Iran's secret underground airbase unveiled
On 7 February 2023, News Agencies and TV-media from Iran were witness to the visit of high ranking officers during the opening of a new secret underground air base for the Nirvi-ye Hevayi-ye Artesh-e Jimhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Iran (IRIAF, Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force).
Iran’s Armed Forces unveiled the country's first underground air base, called Oghab 44 (Eagle 44). According to the information Oghab 44 is a tactical airbase and is capable of operating various fighter aircraft and bombers as well as Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). The large underground base will also have the capability to operate the latest IRIAF fighter, the Sukhoi Su-35E Flanker.
Although the exact location of the air base was not revealed, state media reports that the location is ‘hundreds of meters under the mountains and capable of withstanding bombs by US bombers. According to the Twitter account of Babakh Tagvaee (@BabakTaghvaee1), the new airbase can be found at 120 km northeast of Bandar Abbas close to highway 92 from Hajjiabad to Shahrake Shahid Rajai, some 30 km west of Tarom, Hormozgan.
On the various videos and photos many F-4E Phantom II fighters were noted taxiing and parking in the large underground air base. The IRIAF is not a viable modern air force due to long-running sanctions and arms embargoes. They mostly rely on missiles and Unmanned Systems. In May 2022, Iran revealed an air force base under the Zagros Mountains in the western part of Iran for the sole use of Unmanned Aerial Systems.
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The IRIAF operate mostly Russian MiG and Sukhoi fighters that date back to the Soviet era, as well as soms Chinese aircraft, including the Chengdu F-7. They also operate US made F-4 Phantom IIs, F-5 Tiger II and a handful of F-14A Tomcat fighters, all dating back to the Islamic Revolution that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979.
The following F-4E Phantoms were noted at Oghab 44:
Photos via Iranian News Agencies and TV-media