In 1986 top gun It had overwhelming success on the United States film billboard. The story, starring the charismatic Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, not only generated millions in revenue but also helped boost the interest of young Americans in military aviation.
In fact, after the debut of the film, applications to enroll in the US Air Force recruitment increased by a significant percentage.
And although the aerial feats achieved by the character played by Tom Cruise were fictitious, the truth is that it has a real version that is quite similar to what we saw on the big screen.
He is a military aviator who, like Maverick, piloted the famous F-14 Tomcatbecoming known as the most successful pilot of this aircraft in history.
However, despite his great feats in the air, his excellent handling of the plane and all-out bravery, it is likely that you have never heard of him. The reason? He wasn’t American. What’s more, he fought for Iran, Washington’s enemy.
The protagonist of this note is called Jalil Zandi, fighter pilot who served in the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force in the Iran-Iraq War. During this war, his skills led him to become the terror of the enemies aboard his F-14.
Arrival of the F-14s to Iran
The F-14 Tomcat was the first of a series of aircraft whose design incorporated what was analyzed in the aerial combats against the Soviet MiGs in the Vietnam War.
Although its cost overruns almost caused Congress to cancel the project, an unexpected savior came to its rescue: Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, shah of Iran.
As Popular Mechanics reports, in the 1970s, the monarch – who at the time was a key ally of Washington – ordered the purchase of 80 F-14s for Iran, an agreement under which Iranian pilots traveled to San Diego, California, to train at the Miramar naval base.
This is how the aviators, among whom was Zandi, returned to their country in the Middle East with the necessary knowledge to operate these sophisticated aircraft. However, in 1979 something happened that was not in the original plans. After several months of protests, Mohammad Reza was overthrown.
In this way, the leader of the revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, took power and established the Islamic republic currently in force. The political-spiritual leader not only ruled with an iron fist, ordering the execution of thousands of political prisoners, but also gave a change of direction in relations with the United States, a country that he did not hesitate to describe as the “Great Satan.”
Another of its measures was to ground the F-14s acquired a few years before. In turn, he imprisoned Iranian fighter pilots who had been trained by the American government.
However, shortly after, a new unexpected event occurred that changed the course of history. In September 1980, the dictator of Iraq, Saddam Husseininvaded Iran.
Specifically, Hussein sought to reverse the delimitation of borders between both countries, which had been established in the Algiers Accords of 1975.
This led Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomein to change his mind, as he realized that the F-14 pilots were much more useful to him in airplanes than behind bars, so he ordered their release.
Once freed, Zandi and 63 other pilots began to prepare to face the Iraqi MiG-25s, which were wreaking havoc on Iranian territory. Within days Iran’s F-14s were in the air again.
In a short time, he demonstrated his unique capabilities aboard the F-14, managing to shoot down – in a proven manner – 11 aircraft belonging to Iraq, including four MiG-24, two Su-22, two MiG-21 and three Mirage. F-1.
Developed by Grumman Aerospace, the F-14 had proven to be an exceptionally effective and lethal aircraft, which combined with the pilot’s expertise, allowed it to easily prevail in the air over other models on equal terms.
Zandi’s audacity was demonstrated one morning in 1988, when in the oil fields of Jark, an Iranian island in the Persian Gulf, he began to enter his plane to join a battle against Iraqi aircraft.
It was suddenly intercepted by eight Mirage aircraft. Far from flinching, the Iranian pilot confronted them, hitting two of his Sidewinder missiles on enemy aircraft. Thus, he added two new casualties to his credit. However, he was finally hit by enemy fire, and had to eject along with his radio officer. They both survived.
Thanks to his 11 air casualties during the war, Zandi became the deadliest F-14 pilot in history. But not only that, since he is also the second pilot with the most aerial victories on a supersonic aircraft. In this section, he is only surpassed by the Israeli Giora Eptein with 17 victories in his Mirage-III / Nesher.
Considered one of the most decorated pilots of that conflict, with a record that qualifies him as an “aviation ace,” Zandi went on to earn the nickname of “true Maverick.”
After his retirement as a pilot, he served as deputy for planning and organization of the Iranian Air Force. His life met its end in a car accident near Tehran, along with his wife Zahra Moheb Shahedin, on April 1, 2001.
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