Abbas Babaei
| Abbas Babaei | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
5 December 1950 Qazvin, Iran |
| Died |
6 August 1987 (aged 36) Sardasht, Iran |
| Allegiance |
 Iran |
| Service/branch |
 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 |
Abbas Babaei (Persian: عباس بابایی) (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 (January 20, 2014). گزارش فارس از تاریخچه نشانهای نظامی ایران، از «اقدس» تا «فتح»؛ مدالهایی که بر سینه سرداران ایرانی نشسته است [From "Aghdas" to "Fath": Medals resting on the chest of Iranian Serdars]. Fars News (in Persian). Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- 1 2 "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