Fereidoun Ali-Mazandarani Explained

Fereidoun Ali-Mazandarani (fa|فریدون علی‌مازندرانی) is an Iranian retired fighter pilot and a Grumman F-14 Tomcat flying ace during the Iran–Iraq War.

Career

Mazandarani claims 16 aerial victories against Iraqi aircraft during the 1980s, including eight using AIM-54 missiles, one using a MIM-23 missile, two with the Vulcan M61A gun, as well as five manoeuvre kills.^[1] French military historian Pierre Razoux has credited him with 9 or 11 confirmed kills.

According to Austrian aviation historian Tom Cooper, Mazandarani and his co-pilot Qassem Soltani may be the first pilots to have ever shot an aircraft down using AIM-54 Phoenix missile, with a claimed victory against a MiG-23 on 17 September 1980 despite the fact the Iranian air force does not officially acknowledge this victory.

See also

• List of Iranian flying aces

Notes and References

1. Interview with the greatest living fighter ace: F-14 Tomcat pilot Col. Fereydoun A. Mazandarani (rtd). 7 April 2020. Hush-Kit. Kash Ryan.