Conflict catalog

1980 Iran-Iraq War: Weapons and Equipment

War between Iran and Iraq from 1980 to 1988. This catalog is present because import workflows supplied source-backed Iranian F-5 combat-use evidence.

The 1980 Iran-Iraq War was an eight-year conflict between Iran and Iraq that included extensive ground combat, missile attacks, naval fighting, and air operations.

This catalog tracks weapon systems directly documented in 1980 Iran-Iraq War use.

Entries should be limited to systems with direct conflict-use sourcing.

39 weapon systems

Conflict Actors

Iran / Iraq

Iran

17 weapon systems in this catalog

Iraq

28 weapon systems in this catalog

Context

Status
Published catalog
Domains
land, air, maritime, missile strikes

Weapons

1980 Iran-Iraq War Weapon Systems

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

8/10
F-14 Tomcat, Carrier-based air superiority fighter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsF-14 TomcatCarrier-based air superiority fighterSide: IranRole: Long-range interceptor and air patrolBuilt: Grumman Corporation / United StatesThe Grumman F-14 Tomcat was a carrier-based, two-seat, variable-sweep-wing fighter built for U.S. Navy fleet defense and later adapted for strike, reconnaissance, and targeting missions. Its long-range radar-and-missile concept shaped Cold War carrier air defense, while later F-14B and F-14D upgrades kept the type in combat from the Gulf of Sidra through Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran's surviving fleet in the 2026 Iran War.
Su-25, Ground-attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsSu-25Ground-attack aircraftSide: IraqRole: Attack sorties and battlefield strikeBuilt: Sukhoi / Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant / United Aircraft Corporation / Soviet Union / Russia / GeorgiaThe Su-25 is a Soviet-designed armored close air support aircraft built for low-level battlefield strike, rough-field operation, and heavy stores carriage. Developed by Sukhoi and produced in Soviet, Russian, and Georgian factories, the twin-engine subsonic jet combines a protected cockpit, internal 30 mm cannon, and multiple pylons for rockets, bombs, missiles, and adapted guided weapons, with documented use from Afghanistan and Iraq to Darfur, Syria, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Ukraine.
MiG-25 fighter aircraft, High-speed interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsMiG-25 fighter aircraftHigh-speed interceptor and reconnaissance aircraftSide: IraqRole: High-speed interceptor and reconnaissance aircraftBuilt: Mikoyan-Gurevich / Mikoyan / Soviet Union / RussiaThe MiG-25 Foxbat is a Soviet high-speed interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft built by Mikoyan-Gurevich around speed, altitude, heavy air-to-air missiles, and reconnaissance-bomber variants rather than close-in maneuvering. Iraq fielded the type during the 1980 Iran-Iraq War and 1990 Gulf War, Syria used a small surviving fleet during the 2011 Syrian Civil War, and Azerbaijan later kept MiG-25s in reserve during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh stand-off.
Mirage F1, Single-engine fighter and strike aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsMirage F1Single-engine fighter and strike aircraftSide: IraqRole: Iraqi strike, anti-shipping, and interception missionsBuilt: Dassault Aviation / FranceThe Dassault Mirage F1 is a French swept-wing fighter family built around all-weather interception but adapted into attack, reconnaissance, trainer, and export multirole versions. Its source-backed conflict record spans Iraqi Mirage F1EQ missions in the Iran-Iraq War and Gulf War, Ecuadorian Cenepa War sorties, French reconnaissance and strike-support deployments from Kosovo to Afghanistan, Libya, and Mali, and a 2019 Libyan shootdown tied to GNA strike activity during the Tripoli siege.
Xi'an H-6, Strategic / maritime strike bomber family, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsXi'an H-6Strategic / maritime strike bomber familySide: IraqRole: Maritime strike bomberBuilt: Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation / ChinaThe Xi'an H-6 is China's domestically produced Tu-16-derived bomber family, built around the Soviet Badger design and repeatedly adapted for nuclear delivery, maritime strike, tanker, cruise-missile, and modern standoff roles. Iraqi H-6D/B-6D aircraft armed with C-601 anti-ship missiles used the family in combat during the 1980 Iran-Iraq War's Tanker War phase.
MiG-21, Supersonic fighter and interceptor aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsMiG-21Supersonic fighter and interceptor aircraftSide: IraqRole: UnknownBuilt: Mikoyan-Gurevich / Soviet state arsenals / Soviet UnionThe MiG-21 is a Soviet-designed supersonic fighter and interceptor that became one of the most widely built jet fighters of the Cold War. Its conflict record spans North Vietnamese interceptor use, Indian MiG-21FL combat in 1971, Arab and Iraqi air-defense service, Syrian and Libyan wartime fielding, and a conservative Azerbaijani fleet-context row for 2020 reporting where MiG-21 sorties are not directly documented.
Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter / Tiger II, Supersonic light fighter aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsNorthrop F-5 Freedom Fighter / Tiger IISupersonic light fighter aircraftSide: IranRole: Air-to-air and air-to-ground combat aircraftBuilt: Northrop Corporation / United StatesThe Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter / Tiger II is a lightweight supersonic fighter family developed by Northrop for export customers, low operating cost, and easy support. The later F-5E/F Tiger II and F-5N/F adversary aircraft kept the design relevant through radar, structural, avionics, and training-role upgrades, while combat use spans Vietnam, Iran, Yemen, North Africa, and other source-limited air-war records.
MiG-23, Variable-sweep fighter and fighter-bomber aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsMiG-23Variable-sweep fighter and fighter-bomber aircraftSide: IraqRole: Air-delivered chemical and conventional strike platformBuilt: Mikoyan-Gurevich / Soviet UnionThe MiG-23, NATO reporting name Flogger, is a Soviet variable-sweep fighter and fighter-bomber family built around high speed, radar-guided interception, and exportable strike variants. More than 5,000 were produced, and documented combat use ranges from Iraqi Floggers in the 1980 Iran-Iraq War and 1990 Gulf War to Indian MiG-23BN strike missions in Kargil and late Libyan and Syrian civil-war sorties.
2 remaining

