HESA Azarakhsh
The Azarakhsh Persian: آذرخش, lightning) is Iran's first domestically manufactured[1] combat jet fighter.
Background
In April 1997 Iranian Brigadier General Arasteh, a deputy head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces declared that Iran had successfully designed, constructed, and tested its first fighter aircraft. By late 1997 Iran had begun mass producing the aircraft, and by mid-2000, four aircraft were said to be undergoing operational tests, with production proceeding at a rate of around ten aircraft per year.
A great deal of the aircraft is believed to be derived from the reverse engineered components of US fighter planes. Notable among these might be the F-14 Tomcat, the F-5 Freedom Fighter, and the F-4 Phantom II. Numerous enhancements and upgrades were also built into the design from an early stage[citation needed].
Iran has yet to release any additional information about the aircraft and its capabilities are unknown. It is believed to be essentially a modified F-5[2], and claimed to be larger by about 10%-15%. The Azarakhsh is also said to use an upgraded version of N-019 Topaz (N-019ME) radar.
On the 17th of May 2000, Iran's acting commander of the Air Force said that Azarakhsh had reached mass-production stage.[3] and its now in full production[citation needed].
On Aug 8, 2007, Azarakhsh was showed off for the first time in a test flight. [4] Azarakhsh has been manufactured in cooperation with the Army, Defense Ministry and HESA aircarft manufacturing industries in the central province of Isfahan, said Ministry of Defense Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar in a talk to journalists. [5]
The first photo given to journalists reveals considerable differences from the F-5. Completely new wings, a longer body, different tail-planes are among these differences.
Related content
Related development: F-5 Freedom Fighter
Comparable aircraft:
See also
- Military of Iran
- Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
- List of Iranian Air Force aircraft
- Iranian military industry
- Current Equipment of the Iranian Army
References
- ^ [1]Tel Aviv University Publication, Analysis by the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies
- ^ GlobalSecurity.org Azarakhsh (Lightning)
- ^ Pavyand.comPayvand's Iran News
- ^ [2]IRNA
- ^ [3]IRNA
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