The relations between Iran and U.S.A has gone downhill after U.S has decided to quit from
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly called the Iran nuclear deal in May.
Trump administration has expressed its intention to reapply sanctions on Iranian oil exports
that had earlier been suspended through the deal.
It is increasingly likely that the United States will push its allies to completely
stop importing Iranian oil.
Iran has threatened to restart its nuclear program as well as close The Strait of Hormuz.
In that case, the situation will escalate further, and there is a chance of a conflict.
In every modern-day conflict, air power plays a crucial role and it's the topic for this discussion.
In this video Defense Updates, analyses why Iran's Air Force is no match for U.S Air Force?
Let's get started.
Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) used to be one of the largest and most powerful
air forces in the world.
But things have gone bad to worse and it has now become a mere shadow of its former self.
Multiple wars and sustained sanctions have taken their toll.
International arms embargo resulted in difficulty in obtaining spare parts for its aging fleet
of air force jets let alone buying new once.
The IRIAF now consists of mostly outdated fighters whose operational availability is
also suspect.
The MiG-29 is the most capable fighter of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force.
It has only 20 of these.
Other fighters include Sukhoi Su-24, Sukhoi Su-22, Chengdu F-7, Northrop F-5, F-4 Phantom
II, Grumman F-14 and Mirage F1, totaling to about 150.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Force which is a separate air arm and part
of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has about 10 ex-Iraqi Su-25 “Frogfoot” fighters.
There is no long-range bomber and there is also no AWACS which is a major issue.
Compare this with U.S Air Force which has almost 2000 fighter jet that includes around
187 F 22 Raptor 5th generation fighters which are considered the most potent fighter in
the world.
Apart from that U.S has dedicated long-range bomber including stealthy B 2 Spirit as well
it has a flotilla of very capable AWACS.
The U.S also has 10 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers which can be deployed through the
Arabian Sea.
Nimitz-class displaces about 100000 tonnes and spans 333 meters long.
Each of these is capable of carrying more than 60 fighter jets.
The Nimitz strike fighters are primarily F18 Hornets and F18 Super Hornets.
These are twin-engine carrier-capable 4+ generation multirole fighter aircraft designed for land
and air attacks.
Through Nimitz class carriers, U.S will be able to bring the fight to Iran from the sea.
Further, if we take other factors like superior training, better tactic and higher manpower
availability U.S Air Force is placed far ahead of IRIAF.
Iran and Russia were discussing for the sale and coproduction of 48 Su-30.
This would have given Iran’s Air Force much-needed teeth.
But this didn’t materialize due to issues of price and technology transfers.
In 2013, Iran revealed a prototype fighter jet named Qaher-313 “stealth fighter”.
But the very small design seemed unrealistic with pilot’s knees being visible in the
cockpit.
Most experts dismissed the prototype as nothing more than a mock-up.
In 2017, when the fighter appeared again, it seemed larger but the overall design’s
credibility is still suspect.
With no new fighters bought and no fighter manufactured domestically, Iran’s Air Force
is in a dire state.
Keeping all these into consideration it can be safely said that Iran’s Air Force is
in no shape to counter the American airpower.
If a conflict starts, U.S will have complete air superiority within a few days and will
be able to dictate the battle from then onwards.