Inside Iran’s Air Power: A Look at Fighter Jets and Combat Aircraft in Service

Iran began providing weapons, training, and support to Hamas and Hezbollah, making the Middle East even more unstable. As the US struggles to deescalate tensions between Israel and Hamas, conflict in the region continues to mount. As instability in the Middle East continues to concern nations around the globe, 24/7 Wall St. took a deep dive into the capabilities of Iran’s Air Force.

To get a good picture of Iran’s military aircraft capabilities, 24/7 Wall St. compiled a list of Iranian combat aircraft currently in service by reviewing the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry publication. We ordered our list by how many aircraft are currently in active service and included supplemental data on the type of aircraft, top speed, armament, and which Iranian military branch they serve under. This list does not include drones or UAVs.

This post was updated on September 27, 2025 to clarify Iran’s biggest air force challenge, Iran’s involvement with Hamas, counts of specific craft, use of F-14s, and the exclusion of drones and UAVs.

Why Are We Writing About This

24/7 Wall St. is interested in the current geopolitical landscape. Iran’s aircraft is not the most technologically advanced in the world. Most of its inventory is decades old (1960s–1980s U.S. and Soviet jets). What’s notable is Iran’s effort to indigenously upgrade and reverse-engineer aircraft. Iran is key in the balance of power within the Middle East, which has a great influence on the US economy. Conflict threatens our stability and security at the national and local levels.

Here is a look at all of Iran’s fighter jets and combat aircraft currently in service:

16. Bell 206

• Type: Light utility helicopter
• Active aircraft: 5
• Top speed: 122 mph
• Armament: 7.62mm machine guns
• Military branch: Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, Islamic Republic of Iran Army

15. S-65/RH-53D

• Type: Heavy-lift transport helicopter
• Active aircraft: 6
• Top speed: 196 mph
• Armament: 12.7mm machine guns, 7.62mm machine guns
• Military branch: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

14. S-61/ASH-3D

• Type: Anti-submarine warfare helicopter
• Active aircraft: 8
• Top speed: 166 mph
• Armament: Mark 44 / 46 torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, naval depth charges, 7.62mm machine guns
• Military branch: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

13. Su-22

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• Type: Strike fighter
• Active aircraft: 9 (many analysts think only a few are airworthy)
• Top speed: 718 mph
• Armament: 30mm autocannons, conventional drop bombs, guided bombs, rocket pods, gun pods, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles
• Military branch: Iranian Revolutionary Guard

12. Bell 212

• Type: Medium-lift utility / transport helicopter
• Active aircraft: 10
• Top speed: 140 mph
• Armament: 7.62mm machine guns
• Military branch: Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

11. Mirage F1EQ

• Type: Interceptor aircraft
• Active aircraft: Only a handful remain serviceable
• Top speed: 1,453 mph
• Armament: 30mm DEFA internal automatic cannons, Sidewinder missiles, Magic missiles, Matra missiles, conventional drop bombs, rocket pods, Armat missiles
• Military branch: Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

10. AH-1J

• Type: Dedicated two-seat attack helicopter
• Active aircraft: 13 (some sources say fewer than 10 are operational)
• Top speed: 175 mph
• Armament: 20mm M197 triple barrel gatling gun, Hydra rocket pods, Zuni rocket pods, BGM-TOW missiles, Sidewinder missiles
• Military branch: Islamic Republic of Iran Army

9. F-7

• Type: Interceptor / Strike fighter aircraft
• Active aircraft: 17
• Top speed: 1,367 mph
• Armament: 30mm internal cannons, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, conventional drop bombs, rocket pods
• Military branch: Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

8. MiG-29

• Type: Lightweight multirole fighter aircraft
• Active aircraft: 18 (Some are flyable, but several are unserviceable. Estimates range from 10–15 combat-ready)
• Top speed: 1,519 mph
• Armament: 30mm GSh-1 internal automatic cannon, Alamo missiles, Adder missiles, rocket pods, conventional drop bombs, guided bombs
• Military branch: Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

7. Mi-171

• Type: Medium-lift transport helicopter
• Active aircraft: 22
• Top speed: 158 mph
• Armament: Shturm missiles, rocket pods, 23mm cannon pods, 7.62mm machine guns
• Military branch: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, Iranian Revolutionary Guard

6. Su-24

• Type: Long-range strike / attack aircraft
• Active aircraft: 23
• Top speed: 1,439 mph
• Armament: 23mm GSh internal six-barrel cannon, Ahpid missiles, Archer missiles, Kingbolt missiles, Krypton missiles, rocket pods, conventional drop bombs, guided bombs
• Military branch: Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

5. Bell 214

• Type: Medium-lift utility helicopter
• Active aircraft: 24
• Top speed: 162 mph
• Armament: 7.62mm machine guns
• Military branch: Islamic Republic of Iran Army

4. F-5E

• Type: Multirole fighter aircraft
• Active aircraft: 35
• Top speed: 1,077 mph
• Armament: 20mm M39A2 automatic cannons, Sidewinder missiles, Maverick missiles, rocket pods, conventional drop bombs, guided bombs
• Military branch: Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

3. CH-47C

• Type: Medium-lift, tandem rotor transport helicopter
• Active aircraft: 40 (Many are grounded due to parts issues)
• Top speed: 180 mph
• Armament: 7.62mm machine guns
• Military branch: Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, Islamic Republic of Iran Army

2. F-14

• Type: Swing-wing, carrier borne fleet defense fighter (In Iran, they operate solely as land-based interceptors)
• Active aircraft: 41 (Most independent defense analysts believe fewer than 25 are flight-worthy due to parts shortages)
• Top speed: 1,544 mph
• Armament: 20mm internal gatling gun, Phoenix missiles, Sparrow missiles, Sidewinder missiles, conventional drop bombs, guided bombs
• Military branch: Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

1. F-4D/E/RF-4E

• Type: Strike fighter
• Active aircraft: 63 (Many are grounded or cannibalized for parts. Operational numbers are closer to 20–30.)
• Top speed: 1,473 mph
• Armament: 20mm M61 Vulcan, Skyflash missiles, Sparrow missiles, Sidewinder missiles, rocket pods, gun pods, conventional drop bombs, guided bombs
• Military branch: Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force