Military aviation is a crucial element of national defense, providing essential strategic and tactical capabilities. For the Iranian army, the fleet of military aircraft represents a fundamental pillar of its military power. However, questions persist as to the condition of these aircraft, particularly with regard to their maintenance and obsolescence. This essay examines whether the Iranian army’s military aircraft are obsolete due to maintenance faults, by analyzing the current state of the fleet, the logistical and technical challenges, and the efforts being made to maintain and modernize these aircraft.

Current state of the fleet

Iran’s fleet of military aircraft comprises a heterogeneous mix of older and newer models, acquired from various suppliers over the decades. The most emblematic aircraft include the F-14 Tomcat, F-4 Phantom II and F-5 Tiger II, mainly acquired from the USA before the 1979 revolution, as well as Russian-made MiG-29s and Su-24s, and Chinese Chengdu J-7s. Although these aircraft were high-performance in their day, they now face major challenges in terms of maintenance and availability of spare parts.

Logistical and technical challenges

The main challenge facing the Iranian Air Force is the economic sanctions imposed by the United States and other Western countries, which severely restrict access to spare parts, maintenance equipment and technologies needed to maintain and modernize its fleet. This situation has led to increased reliance on the black market and smuggling channels to acquire the necessary components, which is neither reliable nor sustainable in the long term.

Iranian engineers and technicians have shown considerable ingenuity in developing manufacturing and reverse engineering capabilities to reproduce certain parts. However, these efforts are often not enough to compensate for the lack of access to cutting-edge technologies and software updates essential for keeping aircraft up to modern operational standards.

Maintenance and modernization efforts

Despite these challenges, Iran has undertaken several initiatives to extend the life of its military aircraft and improve their capabilities. For example, the “Kowsar” program aims to produce locally modernized versions of the F-5 aircraft. Iran has also developed drones and other autonomous systems to complement and, in some cases, replace certain missions of manned aircraft. Upgrades include the installation of new radars, weapons systems and avionics.

However, these efforts are often limited by the resources available and the complexity of the systems to be modernized. Modern aircraft require sophisticated maintenance and logistics to remain operational, and without regular access to quality spare parts and advanced technology, these modernization efforts can only temporarily alleviate structural problems.

Comparative analysis with other air forces

To understand the impact of the lack of maintenance on the Iranian fleet, it is useful to compare it with other air forces. Countries with free access to the international arms market, such as the USA, France and the UK, can regularly upgrade and maintain their aircraft with the latest technology. By contrast, countries like North Korea, also under sanctions, show similar signs of obsolescence and maintenance difficulties.

Modern air forces invest heavily in preventive maintenance and ongoing modernization, often out of Iran’s reach. Regular maintenance and access to technological innovations can extend the life of aircraft and improve their performance, which is not always feasible for Iran in the current context.

The Iranian army’s military aircraft are facing increasing obsolescence, largely due to maintenance defects exacerbated by international economic sanctions. Although Iran has made considerable efforts to maintain and modernize its fleet with limited resources, the logistical and technical challenges remain significant. Dependence on spare parts obtained by unconventional means and the inability to access state-of-the-art technologies seriously compromise Iran’s ability to maintain its aircraft to the necessary operational standard.

To overcome these obstacles, it would be essential for Iran to gain freer access to international markets and defense technologies, which could only be envisaged with significant geopolitical changes. In the meantime, local ingenuity and technical adaptations will remain partial and temporary solutions to systemic maintenance and modernization problems.

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