Attack on H3
| H-3 airstrike حمله به اچ۳ (Persian) |
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|---|---|
| Part of Iran–Iraq War | |
H-3 "Main" Airbase
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 H-3 complex
Location of the H-3 complex in Iraq
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| Operational scope | Strategic |
| Location |
H-3 complex, west of Iraq 32°44′57″N 39°35′28″E / 32.749177°N 39.591186°E |
| Planned | Mid-March 1981 |
| Planned by | Col. Javad Fakoori Col. Bahram Hooshyar Col. Fereidoon Izadseta |
| Commanded by | Col. Javad Fakoori |
| Objective | Destroying Iraqi Air Force aircraft |
| Date | 4 April 1981 10:30am – 03:30pm (UTC+03:30) |
| Executed by |
 Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
|
| Outcome | Iranian victory |
| Casualties | See Casualties |
The H-3 airstrike was a surprise air attack by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force IRIAF during the Iran–Iraq War on 4 April 1981 against the airbases of the Iraqi Air Force at the H-3 complex in western Iraq. It was the boldest and one of the most sophisticated operations carried out by the IRIAF during the war. The Iranians claimed that they destroyed 48 aircraft on the ground with no losses of their own.
The H-3 complex consists of three airbases: H-3 "Main" (also known as Al-Walid, الوليد), H-3 Northwest, and H-3 Southwest. It is located near Al Walid town close to the Baghdad–Amman highway in the Al Anbar desert west of Iraq, near the Jordanian border and 1000 km from the Iranian borders. It was erected to secure the western borders of Iraq and was also used in the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
According to Iraqi sources, during the Iran–Iraq War, it was used as a support airbase for the Iraqi Air Force and housed no more than a few transportation squadrons and a squadron of Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21s, as well as retired Hawker Hunters.
The IRIAF had received "credible" reports that Iraq – reinforced by the arrival of large amounts of ammunition and spare parts from Egypt, as well as by the delivery of Mirage F1s from France and Tupolev Tu-22 bombers from the Soviets – had been preparing for an imminent major ground and air offensive against Iran. According to Iranian intelligence, the Iraqi Air Force had relocated most of its valuable assets to its Al-Walid air base, located in the H-3 complex.
As part of Saddam Hussein's attempts to carry out a successful offensive against Iran on the northern front between 12 and 22 March 1981, Iraq fired two 9K52 Luna-M surface-to-surface rockets against the cities of Dezful and Ahvaz. Within days after this attack, commanders of the 31st and 32nd Tactical Fighter Wing in Shahrokhi Air Base (TAB 3, near Hamadan) planned a counter-attack to degrade the Iraqi Air Force's capabilities.
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Wikipedia