F-20 Tigershark - V1 versus V2.2

[Vespers War]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

You're correct, the Iranians didn't use the AH-1T but that was not what I was saying. I said they operated a similar type, specifically, the AH-1J International, which they have copied to create their Toufan and Toufan II attack helicopters.
The GDW authors were incorrect to state the helo was the AH-1T but it's possible they believed that theIrianian -1J model was the -1T or even that maybe they didn't have knowledge of the -1J model and assumed that substituting it would be okay for the game. Maybe it was a typo by the printer?

We'll probably never know but as the Iranian revolution was in 1978-79 and the purchase of the AH-1J was in 1971 it's not too much to assume that deliveries were pretty much complete before the revolution so no matter what the reason, the Iranians did have a twin-engine version of the Cobra in service before the events of the game.

Some of the Iranian AH-1J were TOW-capable; AFAIK, US AH-1J didn't have that capability, only the -1T. Someone hearing Iran had TOW-capable SuperCobras could be excused for thinking they were AH-1T if they were familiar with the versions used by the US. There was also a proposal to sell Iran the AH-1T+ with an engine upgrade, but that deal fell apart when the Shah was overthrown.