Iraqi Mirage F.1 Shoots Down a Target of Opportunity? (Iran-Iraq War)

In mid 1970s, France and Iraq negotiated the purchase of Dassault’s latest fighter - Mirage F.1. The first examples were only delivered in early 1981, months after the conflict with Iran began. But the French fighter offered the Iraqi Air Force capabilities above all the other types they operated. However, they were still being challenged by advanced Iranian fighter types such as F-4E and F-14. The Mirage achieved some air-to-air success, whether in planned operations such as the well-known ’Giraffe’, or by attacking targets of opportunities. On 14 August 1986, two Iranian F-5Es were attacking a well defended Iraqi oil refinery at Suleimaniyah. This sortie would be the last one for both pilots. Sources: - Tom Cooper - Iraqi Mirages: Mirage F.1 in Service with Iraqi Air Force, 1981-2003 - Babak Taghvaee - Iranian Tigers at War: Northrop F-5A/B, F-5E/F and Sub-Variants in Iranian Service since 1966 - A testimony of Abbas