If cost efficiency, ease of maintenance, take off and landing on short runways, manoeuvrability, combat capabilities in high and low altitudes, ground attack capabilities in very low altitudes, efficiency of weapons carried, and stealth characteristics, than as a big surprise it will be the Iranian Qaher-313 as it was described, nonetheless it is a stealth warplane with regional needs in mind, it can fit many budgets for a capable small fighter if it is for sale of course.
In my opinion it is a very good example of an overall optimisation with a low budget.
Of course the F-22, F-35, Pak-fa and the Chinese ones are better in some ways, but who can afford these 100$ million/unit warplanes apart from these giant economies, and eventhough to the detriment of these economies, maybe it is not too much for the USA to spend 10 billion $ to build a hundred of these, but it is still a big burden, apart from the apparent technological shortcomings and the billions needed to correct them if that is possible at all.
The other shortcomings of the F-22 and the likes are in the new radar detecting technologies, which is a challenge by itself.
So no one should fool you by saying that the F-22 is fully stealth, it has certainly to rely on its radar for very short lapses of time or intermittently, be it AESA or else to detect other warplanes from long range, but that does not compare to an AESA or other radars with 2000 or 3000 km range that can detect those intermittent pulses and thus find the position of the emitting F-22 or F-35. So the loss of a 100 million$ warplane is certainly a burden and a big risk, not to mention the best of the best pilots who fly them. The Americans justify the cost by the total protection of these pilots which is a lie in my opinion, because in war these guys along with their flying machines will be a much sought after prize, either to kill or have as POW s.
In the Iranian case, The same passive mode will be applied in the first phase for the fighter airplane as the F-22 and the likes, Also, it will certainly rely on other means of telecommunications with the ground radars and some advanced drones as relays in the air, plus satellites and GPS of course, even a public one with some advanced cryptographic security. The F-22 will rely on AWACS, GPS and satellites obviously to detect other warplanes and find their position if it does not use its own radar passively or actively, So the Qaher-313 compares to the F-22 in these matters, although the technologies might be different qualitatively, the same aim will be achieved quantitatively. and The Qaher-313 will have an edge if its cost is very effective, let us say 10 million$/unit or less, considering the light materials that will be used in its fuselage and for its light general weight.
Please do not get me wrong, because the one they have presented was just a proof of concept, a mock up, and that costs about 200 thousand dollars to make with available on the market avionics and no engine, So for 5 or 6 million $ you can imagine what the Iranians can put in it, and that is the least to say given the advanced technologies they have at hand and can produce locally.
So all in all, for a regionally restricted conflict, the Qaher-313 will have a quantitative advantage over any other stealth aircraft, while the F-22 and the likes from Russia and China will have a qualitative advantage. Note that in the case of Iran's F-313 the qualitative advantages of the F-22 can be offset by using nearly the same technologies for detection and communication, both in BVR or VR ranges; In BVR by fixed or mobile AESA radars and hight altitude drones and in VR or short range, by it stealth characteristics, its passive radar, its agility and the near to VR short range Air To Air missiles where it will mostly operate.
If one wants to speculate with reality in mind , if the F-313 can carry 2 bombs of 2000 pounds internally, it can also carry some Phoenix missiles instead, and we all know how deadly they are in long range and that Iran manufactures them locally.
How about that...
And please restrain to answer with old rethorics and zionist childish evaluations that the design is flawed (which is the case of the F-22 and F-33; they have been grounded many times because of it), and that it can not fly and the air ducts thing and so on...
Just keep in mind that it is a true and real new stealth fighter proven by science and technology, just compare the design to the so called blue bird or the X-36 and you will have the proof that it is a potent and very efficient design.
