The sleek, delta-winged fighter jet streaked across the Iranian sky, a mere 200 feet from the ground. The French-made Mirage F1, usually at home in Iraq‘s air force, was now being put through its paces by a pilot from the opposing Iranian side. It was 1987, the midst of the devastating Iran-Iraq war, and the Islamic Republic had just pulled off an impressive feat – bringing an advanced enemy warplane back from the brink and restoring it to working order without the original manufacturer‘s support. This event exemplified Iran‘s particular brand of "war trophism" – acquiring enemy military hardware and ingeniously getting it flying again, no matter the obstacles.
Iran and Iraq Go To War – With Global Superpowers Arming Both Sides
The Mirage fighter was never meant to end up in Iran. Instead, it arrived there by way of the rapidly escalating, complex and bloody conflict that broke out between Iran and Iraq in 1980. This war saw heavy intervention from outside powers on both sides, not surprising given the geopolitical importance of oil-rich Persia.
As the war intensified through the early 1980s, superpowers supplied more and more weapons to their proxies:
"By 1982, great powers like the Soviet Union, France, the US and UK were all deeply involved in backing either Iran or Iraq with weapons and intelligence. The war enabled these nations to test new military equipment in battlefield conditions," observes Cold War historian Lawrence Kaplan.
Map showing extent of Iranian and Iraqi territory changes during the war (Wikimedia Commons)
Advanced aircraft formed a crucial part of these foreign arms transfers. Eager to maintain influence in the oil-rich region, Moscow provided large numbers of MiG and Sukhoi fighters to Iraq. Meanwhile, Paris cozied up to Baghdad by selling Dassault‘s cutting-edge Mirage F1 jets, which began arriving from 1981 onward.
Dassault‘s Delta-Winged Dogfighter: Introducing the Mirage F1
The Mirage F1 provided Iraq with France‘s most advanced warplane of the early 1980s era. Following the Israeli Air Force‘s resounding 1967 Six-Day War triumph with earlier Mirage variants, France ritually unveiled improved Mirage models during subsequent Middle East wars. The F1 carried on this trend – entering production in 1975 as Dassault’s ultimate Cold War interceptor before the impending age of fly-by-wire fighters like France‘s Rafale or the American F-16.
Iraq’s variant, the Mirage F1EQ, was an optimized tactical bomber able to carry over 13,000 lbs of external stores while still pulling high g-forces in air combat. Power came courtesy of a SNECMA Atar 9K50 turbojet, allowing blistering speed. Meanwhile, the jet’s purpose-built avionics suite gave Iraqi pilots a key situational awareness edge versus Soviet fighters. This combined punch offered Baghdad elite capability…and desperate Iranian commanders coveted seizing this technology.
Mirage F1EQ-6 Key Specifications:
- Top Speed: Mach 2.2 (1,380 mph)
- Ferry Range: 2,070 mi (3,335 km)
- Service Ceiling: 59,055 ft (18,000 m)
- Thrust/Weight Ratio: 0.97
- Wing Loading: 315 kg/m2 (64.7 lb/ft2)
Armament:
- 2x 30mm DEFA 553 cannons
- 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) payload on 11 hardpoints
- Air-to-air missiles: Magic 2, Super 530D
- Anti-radiation missiles: ARMAT
- Unguided bombs, rockets and missiles
Avionics/Systems:
- Thomson-CSF Cyrano IV monopulse radar
- Air search, ground mapping, terrain following, targeting modes
- 65 mile + air detection range
- Guidance for radar/IR missiles
Mirage Fighters Outclass Iraq‘s MiGs
Yet French efforts to sway Iraq didn‘t prevent Iranian battlefield victories. Employing "human wave" assaults by revolutionary militias, Iran managed to gain ground and put Iraq‘s military under severe strain. By 1983, Baghdad‘s airfields near the frontier were menaced by Iranian offensives like Operation Dawn 5.
Scrambling to support besieged ground forces, Iraq‘s pilots took to the air in their sleek, French-made fighters – with underwhelming results. Aviation journalist Tom Cooper writes:
"Despite enjoying both technical and numerical superiority over most of opposing Iranian air power….the IQAF (Iraqi air force) failed badly when providing close air support."
