(The following is a guest post from our friends at International Buisness Times.)
Iran unveiled a new home-made combat aircraft Saturday, which military officials say can evade radar.
The single-seat Qaher F-313, or Conqueror-313, is the latest design produced by the Islamic Republic, which began developing its own military equipment in the 1980s due to a Western embargo on military technology and equipment.
Addressing a ceremony to unveil the new aircraft, which coincided with the 34th anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution that overthrew U.S.-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran’s armed forces are not meant for “expansionism and aggression against other countries” and are “deterrent” by nature, Iran's state-run Press TV reported.
Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said Saturday that the aircraft had a “very low radar cross section” and was capable of operating at low altitudes, Press TV report stated.
He added that the aircraft was capable of carrying advanced armaments and could take off and land on short runways.
Press TV said the Qaher was similar to the U.S.-made F/A-18, an advanced fighter introduced in the 1980s and capable of carrying out reconnaissance and strike missions, as well as air-to-air combat, by day or night and in all weather conditions.
Those claims are impossible to verify independently, and the model unveiled on Saturday might have been an unflyable mock-up without engines.*
Amrutha Gayathri is a reporter for International Buisness Times, where this piece first appeared.
Editor's Note: The text has been updated from the previous version.
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vahid
Hi,in near future everybody will see this aircrant in the iran sky.that time they'll belive Iran's power.
Long live Iran
Iran is your friend,all of iranian people live all the other countries people,because we are muslim.
Islam is the peaceful.
oli
Do you apply the paint before you glue the thing together or after!
David
The only thing that bewilders me if they make these aircrafts themselves why is all the writing in english. Catering to western consumption I am sure.
tibaije
surprise……surprise…according to iranian leaders that was what the us/israel would get if they attacked iran. it seemed that this was one of the surprises. can assume it already existed at that time functioning and had sufficient number in quantity
justa guy
yes, they have plenty of fake airplanes. The world trembles.
Andy in Oz
Until I actually see the flight tests or at least a ground taxi test I am calling this a mock up. Compared with other comparable jets (F-22, F-35, T-50) it is a go cart compared to an F1 car. You just have to look for starters at the lack of undercarriage space and the fact the 'pilot' has his knees up around his ears to suspect all is not as it seems.
QUDS1
This aircraft is impressive: First, it a 2/3 scale model so its RCS is 2/3 the size. How's that for low obervablity! Also it can attack ground targets by self immolation by sucking pieces of its plastic intakes through its engine showering hot bits of model glue and plastic on the ememy!
John Riva
LMAO! Bravo!