Air Raid to Al-Waleed (7)

The Story of Demolishing Fighters and the Equipment in Al-Waleed Triple Military Bases ‎Known as H-3‎

2016-2-6

Air Raid to Al-Waleed (H-3)‎
The Story of Demolishing Fighters and the Equipment in Al-Waleed Triple Military Bases ‎Known as H-3‎

By: Brigadier General Ahmad Mehrnia
Tehran, Sooreh Mehr Publications Company
‎2010 (Persian Version)‎
Translated by: Zahra Hosseinian

Operation

The first step of operation was an impeccable planning. Thinking about possible threats in the rout, how to refuel at very low altitude, type of required ammunition, finding the best possible pilots, protection of plan not to leak out, the most suitable static place for tankers, how bombers contact with tankers without using radio conversation, and many other technical and non-technical issues had engaged the small group of plan for a long time. The rout was studied on the new and relief types of maps down to the last detail.

The coolness of autumn nights had been faded in the excitement of this important mission for studying and designer team. Soon after, the plan was ready to be implemented. Operation Deputy of IRIAF invited Operation Commander and Deputy of Hamadan Base to Tehran and shared the matter with them in detail. Due to significance of the operation, they accepted the mission unquestioning and headed for their bases after getting the latest information from the relevant officials and meeting the commander of Air Force.

Pilots of bases were all good and until that day most of them had done variety of overseas combat missions, cutting off enemy communication lines and close air supporting of insider forces; but in the view of Lieutenant Colonel Golchin and his operation Deputy, they could invite more elite pilots from other bases, so that to be more sure about the success of this important mission. On the other hand, since Ali Sabounchi would work on the first target information from the beginning, and now was more experienced and better prepared than others, was chosen to lead the flight team.

Operation Deputy of second air base of fighter (Tabriz) also was ordered to deploy six F-5 fighters to third base of fighters or Hamadan for helping aerial cover of region and faster scrambling[1]. For this purpose, a number of pilots along with organizational fighters of Tabriz Air Base were dispatched to the Hamadan Base. The pilots were asked to carry out mission under the command of host base. It was decided that if the mission lasted, another group replaced after ten days, and they returned to the insider base. From the beginning, each dispatched pilot did several sorties of aerial cover to familiar with surrounding areas, location of base, runway and other related facilities; but that day, none of pilots of F-5 fighters know about the special mission of attacking Al-Waleed.

Supersonic F-5 F fighter (two cabins)

At the 6^th Aban (October 28, 1981), a Boeing 747, which then normally would fly to Syria once in a while for doing mission, was sent to Damascus. Kamran Amir Etemadi and his co-pilot, Capt Hussein Haj Mirza Vali would pilot this aircraft. This was the very aircraft that should fly to Tehran at eighth of Aban (October 30, 1981), and apparently would break down before leaving the Syrian border and therefore would return to Damascus, so that the second tanker would join it on the pretext of taking specialist and parts. The plan was exactly implemented and after a flight, its going and returning was recorded two hours and forty minutes, announced an emergency state and landed at Damascus airport. The next morning, the second tanker joined them and got prepared in accordance with the schedule. It was supposed that twelve Phantoms join them at the appointed time on the tenth of Aban (November 1, 1981) in the North West of Iraq, and all traverse north to south route along the western border of enemy to close to the target and in the meantime deliver necessary fuel to the bombers. Not discovering by Iraqi radar, they must fly at an unbelievable altitude of 200 to 500 feet, in which case, the possibility of leaking out was too much due to their large-size; they were tankers with 303000 pounds (about 137 tons) of fuel!

Two or three days before operation a few experienced pilot of Phantom, who had been invited to Hamadan, arrived. At operation night, all pilots and co-pilots, who were around a flight battalion, gathered and were justified about how the mission and operation will carry out by seeing the sketch-map and getting other information. Early in the morning, with the sparkling of the first light of sun, fourteen F-4 fighter/bombers, in addition to the tankers which took off from Mehrabad air base, crawled into the runway with a variety of weapons and ammunition and without any radio communications; although many believed that this is a non-return operation.

All pilots would know that this mission is different from others and the percentage of returning is very low. More than four and a half hours flying, mostly in enemy territory, would increase the risk of leaking out. Even if everything would go well, without doubt the operation would leak out after bombing target, and they must once again get fuel in such a situation on enemy territory and would continue their two-hour course to homeland! Definitely one thing was in common: all murmured prayers and supplicating the success of forces according to the promise of God Almighty.

After flight checks, pilots of aircrafts put the engines at maximum and released the brake pedals with Leader’s signaling, one by one and with a little distance behind him. A few meter blue flames that would come out exhausts with the rasping sound of engines, affected all of participants whose faces showed clearly their apprehension, so that all of them prayed that pilots come back safety.

Supersonic F-4 Fighter/bomber or phantom

Taking the responsibility of confronting with the possible attacks of enemy, several aircrafts from Hamadan and Isfahan were sent to the predetermined areas for aerial cover and providing secure flight, simultaneous with this flight team.

At the appointed time, two tankers reached near the south of Lake Uremia and waited about for delivering fuel to bombers during the period of static. Soon after, bombers arrived and were attached to tankers one after another to fill their extra fuel tanks on the wings. Refueling time of each aircraft was about five minutes. The first two bombers, which had refueled and waited the rest at the static area, announced that their external tanks have been emptied and they needed to refuel again, and this step was repeated for the rest. On the other hand, Colonel Izadseta, who ran the risk of accompanying the forces by attending in one of the tankers was based in Damascus, in addition to his great contribution in planning, found out that the air of static area of tankers in the Syria- Iraq border is very dusty and the possibility of refueling at low altitude is impossible; some say that according some evidences he had found out that the enemy had been aware of this operation. Announcing the ‘sword’ password, which meant to cancel the operation, the mission was canceled for any reason and the Leader of team, whose flights’ refueling had fallen into a vicious circle, decided to return to Hamadan Base along with his companions. Therefore, the said mission was considered as a practical and real training for all members participating in the operation, so that their ability for implementing the main operation increases and reach to the more confident level.

Boeing 707, the tanker of IRIAF which was called ‘mother aircraft’

To be continued…