No less than one IRIAF (Islamic Republic of Iran Air Drive) F-14 Tomcat flew alongside the Russian presidential plane and its Su-35S Flanker escort over Iran.

On Dec. 6, 2023, Russia’s President Putin made a uncommon, lightning journey to the Center East to fulfill with UAE and Saudi leaders, in an try and stake out a extra influential function within the area. Escorted by four Su-35S Flankers armed with R-77 and R-73 air-to-air missiles, the Presidential Il-96-300PU, flew to the United Arab Emirates after which visited, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Russian Protection Ministry confirmed footage of the escort of the Il-96-300PU (RSD501) presidential airplane by Su-35S fighter jets throughout a flight to the UAE. pic.twitter.com/yBdKpmsg2j

— Massimo Frantarelli (@MrFrantarelli) December 6, 2023

Flying as RSD501, the Il-96 could possibly be tracked on-line throughout its journey from Moscow to Abu Dhabi after which to Riyadh, being, at a sure time, probably the most tracked flight on Flightradar24.com.

Russian President Vladimir Putin leaving Riyadh 🇸🇦onboard Ilyushin Il-96-300PU reg: RA-92024 “RSD501” 🇷🇺 https://t.co/8mNnCGah3a pic.twitter.com/BoMBSmbxlC

— Mencho (@MilitaryEye) December 6, 2023

The route the Il-96 flew to UAE crossed the Iranian airspace, the place the Russian presidential “convoy” of 5 plane was intercepted and escorted by no less than one IRIAF F-14A Tomcat. The group of six plane was noticed and filmed from the bottom at excessive altitude.

Increased high quality video present that it was an IRIAF F-14A Tomcat which escorted the Russian presidential plane Il-96PU and 4 Russian Su-35S Flankers over Iran of their flight to Dubai. https://t.co/f2HebWgZct pic.twitter.com/LHjxuavYbA

— Mehdi H. (@mhmiranusa) December 7, 2023

It was not the primary time the Persian Tomcats, world’s final operational F-14s, escorted a Russian plane over Iran. In 2015, Iranian F-14 Tomcat  escorted Russian Air Force Tu-95 Bear bombers flying in Iranian airspace throughout their 9h 30mins missions from Engels airbase and again, alongside the Iraq-Iran-Caspian Sea 6,500 km-long hall, in opposition to targets in Syria.

Iran initially ordered 80 examples, with 79 being delivered starting in February 1976. Based on totally different sources, Iran has at present round 40 – 42 airframes at its disposal, a few of these upgraded to F-14AM (“Modernized”) commonplace that features home avionics (radar and RWR) and weapons: R-73E, AIM-54A, AIM-7E and AIM-9J. IRIAF has two kinds of F-14As: PMC (Partially Mission-Succesful) ones, often appropriate for Coaching and might change into FMC in case of battle; and Absolutely Mission-Succesful Tomcats with absolutely operable hearth management system, armament system and INS. These FMC F-14As are often used for twenty-four/7 Fast Response Alert and different fight missions (Normally 70% of the airworthy Tomcats are FMC).

In 2018, throughout Iran International Air Show at Kish Island, Iran, round two dozen F-14s had been estimated to be absolutely prepared for fight, with partial readiness maintained for 16 extra airframes. These plane are primarily based at TFB.8 (Tactical Fighter Base 8) Baba’i close to Eshahan, in central Iran.

Based on Al Jazeera, after touchdown in Abu Dhabi, Putin was escorted to the presidential palace, the place he was greeted with a 21-gun salute and a flyby of UAE army jets trailing smoke within the colors of the Russian flag.

The Russian President then met President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to debate, among the many different issues, cooperation within the power trade and superior applied sciences. Putin then flew to Riyadh, to fulfill Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, with oil cooperation and the Israel-Hamas battle on the agenda.

Curiously, throughout its Center East journey, apart from its Flanker escort, the VVIP airplane was additionally supported by a Tu-214SUS, an Airborne Communication Heart, “outfitted with a communication and special technical means to communicate anywhere in the world en-route and designed to hold the top of state, in addition to authorities delegations” in addition to a Tu-214SR, whose function is to appearing as a flying radio relay system between the Presidential/Authorities airplane, ground-based receivers and satellites.

🇷🇺Ilyushin Il-96-300PU
🇷🇺Tupolev Tu-214SUS#Putin #Пу́тин#Riyadh pic.twitter.com/UsF80vWAOg

— 360°Radar (@wipljw) December 6, 2023

🇷🇺Tupolev Tu-214SUS
🇷🇺Tupolev Tu-214SR#Riyadh pic.twitter.com/lZEgkSilDF

— 360°Radar (@wipljw) December 6, 2023

Remarkably, the video of the Russian plane departing at evening for his or her journey again dwelling exhibits that no less than three Flankers took off in formation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyp9BeRHw4w

David Cenciotti is a journalist primarily based in Rome, Italy. He’s the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of many world’s most well-known and browse army aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for main worldwide magazines, together with Air Forces Month-to-month, Fight Plane, and lots of others, protecting aviation, protection, battle, trade, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown a number of fight planes with totally different air forces. He’s a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Drive, a personal pilot and a graduate in Pc Engineering. He has written 5 books and contributed to many extra ones.