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Colonel Mohammed Rayyan (1955–1986) was an Iraqi fighter pilot and flying ace during the Iran–Iraq War. He scored 5 air combat kills and was the most successful MiG-25 pilot. Arab MiG-19 and MiG-21 Units in Combat, by David Nicolle and Tom Cooper, (2004) Osprey Publishing, p.82
Rayyan, while only a Flight Lieutenant and flying a MiG-21MF, claimed two (later confirmed) kills against Iranian F-5 Freedom Fighters in 1980. Later a Captain, he qualified on the MiG-25P in 1981 and claimed 5 more victories (3 verified by western sources). Most of his victories were F-4 Phantoms. Having flown the MiG-25 was evidence of his considerable skill, as Soviet Union "advisers" were stationed in Iraq specifically to limit access to this advanced jet, and only the best pilots flew them. Exhumating the Dead Iraqi Air Force: Short History of MiG-25 in service with the Iraqi Air Force, since 1980, by Tom Cooper, Air Combat Information Group, Sept. 25, 2003 Iraqi Air-to-Air Victories since 1967
In 1986, having attained the rank of Colonel, Rayyan was shot down and killed by Iranian Air Force (IRIAF) Grumman F-14 Tomcats.
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