Karim Qavami

Karim Qavami (Persian: کریم قوامی; born 1950 in Ardabil) was a Brigadier General, a pilot of the Northrop F-5 who served as the commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force from October 2004 to November 2006.^[1]

He entered the Iranian Officers' College in 1960 and graduated in 1973 with the rank of second lieutenant. That same year, he entered the Iranian Air Force Pilot School for a pilot course. After completing the preliminary flight training, he was sent abroad to complete a specialized flight course and succeeded in obtaining a fighter pilot's license by flying a training aircraft and a fighter jet.^[2]

He was a comrade-in-arms of Abbas Babaei, Mostafa Ardestani, Seyyed Alireza Yasini, and Mansour Sattari. During the 8-year Iran-Iraq War, he completed dozens of successful missions overseas, earning the Order of Fath.^[3]

Before assuming command of the Air Force, Qavami held the responsibilities of commanding flight battalions, Tabriz and Omidiyeh fighter bases, the Directorate of Inspection and Safety of Nahaja, and the command of the Mehrabad Air Region. In 2007, he became the deputy deputy for readiness, support, and industrial research at the General Staff of the Armed Forces.^[4]