Another Su-22 mission into Iran

[oldiaf]

Target : Aghajari power plant
Formation : 2 Su-22
Load : 4 Missile pods S5K each with 16 rockets .. Total 64 for each aircrafts plus 160 (30mm) bullets with 2 EFT (800)
Mission
Take off with early light .. Low flying 100 feet ... Speed 420 nm/hr
On route to target which is 170nm from Base ( Basra Base ) the formation noticed 2 cargo planes on forward airfield but they elected to continue mission instead of diverting to attack these parked planes in order not to reveal their presence..
On reaching the target both planes attacked with all their missiles and left the target engulfed with flames ... But during the mission the formation leader plane suffered a malfunction in the engine but it still working....
On the way back they found these 2 parked cargo planes still in place ... So the formation leader ordered his no.2 to attack them with guns because his plane is not working well .... No.2 attacked and within seconds the 2 planes were blown apieces and he told his leader : they are burned ... The airfield defenses started firing but failed to hit any plane and both aircrafts made it back to base.

[nikolaos]

When this raid actually took place?

[oldiaf]

When this raid actually took place?

Frankly I didn't find the date in my papers but I will search again

[tomcooper]

When this raid actually took place?

Frankly I didn't find the date in my papers but I will search again

Can't find the date in my notes either, right now, but...

...on their way back these Sukhois have attacked Ahwaz IAP. They hit only one C-130H - IRIAF serial number 5-8359. This Hercules was badly damaged, and Iranians lacked the means to safely recover it for repairs. Thus, the aircraft was disassembled and stored in one of local hangars.

5-8359 was recovered after the war (in 1990, if I recall this correctly), and brought to TFB.7 (Shiraz). It took Iranians some four years to completely rebuild it: since 1994, it's in service with 72nd Transport Squadron IRIAF (the last I've heard of that Herky-bird, it was still operational; that was in 2010).

The story is quite 'famous' within the circles of IRIAF technicians because the work on that C-130 was something like their 'school' about many maintenance- and/or repair-related issues, including production of spares made of complex alloys and synthetic rubber, quality control etc., and because this work resulted in establishment of an overhaul facility for Hercules' at TFB.7.

[old.iraqi.air.force]

This mission carried out on Saturday 4 October 1980 Shaibah Air Base.
Used munitions: (4 × 16 = 64) rocket launchers (C5-K).
He suffered a malfunction in the engine due to rockets smolder because he left the FD off.