Iran Bought a Fleet of 225 F-4 Phantoms Made in the USA and Almost Fought a US Air Force F-22 Raptor That Flew Right Under It

Iran Bought a Fleet of 225 F-4 Phantoms Made in the USA and Almost Fought a US Air Force F-22 Raptor That Flew Right Under It

The Shah took delivery of 225 F-4 Phantoms beginning in 1968; 166 were still on strength when Iraq invaded in 1980, and FlightGlobal counted 65 F-4D, F-4E and RF-4E airframes going into 2026, one of the last operational Phantom fleets on earth. Iran kept them flying for four decades without Washington through cannibalization, locally made parts and bolt-on weapons, from Mavericks to the C-801K anti-ship missile and the Qader, and hid them in the…