Category

Air Defense

Systems that contest aircraft, missiles, helicopters, and drones.

2/2
Iranian anti-aircraft artillery, Gun-based short-range air defense artillery, Air DefenseAir DefenseIranian anti-aircraft artilleryGun-based short-range air defense artillerySide: IranRole: Oil-platform point defense during the Tanker War phaseBuilt: Iranian defense industry / KBP Instrument Design Bureau / Oerlikon Contraves / Iran, Soviet Union/Russia, SwitzerlandIranian anti-aircraft artillery is an aggregate category for gun-based air-defense systems in Iranian service, including ZU-23-2 and Mesbah 23 mm weapons, Oerlikon-derived 35 mm Samavat guns, and older heavy-caliber systems. The record is most directly documented in the 1988 Tanker War phase of the 1980 Iran-Iraq War, where a Sassan platform 23 mm gun mount engaged U.S. forces, and in the 2020 United States-Iran Conflict, where ZU-23-2-type guns appeared as low-altitude point-defense threats and strike targets.
S-125 Neva/Pechora / SA-3 Goa, Short- to medium-range surface-to-air missile system, Air DefenseAir DefenseS-125 Neva/Pechora / SA-3 GoaShort- to medium-range surface-to-air missile systemSide: IraqRole: Iraqi air-defense systemBuilt: Almaz Central Design Bureau / Soviet UnionThe S-125 Neva/Pechora, known to NATO as SA-3 Goa, is a Soviet command-guided surface-to-air missile system built to cover lower-altitude targets than earlier S-75 batteries. The family combines 5V24/V-600 or 5V27/V-601 missiles, SNR-125 Low Blow engagement radar, and twin- or four-rail launchers, with later Pechora upgrades adding mobile chassis, digital electronics, and optical tracking. Cataloged use spans Egyptian and Iraqi air-defense service, Yugoslav S-125 combat in Operation Allied Force, Syrian and Houthi-aligned legacy sites, Azerbaijani Pechora-2TM use, Ukrainian Newa-SC service, and Indian Pechora employment during Operation Sindoor.

Category

Armored Vehicles

Troop carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and protected mobility.

