The Kerman 3rd Havanirouz Base played a role in supporting the Iranian Armed Forces on different front lines during the Sacred Defense.

Havanirouz (Army Ground Forces Aviation), under the command of the Army Ground Forces, includes a headquarters in Tehran and bases in Isfahan, Kermanshah, Masjed Soleyman, Mashhad, Tabriz, Abyek and Kerman⁠[1] and is responsible for support tasks including air attack against the enemy, movement of troops and equipment, and evacuation of the wounded.⁠[2]

The construction of the Kerman Havanirouz Base on a 150-hectare land west of this city on the Ekhtiarabad road was started by an American company named Precision, in which operational, training, welfare facilities and organizational houses were envisaged. However, with the start of popular movements against the Pahlavi regime in summer 1978, the Precision company stopped construction of this complex and construction remained unfinished. Until the victory of the Islamic Revolution this base was not activated and its personnel were stationed in Isfahan. These personnel in the first days of February 1979, by participating in demonstrations, declared their solidarity with the revolutionary people and Imam Khomeini.

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the construction of the Kerman base was completed by domestic specialists.

With the start of the Imposed War, the helicopters of the Kerman Havanirouz Base were dispatched to Khuzestan. A group of helicopters of this base was stationed north of Abadan and in Mahshahr county to support the defenders of Khorramshahr and Abadan and evacuate people to safe areas, and confronted the enemy.⁠[3]

The main responsibility of supporting Samen al-Aemmeh (PBUH) Operation (October 1981) which led to breaking the siege of Abadan was with the Kerman Havanirouz Base, and 20 helicopters including 8 Cobra helicopters, 8 Bell-214 transport helicopters, 2 Bell-206 reconnaissance helicopters and 2 Bell-205 transport helicopters from Kerman Havanirouz were dispatched to the operational region; the helicopters were stationed near Jarrahi River 8 kilometers from Mahshahr.⁠[4]

The Kerman Havanirouz Base also participated in Beit al-Moqaddas Operation (May-June 1982) with 28 helicopters including 8 Cobras, 8 214s and 4 Chinooks, 6 206s, 2 205s. Cobra helicopters inflicted heavy losses on the enemy by targeting their armored and vehicular equipment, and Bell-214 and Chinook helicopters were responsible for evacuation of the wounded and heliborne of forces.⁠[5]

One of the most extensive presences of Havanirouz in the Imposed War relates to Kheibar Operation (March 1984) in the Hawizeh Marshes region. In this operation for the first time helicopters were widely used to transfer forces.⁠[6] 8 Cobra helicopters, 12 Bell-214s, 2 Bell-206s and 2 Bell-205s from the Kerman base were present in this operation.⁠[7]

The Kerman base also was present in Valfajr 8 Operation (February 1986) with 8 Cobra helicopters, 12 Bell-214s, 2 Bell-206s and 4 Chinooks;⁠[8] in Karbala 5 Operation (9 January 1987) west of Shalamcheh and east of Basra with 8 Cobra helicopters, 20 Bell-214s and 3 Bell-206s and one Bell-205⁠[9] and in the mountainous Karbala 10 Operation (April 1987) northeast of Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan with 20 various hunter and transport helicopters, and to save fuel and time, the Kukhan region on the Baneh to Sardasht route was designated as the tactical headquarters of this base. The mountainous nature of the region and impassability of roads and presence of the roaring Zab River made extensive presence of transport helicopters in moving combatant forces⁠[10] from Baneh region to front lines mandatory. In this operation, Kerman Havanirouz helicopters in 725 hours moved 1691 combatants, 819 wounded and 117 tons of ammunition and supplies.⁠[11]

The Kerman Havanirouz Base was present in 18 offensive operations of the Imposed War⁠[12] and 44 of its personnel were martyred, 84 were wounded and 7 became freed prisoners of war. Colonel Pilot Khosrow Ghiasvand, Colonel Pilot Mohammad-Hossein Jalali, Lieutenant Colonel Pilot Ahmad Ziaei, Lieutenant Colonel Pilot Hossein Falakpour, Lieutenant Colonel Pilot Mohsen Hamrah and Colonel Pilot Mohammad-Ebrahim Kheyrandish held command of the Kerman base during the Imposed War.⁠[13]

The Kerman Havanirouz Base after the end of the Imposed War until now has been present in ensuring security and fighting villains and drug traffickers on eastern and southeastern borders in Sistan and Baluchestan, Kerman, Hormozgan and southern Khorasan provinces, as well as performing air emergency and people-aid operations in accidents and natural disasters.⁠[14]