The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy Aviation (IRINA) (Persian: هواپیمایی نیروی دریایی آجا) or Havadarya (هوادریا) is the air component of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy. It is one of the few air elements in any Persian Gulf navy, and has both fixed-wing aircraft and armed helicopters.
| Islamic Republic of Iran Navy Aviation | |
|---|---|
| هواپیمایی نیروی دریایی آجا | |
 | |
| Country |  Iran |
| Branch | Islamic Republic of Iran Navy |
| Type | Naval aviation |
| Size | ≈2,600 (2020)[1] |
| Insignia | |
| Patch |  |
| Roundel |  |
| Fin flash |  |
Aircraft
editAmerican aircraft types were introduced to the inventory, in the 1960s and 1970s: with European made aircraft comprising the more modern part of the fleet. Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters seem to be focused more on a transport role than actual ASW.
| Aircraft | Type | Variants | In service[2] | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion | Airborne Mine CounterMeasures (AMCM)/Heavy-lift transport helicopter | RH-53D | 13[3] | Supplemented by United States Navy examples that were abandoned by US forces during Operation Eagle Claw and used as spare parts source. It is believed that Iran got additional spare parts in black market in 2006-8 and up to six original plus one Eagle Claw RH-53Ds may be operational | .jpg)
|
| Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King | Anti-submarine warfare/Anti-surface warfare/Medium-lift utility helicopter | ASH-3D | 8[3] | Built by Agusta, in Italy. Armed with locally produced anti-shipping missiles. Operational helicopters overhauled locally. | .jpg)
|
| Mil Mi-17 | Anti-surface warfare/Medium-lift transport helicopter | Mi-171 (Mi-8AMTSh) 'Hip' | 45[3] | Mil Mi-171 helicopters were purchased from Russia. Of course, it may be less than 45. | |
| Bell UH-1N Twin Huey | Anti-submarine warfare/Anti-surface warfare/Light transport helicopter | AB 212ASW | 21[3] | Built by Agusta, in Italy. Operational number unknown. Iran is producing spare parts locally for its Bell helicopters, used by all Armed Forces branches. | 
|
| Fokker F27 Friendship | Transport aircraft | F27-400M | 3[3] | One aircraft is maritime patrol aircraft variant[3] |
|
| Dassault Falcon 20 | Transport aircraft/VIP transport | Mystère/Falcon 20E | 1[3] | ||
| Do-228 | Transport aircraft | Do-228 | 5[4] | Built in Germany. | |
| Shrike Commander 690 | Transport aircraft | Shrike Commander 690 | 4[4] | Built in the United States. | 
|
References
edit- ^ The International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) (2020). "Middle East and North Africa". The Military Balance 2020. Vol. 120. Routledge. pp. 348–352. doi:10.1080/04597222.2020.1707968. ISBN 9780367466398.
- ^ World Air Forces 2013 - Flightglobal.com, pg 18, December 11, 2012
- ^ a b c d e f g "World Air Forces 2021". FlightGlobal. 4 December 2020. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Iran Navy Equipment". GlobalSecurity.org.
- http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iran/ships.htm
- https://web.archive.org/web/20161022141734/http://www.63rdvfs.com/INoob.html
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