STATUS OF IRANIAN ARMED FORCES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81B00401R000500030017-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 13, 2004
• Sequence Number: 17
• Publication Date: November 7, 1979
• Content Type: MEMO

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Central Intelligence Agency
National Foreign Assessment Center
NSA and DIA review(s) completed.
MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT: Status of Iranian Armed Forces
I. Overview. Iranian military capabilities have not recovered
significantly since the collapse of the armed forces in the
February revolution. :.Gxourd forces capabilities remain limited
despite some improvement in discipline and operational readiness
in recent months. The Air Force and Navy have remained intact
but continue to decline in capabilities because of a lack of
discipline and poor maintenance of their more sophisticated
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equipment.
II. Ground Forces.
This memorandum was prepared in the Regional Analysis
Division of OSR. Comments and queries may be addressed
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F. According to a knowledgeable source of the US defense
attache, there are no operational I-Hawk surface-to-air
missile systems in Iran. The status of the British-made
only two frigates participated.
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A. The operational readiness of Iran's ships and naval
aircraft has declined steadily during the past nine months,
because of poor maintenance.
B. The Navy put on a meager show during an exercise in
late September. Fewer than 10 vessels--mostly patrol
craft--were.involved and of Iran's seven major combatants,
Rapier missile system is not known.
IV. Navy.
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C. As of mid-September, most of Iran's hovercraft and
all its antisubmarine and minesweeping helicopters were
out of service because of a lack of spare parts and
poor maintenance.
ATTACHMENT:
Order of Battle and
Force Deployment
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ARMY
Personnel
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Approximately 140-150,000
(previously 290,000)
3 Infantry, 4 Armored (one
of the armored divisions is
being formed)
Equipment
Tanks
,Scorpion 250
M60 460
M47 415
Chieftain 890
2015
Armored Personnel Carriers
M113 810
BMP 60
BTR-60/OT-64 585
BTR-50/OT-62 850
2305
Artillery (100 mm and over)
Self-propelled 525
Towed 700
1225
Antitank Missiles
TOW launchers 575
Dragon launchers 1218
SAGGER Unk
NAVY
Personnel probably 28,000 (previously 32,000)
Equipment
Destroyers 3
Frigates 4
LaCombattante Guided
Missile Patrol Boat 9
Hovercraft 14
Minesweepers 5
AIR FORCE
Personnel unknown (previously 95,000)
Pilots unknown (previously 2230)
Equipment
Fighters
F-14 77
F-4D/E 205
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AIR FORCE (cont'd)
Transports/Tankers/Civilian
Boeing 727
Boeing 737
Boeing 707
Boeing 747
C-130
2/0/12
0/0/5
1/11/6
6/3/5
51/0/0
Helicopters
Cobra Attack
CH-47 Transport
B-214 A Transport
SeaKing ASW
Utility
197 (65
52
288
13
363
armed with TOWs)
AIR DEFENSE
Personnel
unknown (previously 22,000)
Equipment
Hawk launchers
216
Rapier launchers
52
Seacat launchers
30
SA-7 launchers
250
ZSU-57/2 AA guns
80
ZSU-24/4 AA guns
55
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$4 BOUNDARY REPRESENTATION IS 60
i NOT NECESSARILY AUTHORITATIVE I
Railroad
Road
Caspian Kiz l?Arvat
o ea
er Base
Egfahan
Shahr Kord
0 50 100 150 Miles
0 50 100 150 Kilometers
CFiT4~ er/Base
S'7 \
Bahrain
ni
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IRANIAN AIR FORCE
CURRENT OPERATIONAL OR TRAINING SQUADRONS
Base Aircraft
1st FTR Base (Mehrabad)
27
F-4D
11th CCTS
25
F-4E
12th Ftr Sqdn
23
RF-4E/RF-5A
11th Tac Recce Sqdn
37
B-214C/20 HH-43F
11th SAR Sqdn (det. at each base)
8
F-5B
1st Transport Base (Mehrabad)
11th
Trans Sqdn 14
C-130 E/H
12th
Trans Sqdn 13
C-130 E/H
1st
Tanker Sqdn 11
KC-707
Freighter Sqdn 7
SF-747/3 KC-747
13th Trans Sqdn (Doshan Tappeh) 10
F-27
3d FTR Base (Shahroki)
31st Ftr Sqdn
32d Ftr Sqdn
33d Ftr Sqdn
4th FTR Base (Vahdati)
41st CCTS
42d CCTS
43d Ftr Sqdn
6th FTR Base (Bushehr)
61st Ftr Sqdn
62d Ftr Sqdn
7th FTR Base (Shiraz/Tadayon)
71st Ftr Sqdn
7th Transport Base
71st Trans Sqdn
72d Trans Sqdn
8th FTR Base(Isfahan/Khatami)
81st CCTS
82d Ftr Sqdn
83d Ftr Sqdn
9th FTR Base (Bandar Abbas)
91st Ftr Sqdn
Maritime Recce Sqdn
75 F-SE/8 F-5F
60 F-4E
60 F-SE/20 F-SF
30 F- 4E
6 P- 3F
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Iranian Hawk Deployment
Caspian
Sea
Esfahan
ahr Kord
54 BOUNDARY REPRESENTATION IS
NOT NECESSARILY AUTHORITATIVE
IZgha M
horr ~: r I ~ L
bad dare Shahpur B e h b e h a
Gachs5r3n
l c \\~ _..-- Shiraz
Mashhad
Location Batteries
Ahvaz 2
Bandar Abbas 1
Bandar- e Shahpur 1
Behbehan 4
Bushehr 3
Dezful 3 7
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Seman 1 ~-I~ralning)R
Nok Kund1
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Iranian Naval Bases
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MAJOR UNITS AT IRANIAN NAVY BASES
Bandar Abbas
Destroyers (Guided Missile)
Frigates
.Bandar Pahlavi
Coastal Minesweepers
Bushehr
Missile Boats
Patrol Boats
Khara Island
Hovercraft
Khorramshahr
Gun Boats 4
Coastal Escorts 4
Coastal Minesweepers 2
Inshore Minesweepers 2
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