H3 operation, the world's most daring air combat operation

H3 operation was one of the masterpieces of the army air force, after which Iraq could not rebuild its air force for a year, and this became the basis for Iran's victory in successful ground operations.

News ID: 85027

Date: 21 September 2024 - 11:32

TEHRAN (Defapress) - The H3 operation occurred on April 4, 1981, was designed to gain Iran's air superiority, and finally led to the liberation of Khorramshahr and the occupied areas of Iran.

During this operation, 10 armed phantom planes (8 main planes and 2 reserve planes) took off from Shahid Nojeh airbase in Hamedan and flew towards Urmia Lake. At that location, the airplanes collided with two fuel tankers at a low altitude. After refueling, they entered Iraq from the border strip of Turkey, where they collided with two tankers that had left the international route, and after refueling, they headed to Al-Waleed bases. They bombarded those military bases completely and returned from the same route.

This operation was so accurately predicted that the planes of each flight group were identified the night before. After the maintenance battalion announced the aircraft numbers, the pilots took their seats in the cabin one after the other, while the personnel of the maintenance battalion did not know the details of this operation.

Saddam, who had just realized what a fatal blow he had received from the brave Iranian pilots, had ordered all his flight squadrons to shoot down 8 Iranian planes as much as possible.

The route had become very dangerous and the Baathist warplanes were looking for the Iranian planes and tried to shoot them down before the Iranian planes left the border. Unaware that they have come face to face with men whose reputations are complicated worldwide.

Realizing this, the Iranian fighters increased their speed and reached the border of Iran. On the other side of the border, Iranian fighters who were patrolling to protect the F4 planes were waiting to shoot down an enemy plane if it appeared in the sky of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Baathist pilots who had understood the courage of our high flyers did not dare to come to Iran and returned to their bases disappointed and frustrated.

During this operation, radio silence was broken only twice. One was during the flight, when each plane announced its number after taking off from the runway, and the other time, they announced a password after the refueling operation was over.

After the operation, it became clear that the damages were more than expected:

48 fighter-bomber planes (including MiG 21 - MiG 23 - Sukhoi 20 - Sukhoi 22 - Tupolev 16 and Mirage) were destroyed or seriously damaged.

3 large hangars, 2 radars, and several concrete shelters were completely destroyed.

This operation had a great impact on the morale of the Iranian fighters so a few months later, the successful operations were carried out with complete success, again with the appropriate support of the Air Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran.