Yadollah Javadpour () was a

fighter pilot A fighter pilot or combat pilot is a Military aviation, military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, Air-to-ground weaponry, air-to-ground combat and sometimes Electronic-warfare aircraft, electronic warfare while in the cockpit of ...

flying Northrop F-5 Tiger II in the

Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF; ) is the air force, aviation branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army. The present air force was created when the Imperial Iranian Air Force was renamed in 1979 following the Iranian Revoluti ...

, serving for the duration of the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

. According to some sources, his record qualifies him as an

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...

. French military historian Pierre Razoux has credited him with three aerial victories. He immigrated to North America after he was retired.

Career

He began his service as a pilot in the IIAF and was a member of the elite flight demonstration team, the Golden Crown.

Iran–Iraq War

Javadpour's notoriety came while flying the

Northrop F-5 The Northrop F-5 is a family of supersonic light fighter aircraft initially designed as a privately funded project in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation. There are two main models: the original F-5A and F-5B Freedom Fighter variants, and th ...

. He claimed 5 air victories, which makes him an ace, but only two have been reliably confirmed by western sources. His greatest fame came on August 6, 1983 when he claimed (later to be reliably confirmed) to have shot down an Iraqi

MiG-25 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 (; NATO reporting name: Foxbat) is a supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft that is among the fastest military aircraft to enter service. Designed by the Soviet Union's Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau, it is a ...

. This was a significant achievement for an F-5 pilot as the MiG-25 is a much bigger and faster aircraft with a substantial altitude advantage. His other confirmed kill was an Su-20 on 17 October 1980. Air Combat Information Group (ACIG) gives credit of the following confirmed kills to Javadpour:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Javadpour, Yadollah Iran–Iraq War flying aces Islamic Republic of Iran Army personnel of the Iran–Iraq War Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force personnel Iranian flying aces Living people Golden Crown Year of birth missing (living people)

Career

Iran–Iraq War

See also

References