1/1
BTR-50, Tracked amphibious armored personnel carrier, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesBTR-50Tracked amphibious armored personnel carrierSide: IranIraqRole: Tracked APC and weapons carrierBuilt: Volgograd Tractor Plant / Soviet UnionThe BTR-50 is a Soviet tracked amphibious armored personnel carrier based on the PT-76 light tank chassis. Designed to move infantry and light weapons across rivers and broken terrain, it carried a small crew plus a large troop compartment behind light welded steel armor. Its record spans Arab-Israeli wars, the Iran-Iraq War, Syria, and Russia's Ukraine deployment of stored vehicles, including photographed and loss-documented BTR-50PK carriers fitted with BPU-1 turrets.

Category

Artillery

Tube artillery, rocket artillery, and long-range ground fires.

6/6
G5 155 mm howitzer, 155 mm towed gun-howitzer, ArtilleryArtilleryG5 155 mm howitzer155 mm towed gun-howitzerSide: IraqRole: Long-range artillery fireBuilt: Denel Land Systems / South AfricaThe G5 155 mm howitzer is a South African towed gun-howitzer developed from the GC-45 long-range artillery lineage for mobile indirect fire. Lyttelton Engineering Works designed the system and Denel Land Systems became the normalized manufacturer, with sources documenting South African Border War service, Iraqi G5 use in the Iran-Iraq War and Gulf War, and UAE G5 deployment to Yemen.
203mm M115, 203 mm towed heavy howitzer, ArtilleryArtillery203mm M115203 mm towed heavy howitzerSide: IranIraqRole: Iranian-owned heavy howitzer later captured by IraqBuilt: Unknown / United StatesThe 203mm M115 was the U.S. Army's 8 inch towed heavy howitzer lineage that entered wartime service as the M1/M2 family and later received the M115 designation. Official Army and museum material links the weapon to U.S. heavy artillery in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Republic of China use during the 1958 Taiwan Strait crisis, and a captured Iran-to-Iraq-to-U.S. display example from the Iran-Iraq War and Gulf War.
Ballistic missile, Ballistic missile, ArtilleryArtilleryBallistic missileBallistic missileSide: IranIraqRole: Scud and Scud-derived city strikesBuilt: Various manufacturers / Multiple countriesBallistic missiles are rocket-propelled weapons that accelerate during boost, then place a payload on a mostly unpowered ballistic path through midcourse and terminal flight. The class spans short-range battlefield missiles, submarine-launched systems, and intercontinental weapons; in recent cataloged conflicts, open sources document Iranian and Houthi use when strike reports identify broad ballistic-missile salvos but not always a single missile model.

Category

Infantry Weapons

Portable weapons used by soldiers and small units.

2/2
M40 106 mm recoilless rifle, 106 mm crew-served recoilless rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsM40 106 mm recoilless rifle106 mm crew-served recoilless rifleSide: IranRole: Iranian anti-armor and direct-fire weaponBuilt: Watervliet Arsenal / United StatesThe M40 106 mm recoilless rifle is a U.S.-origin crew-served direct-fire weapon built around a 105 mm-class round but commonly identified by its 106 mm designation. It served on ground carriages and vehicle mounts such as the M50 Ontos, remained useful for anti-armor and bunker work after newer missiles appeared, and is documented in conflicts from Vietnam to Libya, Mali, Syria, and Afghanistan.
TS-50 anti-personnel mine, Minimum-metal blast anti-personnel mine, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsTS-50 anti-personnel mineMinimum-metal blast anti-personnel mineSide: IraqRole: Iraqi Army minefield contaminationBuilt: Tecnovar Italiana SpA / ItalyThe TS-50 is an Italian minimum-metal blast anti-personnel mine built around a small pressure-actuated plastic body and pneumatic fuze. The record covers the Italian TS/50 baseline and closely documented T/79 and YM-1 copy designations, with conflict-use evidence from Afghanistan, Iraqi Kurdistan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Syria, and the Russia-Ukraine War's Donbas supply trail.

