Jalil Zandi
{{Short description|Iranian flying ace and greatest F-14 Pilot}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = Timsar
| name = Jalil Zandi
| honorific_suffix =
| native_name_lang = fa
| image = Jalil Zandi-.jpg
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| alt = Portrait of Jalil Zandi
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| birth_date = {{birth date|1951|05|02|df=y}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2001|04|01|1951|05|02|df=y}}
| birth_place = Garmsar, Iran
| death_place = Tehran, Iran
| placeofburial = Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, Tehran
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| allegiance = Iran
| branch = Imperial Iranian Air Force
Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
| serviceyears = 1970–2001
| rank = 2nd Brigadier General
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| battles = Iran–Iraq War
| battles_label =
| awards = 30px Fath Medal (2nd grade)
| spouse = Zahra Moheb Shahedin
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}}
Jalil Zandi ({{langx|fa|جلیل زندی}}; 1951–2001) was a fighter pilot in the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) who served during all of the Iran–Iraq War. His combat record qualifies him as one of the most successful pilots of that conflict in air-to-air combat,[http://www.iiaf.net/iiafmisc/announcements/announcements.html Imperial Iranian Air Force: Samurai in the skies]{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20051029123320/http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_214.shtml Fire in the Hills: Iranian and Iraqi Battles of Autumn 1982, by Tom Cooper & Farzad Bishop, Sept. 9, 2003]}}Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat by Tom Cooper & Farzad Bishop, 2004, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, p. 79, {{ISBN|1 84176 787 5}} as well as one of the most successful Iranian aces ever. It also made him the most successful pilot in the history of the F-14 Tomcat.
Career
Jalil Zandi began in the Imperial Iranian Air Force and after the 1979 Islamic revolution stayed on to serve in the IRIAF when it was somewhat dangerous for pilots to continue their military service. While a major, he often clashed with his superior Lieutenant Colonel Abbas Babaei. Abbas Babaei was "notorious for his merciless treatment of the pilots and officers" considered disloyal to the new regimeIranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat by Tom Cooper & Farzad Bishop, 2004, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, p. 23, {{ISBN|1 84176 787 5}} and because of this, Jalil Zandi was condemned to ten years of imprisonment. While in prison, he was threatened with execution, but by demand of the then-air force commander and many other air force pilots, he was released after six months.Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat by Tom Cooper & Farzad Bishop, 2004, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, pp. 23-24, {{ISBN|1 84176 787 5}}
Iran–Iraq War
He earned his fame as an F-14 Tomcat pilot during the Iran–Iraq War. He has been reliably credited with shooting down 11 Iraqi aircraft (eight confirmed victories{{Cite web|url=http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_210.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031009094708/http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_210.shtml|url-status=usurped|archive-date=October 9, 2003|title = Welcome to the Air Combat Information Group}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_211.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031009095932/http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_211.shtml|url-status=usurped|archive-date=October 9, 2003|title = Welcome to the Air Combat Information Group}} through examination with US intelligence documents released according to FOIA inquiry and three probable victories).{{cite journal | last=Herbert | first=Adam | title=Air Power Classics |journal=Air Force Magazine |date=January 2015| pages=76 }} The victories include four MiG-23s, two Su-22s, two MiG-21s, and three Mirage F1s.Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat by Tom Cooper & Farzad Bishop, 2004, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, pp. 85–88, {{ISBN|1 84176 787 5}} This makes him one of the most successful Iranian fighter aces and the most successful F-14 Tomcat pilot worldwide.
Post-war
His last official post was deputy for planning and organization of the Iranian Air Force.
He died with his wife Zahra Moheb Shahedin in 2001 in a car accident near Tehran. He is buried in Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in the south of Tehran. The couple had three sons: Vahid, Amir, and Nader.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
{{commons category|Jalil Zandi}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zandi, Jalil}}
Category:Iran–Iraq War flying aces
Category:Iranian military aviators
Category:Islamic Republic of Iran Army personnel of the Iran–Iraq War