F-4 and F-14 Aircraft Also Overhauled

On 26 July, the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Maj.-Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari and the Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, Brig.-Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, unveiled 10 Su-22 aircraft that have been overhauled and upgraded in country, according to the Fars News Agency (FNA).

Gen. Hajizadeh stated to the audience at the ceremony in southern Iran that the aircraft are now able to carry smart precision munitions, including cluster bombs and air-to-air missiles, and to exchange data with drones at a distance of several kilometres. He also observed that the aircraft would shortly be able to carry precision cruise missiles with a range of 1,500 kilometres.

FNA also stated that a team of Iranian engineers at Shahid Babyee airbase successfully overhauled an F-14 TOMCAT earlier this month, after some 35,000 man-hours of labour. The aircraft has been tested and returned to Iranian Air Force service. By comparison, an F-4 PHANTOM was returned to service after an overhaul at the Shahid Lashkari airbase announced in 2016, which required 18,000 man-hours for completion.