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

8/12
C-601 / YJ-6, Air-launched anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsC-601 / YJ-6Air-launched anti-ship cruise missileSide: IraqRole: UnknownBuilt: China Haiying Electro-Mechanical Technology Academy / China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation / ChinaThe C-601, known in Chinese service as the YJ-6 and to NATO as CAS-1 Kraken, is a Chinese air-launched anti-ship cruise missile adapted from the HY-2/Silkworm family for H-6D bomber carriage. It gave Iraqi H-6D bombers a heavy standoff maritime-strike weapon during the 1988 Tanker War phase of the 1980 Iran-Iraq War.
AIM-54 Phoenix missile, Air-to-air missile, MunitionsMunitionsAIM-54 Phoenix missileAir-to-air missileSide: IranRole: Long-range air-to-air missileBuilt: Hughes Aircraft Company / Raytheon Co. / United StatesThe Hughes AIM-54 Phoenix was a long-range radar-guided air-to-air missile built around the F-14 Tomcat's fleet-defense mission and AWG-9 fire-control system. U.S. Navy sources describe the Phoenix as an all-weather, multiple-target weapon carried operationally only by the F-14, while conflict records tie its combat use to Iranian Tomcats in the Iran-Iraq War and U.S. Tomcats enforcing Iraqi no-fly zones.
Anti-ship cruise missile, Anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsAnti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missileSide: IranIraqRole: Tanker War maritime strikeBuilt: Various manufacturers / Multiple countriesAnti-ship cruise missiles are guided standoff weapons built to attack warships and high-value surface vessels from aircraft, ships, submarines, and coastal launchers. The class is documented from Falklands War Exocet attacks and Tanker War maritime strikes to Ukrainian Neptune use in the Black Sea, Iraqi Silkworm launches in the 1990 Gulf War, Hezbollah's 2006 C-802 strike, and Houthi launches during the 2023 Red Sea Crisis.
Harpoon, Anti-ship cruise missile family, MunitionsMunitionsHarpoonAnti-ship cruise missile familySide: IranRole: Anti-ship missile in Tanker War naval actionBuilt: Boeing / United StatesHarpoon is a U.S.-origin anti-ship cruise missile family used from aircraft, surface ships, submarines, and coastal launchers. The family combines sea-skimming flight with active radar terminal homing, while Block II adds GPS-aided inertial navigation for littoral anti-ship and land-attack missions and Block II+ adds a network-enabled upgrade path. Cataloged conflict use ranges from Iranian and Saudi naval launches in the late Cold War and Gulf War period to truck-mounted RGM-84 coastal defense missiles supplied for Ukraine's Black Sea defense.
Hwasong-5 ballistic missile, Road-mobile short-range ballistic missile, MunitionsMunitionsHwasong-5 ballistic missileRoad-mobile short-range ballistic missileSide: IranRole: Ballistic missile strikes during the 1988 War of the CitiesBuilt: North Korean defense industry / North KoreaThe Hwasong-5 is North Korea's Scud-B-derived short-range ballistic missile, a road-mobile liquid-fueled weapon with roughly 300 km range and a near-1,000 kg payload class. Iran used North Korean-supplied Hwasong-5/Shehab-1 missiles in the 1988 War of the Cities, while Houthi-aligned forces later inherited Yemeni Hwasong-5/6 stocks that were mostly converted into Burkan-series missiles.
R-17 Scud-B ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, MunitionsMunitionsR-17 Scud-B ballistic missileShort-range ballistic missileSide: IranIraqRole: War-of-the-cities ballistic missile strikesBuilt: Votkinsk Machine Building Plant / Soviet UnionThe R-17 Elbrus, known to NATO as the SS-1C Scud-B, is a Soviet road-mobile, liquid-fueled short-range ballistic missile built for deep strikes with conventional, chemical, or nuclear payloads. Its combat record spans Egyptian launches in 1973, Iranian and Iraqi city strikes in the 1980-1988 war, Libyan missile attempts in 1986 and 2011, South Yemeni strikes in 1994, Armenian strikes on Ganja in 2020, and Houthi-aligned use of inherited Yemeni stocks, illustrating the lasting political and civilian risk of older inaccurate ballistic missiles.
4 remaining

Category

Naval Systems

Warships, submarines, unmanned surface vessels, naval craft, and maritime combat systems.

