The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Force was active unofficially during the early years of the Sacred Defense, comprising an aviation unit, missile command, air defense, and a UAV unit; it became official on 26 Shahrivar 1364, following Imam Khomeini' s order to establish the three branches of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The history of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Unit dates back to the early 1360s. With the transfer of two Bell 206 (Jet Ranger) helicopters from the Atomic Energy Organization to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 1361, flight operations of the Corps' air unit began at Mehrabad Airport. In the same year, after four Jet Ranger helicopters were overhauled— two at PANHA (Iran Helicopter Support and Renewal Industries) and two within the Corps' air unit— the number of helicopters in the air unit reached six.⁠[1]The IRGC Quds Air Base, also located at Mehrabad Airport, also undertook the transport of officials from 1361, after acquiring its first light aircraft (Cessna and Turbo Commander).⁠[2]

IRGC helicopters participated in Operations Khyber⁠[3]; Badr; Valfajr 8 and 10; Karbala 2, 4, 5 and 10; Nasr 4, 7 and 8; Bayt al-Muqaddas 1, 2 and 3; and Mersad.⁠[4]

On 3 Aban 1363, thirteen IRGC personnel under the command of Hassan Tehrani-Moqaddam were sent to Syria to receive missile training. They returned to Iran on 11 Dey 1363, and in 1364 Hassan Tehrani-Moqaddam became commander of the IRGC missile force.

The IRGC ground-to-ground missile command retaliated during the War of the Cities, initiated by Iraq, by organizing two launch platforms in one missile battalion and firing 88 Scud missiles purchased from Libya and North Korea.⁠[5]

On 26 Shahrivar 1364, by order of Imam Khomeini, the IRGC' s three branches— Ground, Naval, and Air— were established⁠[6]; subsequently, the IRGC Air Defense also began operating as a subordinate of the Air Force under the title of Air Defense Command. With the intensification of enemy air attacks in 1363, equipping the IRGC air defense was placed on the agenda⁠[7]; the SA-2 anti-aircraft missile system from Libya⁠[8] was among the measures taken, and in 1365 the HQ-2 anti-aircraft missile system from China entered the country and bases were established for the air defense of cities.⁠[9]

One of the notable achievements of the IRGC air defense was shooting down a MiG-25 over Isfahan on 26 Bahman 1365⁠[10]. In 1366, the command for repairing and overhauling air-defense and missile systems was also established in the IRGC by Martyr Ghadiri.⁠[11]

During Operation Khyber (1362), the IRGC UAV unit was also established with a plan to use unmanned aircraft for reconnaissance or combat missions⁠[12]. From 1364 onward, the first UAV flights for aerial photography began; the first UAV was named “ Talash” and was built in the IRGC Air Industries using ordinary cameras and 135-millimeter⁠[13] photographic film⁠[14]. The next UAV model was named “ Mohajer” and was manufactured by the Quds Air Industries.⁠[15]

During the Sacred Defense, 487 IRGC air-defense personnel were martyred and 468 were wounded.⁠[16]

After the Sacred Defense, the IRGC Air Force' s weaponry expanded. At the end of the imposed war, the maximum range of its missiles was only 300 kilometers, but today the IRGC ground-to-ground missile command, equipped with advanced missile equipment⁠[17], is capable of striking targets at ranges of up to 2,000 kilometers.⁠[18]This command has organized various missile systems, including Scud-B and Scud-C, Shahab-1 and Shahab-2, Fateh-110, Tondar-69, Zelzal, Naze' at, Shahab-3, Khorramshahr, and Sejjil, into powerful missile groups⁠[19]; the result of this capability was evident in Iran' s victory over the Zionist-American enemy in the Ramadan War.

Significant advances have also been achieved in the field of UAVs within the IRGC. The IRGC Jihad of Self-Sufficiency has designed and built various UAVs, including Ababil, Hazem, Shahed, Hamaseh, Sarir, and Shahed 129, which were used against the enemy in the Second Imposed War (Khordad 1404) and the Ramadan War (Esfand 1404 to Khordad 1405).⁠[20]

With the introduction and operational deployment of Cobra helicopters in 1376 and Mi-171 helicopters in 1379, the IRGC Air Force helicopter unit expanded its support mission beyond ground forces and developed new capabilities through participation in various operations and the transport of bulky cargo.⁠[21]

Since 1377, Tucano and Y-12 aircraft have also been used by the IRGC Air Force.⁠[22]Su-22 fighter⁠[23] aircraft are also currently in service, while Antonov and Ilyushin aircraft are used for transport.⁠[24]

From the establishment of the IRGC Air Force in 1364 until 1369, the command was held by Musa Rafan, followed respectively by Hossein Dehqan, Mohammad-Hossein Jalali, Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, Ahmad Kazemi (martyr), Mohammad-Reza Zahedi, Hossein Salami (martyr), and Amir-Ali Hajizadeh (martyr).⁠[25]

In 1388, by adding the space section to the air section, the IRGC Air Force became the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force. Today, in addition to the duties of the Air Force, this force is also responsible for missile and space missions⁠[26], and its commander is Brigadier General of the IRGC Seyyed Majid Mousavi.⁠[27]

The attack on the Ain al-Asad U. S. air base in Anbar Province, Iraq, on 18 Dey 1398 with dozens of missiles; Operation True Promise 1 on 26 Farvardin 1403; True Promise 2 on 10 Mehr 1403, involving the launch of dozens of missiles and UAVs at Israel⁠[28]; and the missile attacks on the occupied territories of Palestine and U. S. bases in the region during the Second and Third Imposed Wars are among the notable actions of the IRGC Aerospace Force in recent years.