Iran test flies Home-grown figter jet

[Shahin-e-Iqbal]

What is this!


Iran produces ‘own F-18’


Tehran’s ‘Thunder’ manufactured domestically, ‘should outperform’ US equivalent.


TEHRAN - Iran on Wednesday said it has developed a new warplane named "Thunder," which it described as similar to the American F-18 fighter jet.


The fighter jet is "similar to the F-18 fighter jet, but it is more capable and has been manufactured domestically," the commander of the Iranian army General Attollah Salehi was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA.


Iranian state television reported that the jet "is able to fire rockets and also to drop bombs and is equipped with an advanced radar system.


"The fighter jet Saegheh (Thunder), after successful military operations and accurately firing air-to-surface rockets in the Zolfaghar Blow maneuvers, came into the service of the Iranian air force today," the report said.


The air force, army and navy have been showing off their capabilities and new hardware for the last month in the Zolfaghar Blow war games, which come amid mounting international concern over Tehran's nuclear programme.


The report added "the plane, which has flown dozens of experimental flights during the last year, joined the air force with full fighting capacity."


Salehi told IRNA the jet was "designed, remodeled, optimized and made more capable by our engineers," and added that "no country has aided us in its production."

On Wednesday Iran also announced it has developed a 2,000 pound guided bomb named Ghased, or "Messenger," aimed at enhancing its defensive capabilities.


"Within the framework of enhancing our defense capabilities and in accordance with our deterrent principles, we have designed and manufactured a 2,000 pound (900-kilogram) guided bomb," Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.


A guided bomb typically uses laser technology to more accurately hit its target and is a weapon commonly used by the world's air forces.


US President George W. Bush on Tuesday called Iran's leaders "tyrants" as dangerous as Al-Qaeda terrorists and said they must not be allowed to get nuclear weapons -- "the tools of mass murder."


Tehran has insisted that it seeks only civilian nuclear power, but is facing a US drive for sanctions on the UN Security Council after missing a deadline ordering it to halt sensitive uranium enrichment operations.

 

[EagleEyes]

It would be nice to see a picture of it. I dont really think it is good as F-18, hell i dont even think it would be good as FC-1, but i would certainly like to say good luck to them!

Moving to the correct forum.

Cheers.

 

[Averroes]

What source are you using?

F-18 is inaccurate. They've never come in contact with F-18s.

They redesigned an F-5 which they've tested.

Iran test flies warplane it remodelled - reports

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has remodelled one of the warplanes in its fleet and successfully test flown the aircraft, state-run media reported on Wednesday.

The reports did not specify which plane had been remodelled but pictures on state television of the re-designed plane indicated it was based on a U.S.-built F-5.

Iran still uses planes, such as the F-5, supplied by the United States to the government of the former shah of Iran, who was a close U.S. ally. Mohammad Reza Shah was toppled in the 1979 Islamic revolution, after which Washington severed ties with Iran.

The remodelled plane is called the Saeqeh, or Thunderbolt. Iran has a home-built missile in its arsenal with the same name.

Iran often says it has built new arms or upgraded weapons but rarely gives enough details for analysts to determine their capabilities. Although much of Iran's weaponry is outmoded, analysts say Iran has become proficient at modifying such arms.

"For the first time, the Saeqeh fighter plane carried out a mission to bomb virtual enemy targets on Wednesday in northwest of Iran," Ataollah Salehi, commander-in-chief of Iran's regular army, told the official IRNA news agency.

Television pictures on Wednesday showed the Saeqeh flying alongside an F-5. The main difference appeared to be that the Saeqeh had two tail fins as opposed to the single fin on the F-5.

In a separate report, Iran's student news agency ISNA quoted Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar as saying Iran had designed a 2,000-pound guided bomb called Qased (Messenger), which would be tested in the next few days.

"By producing guided ammunition, the Islamic Republic of Iran has joined the limited number of countries who possess the technology of smart and guided weaponry," he said.

Iran has been staging land, sea and air war games since Aug. 19. Some of the manoeuvres have taken place in the Gulf, a key oil shipping route, and analysts say Iran wants to show it could act, if pushed, over its nuclear stand-off with the West.