1/1
Tareq / Boghammar speedboat, Armed speedboat / fast inshore attack craft, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsTareq / Boghammar speedboatArmed speedboat / fast inshore attack craftSide: IranRole: IRGC fast-boat harassment and maritime interdiction craftBuilt: Iranian defense industry / IRGC Navy workshops / Iran / SwedenThe Tareq or Boghammar speedboat family covers Swedish Boghammar high-speed patrol boats and Iranian-built or Iranian-modified descendants used by the IRGC Navy as lightly armed fast inshore attack craft. The type became prominent during the Tanker War phase of the 1980 Iran-Iraq War, when Revolutionary Guard crews used small armed speedboats for harassment and attacks on shipping, and later remained part of Iran's broader small-boat swarm and coastal-denial force.

Category

Support Equipment

Transport, logistics, recovery, command, engineering, and other enabling equipment.

1/1
MAZ-543P transporter-erector-launcher, Road-mobile transporter-erector-launcher, Support EquipmentSupport EquipmentMAZ-543P transporter-erector-launcherRoad-mobile transporter-erector-launcherSide: IranIraqRole: Road-mobile Scud-family ballistic-missile launcherBuilt: Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ) / Soviet UnionThe MAZ-543P is a Soviet 8x8 transporter-erector-launcher in the MAZ-543 family, built by Minsk Automobile Plant for road-mobile missile forces. Open sources tie the family to 9P117/Scud-B launchers, Iranian Shahab-1 TELs, and Iraqi Scud and Al-Hussein operations in the 1980 Iran-Iraq War and 1990 Gulf War.

Category

Tanks

Heavy armor built around direct fire, protection, and battlefield shock.

4/4
T-62, Main battle tank, TanksTanksT-62Main battle tankSide: IraqRole: Iraqi armored assault forceBuilt: Uralvagonzavod / Soviet UnionThe T-62 is a Soviet main battle tank built around a 115 mm U-5TS/2A20 smoothbore gun, a four-person crew, and a conventional tracked armor layout inherited from the T-54/T-55 design line. Produced in large numbers by Uralvagonzavod, it moved from Cold War export and Soviet service into long-tail combat use: Egyptian and Iraqi T-62s appear in 1970s and 1991 conflict records, while upgraded or inherited T-62M/T-62MV stocks reappeared in Syria, Libya, Ukraine, Tigray, and Yemen.
T-72, Main battle tank, TanksTanksT-72Main battle tankSide: IraqRole: Iraqi armored formationsBuilt: Uralvagonzavod / Various manufacturers / Soviet Union / Russia / licensed producersThe T-72 is a Soviet main battle tank family built around a three-person crew, an autoloaded 125 mm gun, and a compact tracked chassis that entered Soviet service in 1974. Its long production run, licensed derivatives, and post-Soviet stockpiles made it a recurring armored vehicle in Iraq, Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, Yemen, Nagorno-Karabakh, and the Russia-Ukraine War.
M60A1 Patton, Second-generation main battle tank, TanksTanksM60A1 PattonSecond-generation main battle tankSide: IranRole: Iranian armored combat and defensive tank forceBuilt: Detroit Tank Arsenal / United StatesThe M60A1 Patton is a U.S.-origin main battle tank built around the 105 mm M68 gun, a four-person crew, and a redesigned long turret with heavier protection than the original M60. Israeli Magach 6A tanks, Iranian M60A1s, and U.S. Marine Corps M60A1s give the type a documented combat record from the 1973 Yom Kippur War through the 1990 Gulf War, while exported vehicles such as Yemen's pre-war inventory kept it visible in later conflicts.
FV101 Scorpion light tank, Tracked light tank / reconnaissance vehicle, TanksTanksFV101 Scorpion light tankTracked light tank / reconnaissance vehicleSide: IranRole: Iranian reconnaissance armorBuilt: Alvis / United KingdomThe FV101 Scorpion is a British CVR(T) light tank and reconnaissance vehicle built by Alvis around a 76 mm gun, high road speed, and a light aluminum hull. The catalog record covers Iranian Scorpion-family use in the Iran-Iraq War, British FV101 Scorpion use in the 1982 Falklands War and 1990 Gulf War, and later Boko Haram possession in the Lake Chad basin.