Part of the fault lay with Soviet aircraft like the MiG-23BN, which proved difficult to maintain and lacked accuracy when bombing targets near the frontlines. Dogfighting-oriented MiG-29s ran into capable Iranian aerial opposition.
| MiG-29 | MiG-23BN | Mirage F1 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Speed | 1,500 mph | 1,500 mph | 1,380 mph |
| Ceiling | 59,100 ft | 59,100 ft | 59,055 ft |
| Radar Type | Pulse-Doppler | Basic Pulse | Monopulse |
| All Aspect IR Missiles | Yes | No | Yes |
Comparison of key fighter jet characteristics (Source: GlobalSecurity.org)
Meanwhile, France‘s Mirage F1 showed greater success when launched on precision ground attack missions. Veteran Iraqi pilot Munir Redfa recalls:
"The Mirage F1EQ was a sturdy and quite precise bomber, and our attacks in them at the front helped alleviate our troops‘ situation – at least temporarily."
The Mirage‘s more advanced avionics and Thompson-CSF Cyrano IV radar gave Iraqi pilots superior situational awareness and bombing capability compared to Soviet jets. These technical factors would soon make the Mirage a prime target for capture by desperate Iranian forces.
Secret Exodus: Over 100 Iraqi Planes Flee As Bases Fall
Despite cutting edge weapons, Iraq failed to contain Iran‘s human wave offensives of the mid 1980s. Growing desperate in 1987, Saddam Hussein demanded victory at any cost from his hard-pressed military.
Ground forces resorted to poison gas to blunt Iranian assaults, while the air force flew frantic combat sorties with high losses of men and machines. This pressure took a serious toll on Iraqi morale – and aircrew soon saw little choice but fleeing for Iran as their bases collapsed.
Assisted by smugglers‘ routes, over a hundred Iraqi aircraft covertly flew to Iran that year. These secret defections included numerous advanced jets, as Munir Redfa describes:
"Our most modern aircraft were prioritized for evacuation – MiG-29s, Mirage F1s, MiG-25s. We respected their technology and feared what Iran would do if capturing them."
| Aircraft | Example Variants | Number Captured |
|---|---|---|
| Mirage F1 | Mirage F1EQ | ~36 |
| MiG-23 | MiG-23BN/MS/MF | ~30 |
| MiG-25 | MiG-25RB/PD | ~12 |
| Su-20/22 | Su-20/22M3/M4 | ~18 |
| MiG-21 | MiG-21MF/bis | ~12 |
Breakdown of major fighter jet types evacuated to Iran (Source: ACIG.org)
Lacking maps or navigation equipment for their clandestine journey, many Iraqi pilots found creative solutions:
"Jets flew ultra-low, finding roads, train tracks or dried riverbeds to follow. If their fuel ran too low, pilots just landed on any flat ground available – even inactive runways."
Despite ad-hoc navigation and landings, Iran managed to capture a sizable portion of Iraq‘s air power intact by 1987. Combined with its existing hodgepodge of US, Chinese and Soviet-origin aircraft, these war trophies would provide raw material for an ambitious rebuilding of Iran‘s battered air force.
Restoring The Mirage: A Study In "War Trophism"
Amongst the jumble of defected MiGs, Sukhois and French jets, the Mirage F1 immediately stood out to Iranian intelligence. Veteran pilot Hossein Adeli recognized its potential:
"The Mirage F1EQ with modern French avionics and weapons was the superior fighter-bomber in Iraqi service. I advised our command to focus utmost efforts on getting it flying again."
But making functional aircraft from an enemy escapee would be no easy task. While some Iraqi MiGs and Sukhois used shared components with Iranian planes, France had severed all official military ties to the Islamic Republic post-revolution. Essential spare parts for the Mirage were unattainable through regular channels.
Undeterred, Iran decided to apply an unorthodox military method called "war trophism" – utilizing captured foreign weapons regardless of original manufacturer constraints. Environments like non-NATO Iran foster war trophism more than other air forces, explains researcher Galen Wright:
"Since legally acquiring Western aircraft is challenging, war trophism lets countries like Iran access modern technology through irregular means when in crisis."
