Iranian F-4E. 17 February 1986 an Iraqi MiG-25PD shot down an Iranian Fokker F-27, all 53 people, crew and high ranked officers were killed. On 23 February 1986, an Iraqi MiG-25PD shot down an Iranian EC-130E. 10 June 1986 an Iraqi MiG-25PD shot down an Iranian RF-4E. In October 1986, an Iraqi MiG-25PDS shot down a second RF-4E. On 17 January 1987, an Iraqi MiG-25PDS shot down an Iranian F-14A with an R-40 missile. Iranian pilot Major Bahram Ghaneie was rescued, operator Lieutenant Reza Vadtalab was killed. For a long time it was believed that this air victory was won by a MiG-23ML. The most successful Iraqi MiG-25 pilot of the war was Colonel Mohommed Rayyan, who was credited with ten kills. Eight of these were while flying the MiG-25PD from 1981 to 1986. In 1986, after attaining the rank of Colonel, Rayyan was shot down and killed by Iranian F-14s. For the majority of the air combat Iraqi pilots used R-40 missiles. On 3 May 1981, an Iraqi MiG-25PD shot down an Algerian Gulfstream II. On 2 October 1986, an Iraqi MiG-25PD shot down a Syrian MiG-21RF. According to research by journalist Tom Cooper, Iranian claimed ten MiG-25s (nine reconnaissance and one fighter) may have been shot down by Iranian F-14s (one of them shared with an F-5) during the Iran-Iraq war. Only three MiG-25 losses (to ground fire or air combat) were confirmed by Iraq. Confirmed MiG-25 combat losses during Iran-Iraq war: June 1983 an Iraqi MiG-25R piloted by Colonel Abdullah Faraj Mohammad was shot down by an Iranian fighter jet F-14A. 25 February 1987 an Iraqi MiG-25RB piloted by Lieutenant Sayer Sobhi Ahmad was shot down by an Iranian SAM HQ-2, pilot was captured. Persian Gulf War During the Persian Gulf War, a U.S. Navy F/A-18, piloted by Lt Cdr Scott Speicher, was shot down on the first night of the war by a missile fired by a MiG-25. The kill was reportedly made with a Bisnovat R-40TD missile fired from a MiG-25PDS flown by Lt. Zuhair Dawood of the 84th squadron of the IQAF, Two IQAF MiG-25s were shot down by U.S. Air Force F-15s on 19 January. The MiGs attempted to hide from the F-15s by using chaff and electronic jammers in order to engage the F-15s untargeted. However the F-15 pilots were able to reacquire the two Iraqi MiG-25s and shot both down with