Iran Unveils New Fighter

[ORAC]

TEHRAN, Iran, September 06, 2006- Iran unveiled its first locally manufactured fighter plane Wednesday during large-scale military exercises, state-run television reported. The report said the bomber Saegheh (Thunder) is similar to the American F-18 fighter plane, but "more powerful." It also said the plane was "designed, optimized and improved by Iranian experts."

State TV said the Iranian air force had commissioned the Saegheh plane after many test flights in the past year. Television footage showed the airplane taking off and launching two rockets. The plane had a small cockpit and only one pilot. ....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.

.....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.

[scroggs]

Looks like an F-5 with twin tails. They had F-5s from the USA in the Shah's days. It wouldn't be the first Iranian re-manufacture of the F-5 - see here.

[Conan the Librarian]

Similar to the F-18, bit more powerful, eh? Those intakes and nozzles look very F-5 ish to me, along with pretty much the rest of it. I think they still manufacture an optimised and improved version of the old Hillman Hunter as well, if memory serves right.

Conan

[Mr Blake]

Looks like a hybrid with a bit of F15 thrown in with the tailplane. Interesting to see it dogfighting with the Typhoon in a couple of years during the planned WW3.

[ORAC]

Questions.

Are they producing them from scratch or recycling old F-5 fuselage parts?

Are they producing the engines, or using Russian or Chinese engines?

Who is manufacturing the radar? Must be small, Mirage 3/Mig-21 size for the radome.

Guided bomb, GPS, laser or CLOS guidance?

[sense1]

Originally Posted by Mr Blake

Looks like a hybrid with a bit of F15 thrown in with the tailplane. Interesting to see it dogfighting with the Typhoon in a couple of years during the planned WW3.

I wonder how much it cost them to put this jet into service?! I bet you could buy a few of them for every Typhoon! Difference is Typhoon wll whip its ass!

[Mr Blake]

Originally Posted by sense1

I wonder how much it cost them to put this jet into service?! I bet you could buy a few of them for every Typhoon! Difference is Typhoon wll whip its ass!

Well perhaps. Difficult to say not knowing the full capabilities of this new Irani or should that be armani wonder jet. If it lives up to the undoubted hype that will be spouted from the Iran goverment, then we may have a contest. It will be interesting to see it perform against exsisting Irani air power such as the impressive mig 29 etc....

[High_lander]

I wonder how the F-14 fleet is nowaday in Iran

[Gainesy]

Looks like a tarted-up F-5, first thoughts are short legs and naff radar. Any other pics ORAC?

[Data-Lynx]

Media Appreciation of Aircraft

There are other phots but they indicate the same journo confusion, this time from Iran, that has been covered elsewhere in PPRuNe. Try the images from Iran News and IRNA.
Also try

Grateful for a check on translation because I thought Saeqeh is 'Lightning' whereas the Iranian-made Saegheh (thunderbolt) missile, which has a range of 80-250 km, was test-fired on 20 Aug 06, while another missile, Sagheb (Piercing), was reputed to have been launched from an Iranian submarine on 27 Aug 06 during wargames in the Gulf.

[rusty_y2k2]

Isn't Saegheh an Iranian-developed missile?

Edit - Just seen above post, and googled it - It is indeed a surface to surface missile.

Some more info and pics about the plane here http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread170323/pg1

The Shafaq looks to be a more interesting plane than this one though in my opinion.

[QFIhawkman]

Interesting close up of the model on abovetopsecret.com.

It definately is an F-5 with 2 tails! Hardly high tech...

Strap me an Aden on, even I'll have a crack!

(And given the pace of events there, I wouldn't rule that out!)

[SASless]

The upgraded F-5 known as the F-20 outperformed the F-16 in some aspects...thus as a dog fighter....this thing might bear a second look before being discarded out of hand.


http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/f5_51.html

[ShyTorque]

Originally Posted by Conan the Librarian

I think they still manufacture an optimised and improved version of the old Hillman Hunter as well, if memory serves right.
Conan

Come off it, it wasn't possible to optimise a car like the Hillman Hunter! Mind you, the one I owned had a Borg-Warner FOUR speed automatic gearbox. Phenomenal performance..... 24 mpg at 75 mph and flat out at 85!

I think it was the unoptomatic version

[Bing]

As a fairly simple bloke, what is the advatage of putting two tails on an F-5. It seems to have worked perfectly well with just one for the last few decades and as it appears to be the only external modification I can't think of a good reason. Unless you want to fly really straight.

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!]

similar to the American F-18 fighter plane, but "more powerful."

that's because it's nuclear powered




right, I'm off to play with my piercing missile now

[ORAC]

what is the advatage of putting two tails on an F-5

Excellent article posted here which seems to answer a lot of questions. Iranian Fighter Projects: An Assessment

Just doesn´t really answer the question as too which photo is right and which aircraft was "unveiled", the Sa’eqeh or the F/B-44 “Iranian Lion”.

[Green Meat]

Hmm, does look pretty much like an F20 with an extra fin!

Remember, though, F5s repeatedly kicked the backsides of USN fighter jockies a la Top Gun, USAF Aggressor squadrons et cetera - wonder what the state of Iranian pilot training is? Do you think they've gone contractorised?

[brickhistory]

Originally Posted by Green Meat

Hmm, does look pretty much like an F20 with an extra fin!
Remember, though, F5s repeatedly kicked the backsides of USN fighter jockies a la Top Gun, USAF Aggressor squadrons et cetera - wonder what the state of Iranian pilot training is? Do you think they've gone contractorised?

Of course, the F-20 did have the honking big F404 engine and not the dog whistles of the F-5.

And for F-5s v more capable fighter, you're right and wrong. Performance wise, unless in close, nope, not a chance against anything more modern than the F-4. It was selected for the role because it was the closest thing we had to a MiG-21. Small, hard to see and could turn better. When crewed by the more experienced pilots of the various Aggressor squadons, it did its job well and taught the more junior pilots/crews to not fight on the MiG-21's terms but rather use the speed and vertical plane to tangle.

During the first parts of RED FLAGS or roadshows where the Aggressors came to Base X, the F-5s did well. Once the learning curve occurred, the F-5s usually got waxed.

As always, it comes down to the meat servo operating the jet, not just the jet. Or so I've been told.

[Gainesy]

Better pic