Action of June 5, 1984

The Action of June 5, 1984 was an air battle which took place near Arabi Island in the Persian Gulf. Two Iranian Air Force F-4 Phantoms from Bushehr Air Base, entered Saudi airspace to attack merchant shipping (oil tankers). The planes were tracked by a United States Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft, which directed two Saudi F-15 Eagles to intercept the Iranians. The Saudis shot down 1 Iranian F-4 Phantom, killing 1st Lts Homayoun Hekmati & weapon systems officer Seyed Sirous Karimi, while damaging the second F-4, which despite being damaged, was able to make an emergency landing at Kish Airport. This caused the Iranians to scramble 11 additional F-4s and F-14s from Bushehr. In response, the Royal Saudi Air Force scrambled 11 additional F-15s. Nevertheless, both sides broke off the engagement.

Action of June 5, 1984
Part of Iran–Iraq War, Tanker War
DateJune 5, 1984
Location
Arabi Island, Persian Gulf
Result US victory
Belligerents
 Saudi Arabia
 United States		  Iran
Strength
13 F-15 Eagles
One E-3 Sentry		 13 F-4 Phantoms & 2 F-14
Casualties and losses
None 2 F-4 Phantoms shot down

[1][2][3]

References
  1. The Royal Saudi Air Force was widely regarded as inferior in training and discipline to other Coalition air forces, and was seen as mediocre at best. For this reason, Saudi jets were kept well out of the active combat zone and assigned to patrols just inside the Saudi border in order to prevent them from interfering with ongoing operations by the rest of the coalition.[5] It was for this reason that on top of vectoring the Saudi jets to intercept the Iraqi bombers, the AWACs routed a number of US Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers behind them in case the Saudis were unable to complete the air-air kill.[6] Upon seeing the incoming F-15s, the two MiG-23s fled back to Iraq, leaving the Mirage F1s unprotected. Despite their fighter cover fleeing, the two Mirages piloted by Major. Ali Hussein Fadel and Capt. Mohammed Saleem,[1] pressed on with the mission. Flying the lead Saudi F-15 was Capt. Iyad Al-Shamrani. Despite being given good vectors, Al-Shamrani struggled to complete the intercept. With the Iraqi bombers fast approaching Ras Tanura, the American AWACs went step-by-step with Al-Shamrani to line himself up behind the two remaining Iraqi jets. Al-Shamrani eventually managed to shoot both Iraqi jets down with AIM-9s, though only mere minutes before they reached their target.[5] Both Iraqi pilots Fadel and Saleem were killed.
  2. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191010-what-is-behind-saudis-military-failures/
  3. https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-iran-yemen-military-proxy-war-2017-12?IR=T
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