ByPaul Iddon,
Senior Contributor.
Iran’s antiquated air force was practically powerless against Israel’s during the 12-day war in June. Closer to home, most neighboring countries of Iran have built up, or are in the process of building up, air forces with more advanced fighter jets, underlining Tehran’s urgent need to upgrade its air power.
Azerbaijan showcased its new JF-17C Block III fighter jets, recently acquired from Pakistan, at a military parade on Nov. 8. Baku has ordered 40 of these advanced fighters, which boast numerous advanced features, including electronically scanned array radars. The latest JF-17 can also fire China’s PL-15E beyond-visual range air-to-air missile, the same missile Pakistan used to shoot down at least one of India’s French-made Dassault Rafales during clashes in May.
Iran’s most advanced fighters remain its American-made Grumman F-14A Tomcats acquired in the 1970s. Tehran received 79 before the 1979 revolution, with at least a few dozen still in operation to the present day. A state-of-the-art aircraft for its time, the F-14, with its AWG-9 radar and AIM-54 Phoenix missile, was a pioneer in beyond-visual-range air warfare. The AIM-54 can hit aerial targets up to 100 miles away. Iran has built a derivative of the Phoenix called the Fakour-90.
