Abbas Babaei
Abbas Babaei | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 5 December 1950 Qazvin, Iran |
| Died | 6 August 1987 (aged 36) Sardasht, Iran |
| Allegiance |  Iran |
| Service |  Air Force |
| Years of service | 1969–1987 |
| Rank |  Major-general |
| Battles / wars | Iran–Iraq War † |
| Awards |  2nd grade Fath Medal[1] |
| Spouse(s) | Maliheh Hekmat |
| Children | Salma Mohammad Hossein |
Abbas Babaei (Template:Lang-fa) (5 December 1950 – 6 August 1987) was an Iranian pilot and Major General in the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, during the Iran-Iraq War. He was killed in 1987.
Education
He was born in a middle class religious family in Qazvin in 1950. Babaei was a student at Dehkhoda primary school and graduated from Nezam Vafa high school. After graduating in 1969 he moved to the United States to become a fighter pilot. During his studies in the United States he was chosen as the volleyball captain of the airbase volleyball team.[2]
Return to Iran
After returning to Iran following flight training, he became a pilot of Northrop F-5 and trained on the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and Grumman F-14 Tomcat.[3] Upon returning to Iran he married his cousin Maliheh and moved to Dezful in Khuzestan Province where he was given a house by the Iranian Air Force. He had three children, a daughter, Salma, and two sons, Hossein and Mohammad.[2]
The Iran-Iraq war
He became the commander of 8th Tactical Airbase in 1981. Aviation journalist and Iran-Iraq air war expert Tom Cooper reports that Babaei was "notorious for his merciless treatment of the pilots and officers" considered disloyal to the new regime.[4] Cooper's research indicates:
- ... Col. Abbas Baba’ie, an officer differently described as the “mastermind of IRIAF’s capability to keep its F-14-fleet intact”, or simply a “war hero”. There are, however, numerous former IRIAF pilots who not only deny that Baba’ie ever even qualified on F-14s, but also outright refuse to even mention his name, most likely because of his close cooperation with the clerical regime in Tehran.[5]
Death
General Abbas Babaei was killed on August 6, 1987, while in the rear seat of a F-5B while over Iraqi air space. He was hit by a 23mm round of an air defence system. The pilot, Maj. Ali Mohammad Naderi managed to land the jet, but Babaei died within 10 minutes. The Iraqis used the ZSU-23 self-propelled, radar guided anti-aircraft weapon system (SPAAG) at the time.[6]
In 2011, The Delight of the Flight was shown on Channel 1. The film was about Babaei's lifetime.
References
- ^ Poursafa, Mahdi (20 January 2014). گزارش فارس از تاریخچه نشانهای نظامی ایران، از «اقدس» تا «فتح»؛ مدالهایی که بر سینه سرداران ایرانی نشسته است. Fars News (in Persian). Retrieved 21 October 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "martyr abbas babaee". Babaee en Sahid. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ^ There is no evidence what so ever that Babaei was a Phantom or Tomcat pilot. He was photographed in both aircraft, in the rear seat, suggesting that he was a Radar Intercept Officer.
- ^ Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat by Tom Cooper & Farzad Bishop, 2004, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, p. 23, ISBN 1 84176 787 5
- ^ Fire in the Hills: Iranian and Iraqi Battles of Autumn 1982 By Tom Cooper & Farzad Bishop, Sept. 9, 2003
- ^ Chronological Listing of Iranian Air Force Northrop F-5: Losses & Ejections