WZHG,YI-ALE,5-9013
Nicknamed 'Suzanna', Delivered May 83, Attack on USS Stark 1987, to Iran just before the Gulf War as 5-9013.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/696x426/7yxbs0v1xgf31_b3016bf5408933569b5508d2b15cb4f6145751aa.jpg#
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1024x514/833700063_cc3b63d4fc3e5dc01bd49549398d96c1fe28d57f.jpg

There has been a fair bit written online about the attack on the USS Stark by YI-ALE, so I won't go in to detail. There is a good write up here along with many other places. https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/how-modified-iraqi-falcon-50-business-jet-nearly-destroyed-us-frigate-66772

In short, the French secretly modified YI-ALE with a Mirage nose cone and weapons systems, including two Exocet missiles. Very few pictures of ALE in this configuration exist (I believe the image in the magazine above is a photoshop). The cockpit of ALE a similarly modified Falcon 20 with Mirage systems has been posted before on pprune (https://www.pprune.org/10668178-post1425.html) in the 'Guess the Cockpit' thread.

EDIT: As pointed out, cockpit is of a FA20, not ALE.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/255x192/9542890d_c464_4102_a44e_b4c81a3acb3a_f69639e828d16b5c33114b1 6e2f2180488a98b8a.jpeghttps://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/283x213/cc3f8608_787c_473c_afc2_fc8b883b47b7_1b5f05771bae5af85a7ec0b af13d696763319634.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1024x761/9fe1edaa_1ef2_40b9_8679_b982b45a0ff0_052c18a314183a2d9c3227b a153714e6ea4ec0e1.jpeg

This aircraft was also sent to Iran before the Gulf War but, unlike ALC and ALD, I cannot find any images of ALE operating in Iran as 9013. If anyone can shed light on the current state of this historic aircraft it would be great.

Now, back to that Swiss registered falcon...

HB-IES , S/N 061, then VP-CRF.
Serial number 061 was the first Falcon 50 delivered in December 81, but registered in Switzerland to the Iraqi front company 'Logarcheo'. Capt.
Rizal then delivered 061 to Baghdad on January 15, 1982. As you can see, she wore the same basic livery as the other Falcons.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/320x213/9ykeyobm_d3cdb976978f1008cc86060188090c1d05d856ad.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/320x219/idqhvz4m_3ef9d86f6f63caf9afae74205283e276cd974554.jpg
Image: Kevin Colbran, (https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1138066) Image: Patrice Tappa (https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/6425479)

The aircraft was flown to Amman before the Gulf War, and remained there until 1994 when it was flown to Basel for maintenance, and then put back in to service with the Iraqi government. More info on the history of HB-IES can be found in this (https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/04AMMAN1214_a.html)leaked diplomatic cable. It seems to suggest there was a dispute on the legal ownership of the aircraft after the Iraq war. It is now flying on a Bermuda registration, operated by 'Ocean Waves Ltd'.

So in all, 3 of the 5 Iraqi Falcons went to Iran before the Gulf War (and much like the rest of the Iraqi air force fleet, they never returned). The other two are now in private hands and still flying.

A pretty interesting history for a small fleet of bizjets I think.

[N707ZS]

What was inside the Mirage nose cone?

Da 20s also have a wing which can carry up to two pods on each wing.

[Self loading bear]

What was inside the Mirage nose cone?

Da 20s also have a wing which can carry up to two pods on each wing.

See national interest (https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/how-modified-iraqi-falcon-50-business-jet-nearly-destroyed-us-frigate-66772)

Cyrano IV-C5 radar
to operate together with fire-control system of the Mirage F.1EQ-5

[atakacs]

I remember seeing YI-ALE in Villaroche in a completely fortuitous way and reflecting that it was an odd bird. Too bad that smartphones did not exist (and probably security would have been much tighter if they did...).
To the best of my knowledge it is now somewhere in Iran as it "defected" with the rest of the Iraqi airforce in Jan 91

[pedrothepilot]

Great write up! What an interesting fleet indeed!

[DaveReidUK]

It's interesting that most of the articles on the subject refer to the Exocets being hung from underwing pylons, and yet the "artist's impression" linked above shows what appears to be a fuselage-mounted pylon (presumably one each side) extending well forward of the wing root.

The former sounds much more feasible - it's a pity there are no decent photos of the fit.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1006x358/fa50_exocet_6a14ef49b82dc7564066c8b3659fb84834b91ed9.jpg

[Diverskii]

On second look, the two smaller grainy photos above which look like stills from a video seem to show the missiles mounted under the fuselage which as you say makes more sense

[DaveReidUK]

On second look, the two smaller grainy photos above which look like stills from a video seem to show the missiles mounted under the fuselage which as you say makes more sense

No, I didn't say mounting them under the fuselage makes more sense. Quite the opposite, unless the plan was to scrape the missiles along the runway.

[N707ZS]

Iraqi Susanna in 1989,a modified Dassault Falcon 50 including the nose with a Cyrano IVM radar, a Harold pod under the centreline and one Exocet anti-ship missile under each wing. Just copied this from a search.

[walschaert valve]

Not sure if I am missing something obvious, but that interior photo only seems to show two lots of engine gauges and two power levers.

[10 DME ARC]

Yes and the registration to left control column shows F-ZJTS which was a French AF FA20??

[N707ZS]

Guess photo is showing a French DA 20 with a Mirage fit in right hand seat which may have been fitted to the Iraqi aircraft.

[DaveReidUK]

Guess photo is showing a French DA 20 with a Mirage fit in right hand seat which may have been fitted to the Iraqi aircraft.

The Mirage pilot station is a complete red herring. It has no relevance to the Iraqi Falcons.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/572x411/falcon20st_c697e261b512c3bf0593640f910a5ae212c695b1.jpg

[The Flying Stool]

I found this short film on YouTube regarding the USS Stark incident and includes some interesting footage of the Falcon 'Susana'. Link below:

https://youtu.be/K7iKxFfadRI

[DaveReidUK]

I found this short film on YouTube regarding the USS Stark incident and includes some interesting footage of the Falcon 'Susana'. Link below:

https://youtu.be/K7iKxFfadRI

Is that a Voodoo at 5:32 ??

[l.garey]

Certainly looks like it!

Laurence

[Spooky 2]

Not sure if I am missing something obvious, but that interior photo only seems to show two lots of engine gauges and two power levers.


Yes as mentioned earlier that is a F20 cockpit.