Brought to my attention by Paolo Nurra and originally posted on the Uskowi On Iran blog, the following pictures were released in 2006 by the Fars and Mehr news agencies.
They show the Sukhoi Su-25 attack planes operated by the Pasdaran (informal name of the IRGC – the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution) taking part to the drills in the Persian Gulf.
The Frogfoot jets of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Aerospace Force (former Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Air Force) are believed to have been involved in the recent incident with a U.S. Predator off Iran. According to the information released by American officials, two Su-25s tried to shoot down an MQ-1 flying 16 miles off the coast. But failed.
The IRGC AF has added seven Iraqi Air Force Su-25s that fled to Iran in January 1991, during Operation Desert Storm. About 15-16 such planes are believed to be based at Shiraz, in eastern Iran, even if how many of them are airworthy is unclear.
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Image credit: FARS and MEHR news agencies
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