Copyright © 2005 Reuters

Source

 

[EagleEyes]

Enjoy

 

[EagleEyes]

 

[Neo]

Its basically a reverse engeneerd F-5.
Looks sexy though!

 

[Averroes]

It looks darn hot!

Iran is not a technologically starved country, they have very capable engineers and delevoping technological industry so the difference between this version and the old F-5 will be immense.

but isn't F-5 obsolete ? these new versions would probably come in handy in defending ground, but not air, or what do you think brothers?

 

[Averroes]

Saeqeh fighter plane tested in wargame

03:30:37 È.Ù
Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Army Ayatollah Salehi said on Wednesday that the `Saeqeh' fighter plane was one of those tested in the ongoing `Stroke of Zolfaqar' wargames in northwestern Iran.

"For the first time, the Saeqeh, or thunderbolt, fighter plane carried out a mission to bomb virtual enemy targets on Wednesday in northwest of Iran," the commander told reporters.

He added that the plane, was designed and improved by Iranian experts at the army's Sattari Air Base.

Salehi added that Iran had not received outside help to modify the plane. He noted that the technology needed for manufacturing Saeqeh fighters was modified by Iranian experts.

The 'Stroke of Zolfaqar' wargames were carrying out in land, sea and air in different parts of Iran since August 19.

IRIB

 

[glyn]

It looks like a case of 'new wine in an old bottle' as the design dates from the mid 1950s. It was the Northrop N-156T later to be called the F-5 lightweight (and low cost) twin-engined fighter meant for foreign sales to those countries unable to afford the all-singing, all-dancing types that the USAF was introducing. As a trial, 12 were sent to Vietnam in 1965 and gained a good record of over 4,000 combat hours and over 3,500 sorties for the loss of 2 aircraft. A total of over 1,100 A and B models were built with the last delivered in June 1972. The E and F upgraded and refined models were known as Tiger IIs followed the earlier types into production. Some were procured by the USAF and used by the 'Aggressor' squadrons for dis-similar combat training as they were smaller and more nimble than the other fighters in US service, but the vast majority were for export, with over 1,500 produced before the line closed in 1986.
Northrop also built 3 prototypes of the F-20 Tigershark which effectively was the F-5 airframe altered to take a single but much more powerful engine, but no production took place of that model. Chuck Yeager claimed it was his all-time favourite aircraft.
This Iranian version appears to have upgraded engines compared with the F-5 series as well as the twin fins. It remains to be seen how capable it is in todays skies, but it is based on a classic and successful design.

 

[master_fx]

as good as f-18????? ROFLMAO...
anyway to me it just a f-5 added with an extra fin at the back........ as for the radar..... sigh* (i did be surprised if they managed to reverse engineer Hughes AN/APG-71 radar which is on their f-14 for so many years..)

 

[Thunder]

Even if it is a reverse engiennered plane it very wel shows that the iranians are capabale of doing things them selves. Very well. And i would like to learn about this 2,000gudied bomb named massenager of theirs. <--- Man i love the name of this bomb. We should name one of our missiles the same. tHe mAsSeNaGeR

 

[Srirangan]

^^ If I were Uncle Sam, I won't be losing much sleep over that. Target practice.

But I guess this can be the next 'mig-21' with regard to export/sales value, if Iran plans to market it.

Cuba would buy it for sure ..

 

[melb4aust]

I think they have'nt done anything special regarding to Aircraft. There are some positive aspects like develping something ur own by not relying on others as so many other countries do.

The aircarft itself cant match F-18 honestly. F-18 has a long history behind it and has proven many times in different wars. And alot more depends on the avionics. They have'nt mention them yet. Plus stealth, Super hornet has so many different stealthy features, advance radar, latest counter measure systems and many more. For me its just an advance F-5, 3rd generation plane nothing more.

 

[Averroes]

The only thing that they can tout with is that at least they've mastered 3rd generation plane. They're getting FC-1 with ToT so they're steadily working on acquiring the technical know how. So a few years they'll begin on 4th gen tech. It's an excellent achievement, and we all have to start somewhere.

- video of Saeqeh

 

[TexasJohn]

I see an F-5 with conformal tanks and a twin tail. That's it. As far as them getting to 4th gen. hmmmmm..... as they say down in Missouri, " I'm from Missouri - show me"