page_title: Military operations of the Iran–Iraq War
section_title: Attack on H3
hierarchical_section_title: Military operations of the Iran–Iraq War / 1981: Stalemate / 1981: Stalemate / Attack on H3
caption_attribution_description: English: Operation_H3_map.
context_page_description: Military operations of the Iran–Iraq War are events that stretched over the period of Iran–Iraq War from 22 September 1980 to end of the war. Most of operations occurred in Kermanshah, Ilam, and Khuzestan.
context_section_description: The Iraqi Air Force, badly damaged by the Iranians, was moved to the H-3 Airbase in Western Iraq, near the Jordanian border and away from Iran. However, on 3 April 1981, the Iranian air force used eight F-4 Phantom fighter bombers, four F-14 Tomcats, three Boeing 707 refuelling tankers, and one Boeing 747 command plane to launch a surprise attack on H3, destroying 27–50 Iraqi fighter jets and bombers.
  Despite the successful H-3 airbase attack (in addition to other air attacks), in April, the Iranian Air Force was forced to cancel its successful 180-day air offensive. In addition, they gave up trying to hold total control of Iranian airspace. Due to the heavy toll of sanctions and pre-war purges, the Iranian Air Force could not suffer further attrition, and made the decision in order to limit their losses. They were also damaged by a fresh purge, after the impeachment crisis of President Banisadr. The Iranian air force would fight heavily on the defensive, trying to hold back the Iraqis rather than engaging them. While throughout 1981–1982 the Iraqi air force would remain weak, within the next few years they would rearm and expand again, and begin to regain the strategic initiative.
caption: The surprise attack on H-3 airbase is considered to be one of the most sophisticated air operations of the war.
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