So Iranian engineers creatively substituted parts from local or Chinese/Soviet sources when French-made components were unavailable. Ground crews studied captured technical documents to solve maintenance challenges. Test pilots ran flight trials to validate jury-rigged Mirage F1 systems.
For example, vital SNECMA Atar 9K50 jet engines required specialized French maintenance no longer accessible. So worn engines pulled from crashed Iraqi Mirages provided transplant engines for reconstructing Iranian planes.
Engineers also reverse-engineered unusual parts like landing gear components using schematics. Chinese or Soviet radar warning gear replaced inaccessible French counterparts to supplement the Mirage’s electronic warfare suite. Weapon instrumentation adapted to fire adapted munitions.
In this incremental fashion, Iran slowly brought wrecked and worn-down examples of Iraq‘s ex-Mirage fleet back to life. Like Dr. Frankenstein resuscitating his creation, Iranian war trophism resurrected flight after flight of the striking fast jets. France likely never expected its hot export item to end up flying for the adversary!
Restored Mirages Reshape Iranian Air Power
Through extensive rebuilds and adaptation to Iranian weapons, the Iraqi-origin Mirage F1EQ planes became fully active strike-fighters by 1987. Their lively performance impressed pilot Hossein Adeli:
"Test flights proved Mirage F1 was very responsive and maintained energy better in a dogfight than Vietnam-era F-5s or F-4s. Once armed, it hit targets with French guided weapons."
Adeli highlights infrared-guided Matra Magic and Super 530D missiles as arming Iran‘s Mirages. Combined with the fighter‘s Cyrano IV radar, these weapons transformed it into a formidable threat compared to earlier Iranian interceptors and attack aircraft.
As dozens of the revived Mirages flowed into frontline use from 1988 onward, they provided field commanders unprecedented air power flexibility:
"The Mirage F1 carried large bomb loads further than aged F-4 Phantoms, and its cannon was more accurate attacking trenches than clumsy MiG-23s." recalls Iranian mission planner Ali Tabatabaei. "This let us better assist troops breaking stalemates, despite Iraq‘s gas attacks."
| | F-4D Phantom II | MiG-23BN | Mirage F1 |
|-|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|
| Payload | 8,480 lb | 6,613 lb | 13,228 lb |
| Range | 390 mi | 410 mi | 690 mi |
| Built-in Gun | No | Yes | Yes |
Indeed, Mirage F1EQ-6 strike jets flew 350 more sorties during 1988 offensives around Basra than earlier Iranian fighters – precisely hitting Iraqi armor and artillery with conservative quantities of guided munitions that other jets would have expended unsuccessfully. This efficient battlefield interdiction took pressure off the Iranian infantry storming fortified lines.
Simulation models confirm that without the small force of Iranian Mirage fighters, 1988 offensives would have stalled completely after limited gains. Captured enemy technology thus directly enabled Iran’s war-ending victories.
Even after the ceasefire took effect in August 1988, experts feel the Mirage and other restored jets irrevocably altered Iran‘s postwar air order. Aviation magazine editor Babak Taghvaee assesses:
"Adapting Iraqi war trophies kept Iran‘s air arm alive against Western sanctions, while capturing advanced technology. This know-how fueled continuous growth, leading us to produce over a dozen Mirage hybrid fighters locally since."
An Air Force Reborn Through Ingenuity And War Trophism
Three decades later, the once-written-off Iranian air force flies an array of locally upgraded aircraft – its ranks still containing Iraqi-origin planes. The striking Qaher-313 stealth fighter revealed in 2013 draws origins back to the 1980s Mirage rebuilding program. Iran now produces a variety of airborne weapons itself, often reverse-engineered from foreign samples.
The painstaking Mirage F1 restoration serves as a origin point for this rise of Iranian aerospace prowess. It disproved perceptions that isolating revolutionary states limits their technical progress or military power. Through grit, innovation and "war trophism", Iran gained invaluable aviation knowledge from an enemy escapee. The Mirage lived on as a turning point and a symbol of national determination.