Hossein Khalatbari

On March 21, 1985 (corresponding to Persian New Year's Eve, Nowruz of the year 1364 in the Iranian calendar), Khalatbari flew from Hamedan Air Base together with his co-pilot Issa Mohammadzadeh-Arousmahalle to confront three Iraqi aircraft with the code-name Solomon 31. While over Iran's Kurdistan Province, he was able to shoot down one of two MiG-23s with a missile. His aircraft then was hit with a R-40 missile shot from a MiG-25PD, flown by Mohommed Rayyan – a flying ace and the most successful Iraqi fighter pilot. Mohammadzadeh-Arousmahalle was able to save himself by ejecting, but Khalatbari could not.

After his return, together with pilots like Abbas Doran and Alireza Yasini, he played a key role in Operation Morvarid and virtually destroyed the Iraqi Navy in October and November 1981 mostly with AGM-65 Maverick missiles. During the war, he destroyed a total number of 23 warships, including minesweepers, frigates and Osa missile boats. Khalatbari was a well-trained certified Maverick shooter and top scorer and hence became known as "Hossein the Maverick" (حسین ماوریک). Also, for sinking several Iraqi Osa missile boats he was nicknamed "The Osa Hunter" (شکارچی اوزا) and "The Osa Killer" (قاتل اوزا).

Khalatbari was born to a wealthy farmer family in Baslkuh, Ramsar. His maternal grandfather was Seyfollah Khan Hayati, a Mirza Kuchak Khan's companion in the Jungle Movement of Gilan, whom he was very proud of since his childhood. After studying his elementary education in Chalakrud, he moved to Tehran and gained a high school diploma. Khalatbari served his conscription in the 92nd Armored Division of Ground Forces of Imperial Iran Army with the rank of 3rd Sergeant. He became seriously interested in military aviation and decided to become a fighter pilot and joined the Imperial Iranian Air Force as an aviation student. From 1972 to 1974, he was trained as an F-4 Phantom pilot at the US Air Force's Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas.

Hossein Khalatbari Mokarram (Persian: حسین خلعتبری; 4 October 1949 – 21 March 1985) was an Iranian fighter pilot who served in the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force during Iran–Iraq War. He had flown both D- and E-models of McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.