Iranian President Raisi, Foreign Minister Abdolrahian, and other officials were on board a helicopter that crashed in the foggy mountains of northwestern Iran on May 19, resulting in the deaths of all on board. Raisi and the Foreign Minister were traveling in a Bell 212 helicopter to attend the inauguration ceremony for two dams built in cooperation with Azerbaijan in the northwestern mountainous region of Iran. The Bell 212 helicopter is believed to have been acquired before the end of the 1970s, prior to the Iranian Islamic Revolution, making it over forty years old.
The Bell 212 is renowned for its stable performance and excellent safety record, being one of the most widely used helicopters in the world. It is an upgraded version of the military UH-1 helicopter, initially developed by the Bell Helicopter company for the Canadian military and had its first flight in 1968. The Bell 212 helicopter features twin turbine engines, increased payload capacity, and can accommodate 15 passengers, including one crew member and fourteen passengers. Introduced in 1971, the Bell 212 helicopter quickly entered service in the United States and Canada, with a total of thirteen countries purchasing and using the Bell 212 model.
Despite facing sanctions from the United States, which restricts Iran’s access to technical support and spare parts, Iran continues to operate American military aircraft, which are key assets of the Iranian Air Force. The mainstay of the Iranian Air Force for air superiority is the F-14, and for ground attacks, it is the F-4. As a supplement, Iran has procured 36 MiG-29A light fighter jets and 36 Su-24MK fighter-bombers from Russia. Iran had only acquired a small number of J-7 fighter jets in the early stages and has not purchased Chinese-made fighter jets since then.
The preference of the Iranian Air Force for American aircraft such as the F-14 and F-4 has its reasons. The F-14 Tomcat is considered one of the most beautiful fighter jets in the world and was once the backbone of the US Navy. The F-4 Phantom II, a peak design of the 1960s, is a versatile multi-role fighter with higher production numbers than the F-16.
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