Iran Appoints Former F-14 Tomcat Pilot as Air Force Chief

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s official IRNA news agency is reporting that the country’s top leader has appointed a new chief for its air force.

The Sunday report says Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has appointed Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh as the new air force chief.

Gen. Nasirzadeh, a former F-14 Tomcat pilot and veteran of the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, has been the air force’s acting commander since 2017. He succeeds Gen. Hassan Shahsafi, who has held the post since 2008.

The appointment comes as part of a routine reshuffle of army commanders.

Iran began purchasing dozens of F-14 Tomcats from the U.S. in 1976. The country’s air force has both American and Russian-made fighter jets in service.

Before 1979 Islamic Revolution many Iranian pilots received their training in the U.S.