Project Dark Gene
Project Dark Gene | |||||||
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Part of Cold War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States Pahlavi Iran | Soviet Union | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Richard Secord[citation needed] Mohammad Reza Pahlavi |
Pavel S. Kutakhov | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Imperial Iranian Air Force | Soviet Air Forces | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
USA & Iran |
USSR
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Project Dark Gene was an
Operation details and background
Direct confrontation between the US and USSR was occurring or brewing in places like Indochina. Confrontation was usually limited to proxy wars often involving the use of advisers, trainers, and other specialised personnel of the proxy states. After the Korean War the USA undertook a series of direct reconnaissance flights over the Soviet Union, some at the time secret and highly successful and others that resulted in shootdowns and tense diplomacy such as the
The
According to US Embassy cables during the operations the Shah and Iran were of great importance to the US, in part due to the close relations with the Iranian government and Iran's proximity to the USSR. In response to a request by the Shah to speed up a similar arms deal the US Embassy in Tehran advised; "Decision should also not overlook or underestimate importance of Iran for vital US national interests." The Embassy suggested that deliveries of an aircraft type to European Allies and even to the USAF should be considered for diversion to Iran due to the strength of this relationship and the urgency of the issue.
Operation Dark Gene and Operation Ibex were two ways the Iranians could help due to their strategic location, between the USSR and the Persian Gulf. The terrain (deep valleys) in the area offered the program a unique advantage as Soviet radar coverage had major holes. At first US pilots flying Iranian aircraft operated independently but over time Iranian personnel became more involved.
At a point during the operations, due to the risk of pilots ejecting over the USSR, excuses were worked out to explain why US pilots were found flying combat aircraft over the Soviet Union. The excuse they settled on was that the USAF pilots were training IIAF pilots in their new aircraft and simply got lost. Typically by this stage an Iranian would pilot while a USAF officer would navigate.
As the operations continued, the US provided the Iranian Air Force with advanced aircraft that were not offered to anyone else at the time such as the
Project Ibex
Project Ibex was closely linked to Project Dark Gene. The same airfields were used and operations were often run in conjunction. In essence they can be considered the same operation, each with separate and overlapping objectives. One of the advantages of operating them together was the ELINT data that could be gathered when Soviet air defences were activated by a Project Dark Gene aircraft that was detected. The resulting emissions and activity would be recorded by Project Ibex aircraft on the Iranian side of the border.[1]
Funded by the Shah, the listening posts were constructed in Northern Iran by the CIA.[5] After the Iranian Revolution, Iran maintained the facilities in "impeccable condition" despite having little or no knowledge about how to operate them.[6] With the potential to provide information about Iraqi troop movements, CIA official George W. Cave advised Iran's interim government to make use of the system.[7]
Combat
Around four aircraft involved in the project may have been lost to Soviet interceptors during the project. Two of the unconfirmed aircraft are
Detailed incident
One instance of combat during Project Dark Gene was an engagement on November 28, 1973 between an
Similar incidents
In
Equipment
Airbases involved were operated jointly by the CIA and IIAF and protected by land mines and razor wire. As part of the connection with IBEX there were 5 dedicated facilities for monitoring communications within the Soviet Union. Their contact with the outside world was maintained by air resupply only via de Havilland Canada
Most of the following aircraft had custom electronic warfare packages installed for their missions. The Boeing 707s, for example, had 13 man crews operating internal surveillance equipment. Broad- and narrow-band receivers were used.[1]
- McDonnell Douglas RF-4C/E
- Northrop RF-5A[2]
- Boeing 707
- Lockheed C-130H
- de Havilland Canada DHC-4
References
- ^ a b c d e "Project Dark Gene". 15 February 2009. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Ejection History by Country". Archived from the original on 2015-07-10.
- ^ a b "Gennadii N. Eliseev Medal record and citation".
- ^ US Embassy, Tehran. "72TEHRAN1164, ACCELERATION OF F-4ES FOR IRAN". Archived from the original on 2011-02-11.
- ISBN 9781137329868. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Emery 2013, p. 123.
- ^ Emery 2013, p. 127.
- ^ "Captain Eliseev's last MIG(moment in Russian)".
- ^ "Russian article on practice of ramming in Soviet Training".
- ^ "Article Describing ramming and mentioning this combat".