Mostafa Roustaei (Persian: مصطفی روستایی) is an Iranian amateur astronomer and retired fighter pilot who flew with Grumman F-14 Tomcat during the Iran–Iraq War. French military historian Pierre Razoux has credited him with 5 aerial victories, a record that qualifies him as a flying ace.[1]
Mostafa Roustaei | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1951 (age 72–73) |
| Allegiance | Iran |
| Service | |
| Years of service | 1970–2000 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles / wars | Iran–Iraq War |
Career
editRoustaei was hired by the IIAF in 1970 and after 30 years of service, he was retired with the rank of colonel.[2] He served for some time as the chief operations officer of the 6th Tactical Fighter Base.[2] A U.S. trained pilot, he graduated from the AETC course at Laughlin Air Force Base in 1974.[2] He was subsequently certified with F-4D/E Phantom II, an aircraft he flew for 2200 hours before switching to F-14 Tomcat.[2] He flew a further 2086 hours with the latter.[2]
Aerial victories
editAccording to aviation author Kash Ryan, Roustaei's aerial victories verified by his logbooks and corroborated with other accounts include four using AIM-54 Phoenix missiles and one maneuver kill, against two MiG-23s, a MiG-21 and a pair of Dassault Mirage F1s. The details are as follows:[2]
| # | Date | Aircraft serial | RIO | Weapon | Victim |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 January 1981 | 3-6027 | Capt. A. Jalal-Abadi | AIM-54A | MiG-23 |
| 2 | 5 October 1981 | 3-6036 | 1Lt. Ahmad R. Fereydouni | AIM-54A | MiG-23 |
| 3 | 26 October 1982 | 3-6078 | 1Lt. Reza Tahmasbi | None | MiG-21 |
| 4 | 7 August 1984 | 3-6055 | Capt. Hossein Sayyari | AIM-54A | Mirage F-1EQ |
| 5 | 7 August 1984 | 3-6055 | Capt. Hossein Sayyari | AIM-54A | Mirage F-1EQ |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Razoux, Pierre (2019), Le siècle des As (1915-1988): Une autre histoire de l'aviation (in French), Place des éditeurs, Section 31, p. 15, ISBN 978-2-262-04827-3
- ^ a b c d e f "Flying & fighting in the F-14 Tomcat: Interview with an Iranian fighter ace" (Interview). Interviewed by Kash Ryan. Hush-Kit. 28 February 2020.
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