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DeutschMohammed Rayyan
Mohammed Rayyan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname(s) | Sky Falcon |
| Born | 1955 Baiji, Kingdom of Iraq |
| Died | 1986 (age 30–31) Iran/Iraq Border region |
| Allegiance |  Baathist Iraq |
| Service |  Iraqi Air Force |
| Years of service | 1977–1986 |
| Rank | .svg){kind=small} Colonel |
| Unit | 47th Squadron |
| Battles / wars | Iran–Iraq War † |
Mohammed Rayyan (Arabic: محمد ريان; 1955 –1986) was an Iraqi fighter pilot and flying ace during the Iran-Iraq War. He scored 10 air combat kills and was the most successful MiG-25 pilot. [1][2]
One of Iraq's most prestigious pilots, Rayyan initially flew a MiG-21. He obtained a total of 5 aerial victories in the Iran–Iraq War, 4 of which were confirmed by the Iranian Air Force. He was later transferred to the MiG-25 Foxbat, which until then was only allowed to be flown by more experienced pilots.
Once the MiG-25 arrived, Rayyan obtained another 6 aerial victories, all of which were confirmed by Iran. Listed are the deaths, 1 Mirage III, 1 F-4D, 1 RF-4E, 1 F-4E & 2 Units of the F-5E.
He was shot down on a patrol mission over the Persian Gulf, his body and aircraft were never found. His mysterious death raised doubts about his whereabouts, since at the same time Saddam Hussein was questioned for the commissioned deaths of Iraqi war heroes.
Little is known about his personal life or family. After the end of the conflict on August 20, 1988, many military archives and documents were destroyed in order to give full credit to Saddam Hussein.[citation needed] After the US-led coalition to Iraq in 2003, many traces were found supporting the hypothesis of Saddam's assassinations of his pilots. The biggest proof of these being the encounter of a Mirage F1EQ registration 4014 with marks of 14 confirmed aerial victories.[citation needed]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Arab MiG-19 and MiG-21 Units in Combat, by David Nicolle and Tom Cooper, (2004) Osprey Publishing, p.82
- ^ "Welcome to the Air Combat Information Group". 1map.com. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
External links
[edit]
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