Another crash kills more Iranian Republican guards

AP/Washington Post:

Iranian state television reported that a plane crashed in the capital early Monday, killing members of the elite Revolutionary Guards, including high-ranking officers, in the third military air plane crash in the last year.

The plane crashed shortly after taking off from a Tehran airport for Shiraz, about 600 miles to the south, state television said.

"Some 30 members of the elite Revolutionary guards and six crew members were killed in the crash while they were heading for a military site," state-run television said, reading a statement from the Guards.

...

In January, a military Falcon, a small passenger jet, crashed in northwestern Iran, killing the commander of the ground forces of the Revolutionary Guards. In December, a U.S.-made C-130 military transport crashed into a 10-story building near Tehran's Mehrabad airport, killing 115 people.

...

Iran has a history of aircraft accidents involving a heavy loss of life. The government has blamed a U.S. trade embargo, which makes it impossible for Iran to buy parts for its old U.S.-built aircraft. But critics have also said planes are poorly maintained.
This history does not bode well for Iran in any military contest with the US. Its aged fleet of combat aircraft would have a very short life even if properly maintained. Its other mechanized units may have similar problems including its ships. The recent Hezballah war has demonstrated the ineffectiveness of its missiles. As a military power Iran has been vastly over rated.

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