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IAIO Qaher-313

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Qaher-313
Role Stealth fighter
National origin Iran
Introduction 1 February 2013
Status Under development (2013)

The Qaher-313 (Persian: قاهر-۳۱۳; also Ghaher-313, Conqueror (Tamer)-313, Q-313, F-313) is an Iranian single-seat stealth fighter aircraft publicly announced on 1 February 2013.[1] It was presented to the press by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi on 2 February 2013, as part of the Ten-Day Dawn ceremonies.[2][3][4][5][6]

Design and development

According to Iranian government sources, the F-313 Qaher was designed and is indigenously produced in Iran by the Aviation Industries Organization (AIO); a division of the Ministry of Defense, and IRIAF. The project manager is Hassan Parvaneh.[7][8]

The aircraft design is a canard configuration. It is stated to be a stealth fighter built with advanced materials with a very low radar signature[9] and with low-altitude operations capability.[10] It was also claimed that the Qaher can take off and land on short runways and has "easy maintenance".[11] Qaher has a payload capacity of carrying two 2000 pound bombs, or greater number of smaller smart guided missiles, or at least 6 air-to-air missiles in the category of R-17 or PL-12.[12]

Flightglobal.com noted that the Qaher-313 vaguely resembles the Boeing Bird of Prey prototype, but with a more faceted design similar to the 1970s-era Lockheed Have Blue that was developed into the now retired F-117 Nighthawk. Flight Global also said, "given the apparent small size of the aircraft and its single engine design, the Qaher 313 could be powered by reverse engineered variants of the General Electric J85 turbojet that Iran is known to have in its possession." Iran has General Electric J85s as a result of old Northrop F-5s in its inventory from pre-1979.[8]

Unlike all recent fighter aircraft, the 313 is designed with extra stability and so does not need a fly by wire system.[13]

A prototype version of the Qaher-313 was been portrayed to have test-flown at some point before the presentation.[14] According to the head of the design team, two sub-sized models have been created and tested. One of the models uses a propeller engine while the other uses a small micro jet engine.[15] The models were shown in a video clip (along with descriptions by the head of the design team) the same day.[16] According to Haaretz, the "blurry video published by the Iranians purporting to show the Qaher 313 in flight seems to show not a manned fighter jet but a small radio-operated drone."[6]

Doubts of viability of aircraft

There is no independent verification of the status of development of this aircraft and various commentators, some have even claimed that the aircraft is a "hoax". Media sources outside of Iran have raised the possibility that the demonstrated aircraft would not be able to meet stated performance and/or that it may be a scale prototype or mockup,[3][6][17][18] with Cyrus Amini of BBC News noting that the aircraft "looks like a cheap copy of the American F22".[9]. Iran does not release technical details on its arsenals, so many of its claims about the aircraft are impossible to verify.[4]

Israeli experts doubt the Iranian claims, saying the fighter presented was nothing more than a "very sleek plastic model." They note that the canopy appears to be constructed of "basic plastic," and its engine air intakes are unusually small. They say it gives the impression of plastic parts pasted to an old flying platform. The cockpit and ejection seat seem real, but the Qaher-313 displayed seemed too small to be a capable fighter. Video footage showing the plane airborne could have been a radio-controlled model aircraft. Poor-quality footage posted on the internet provided no sense of scale for the platform being flown, and also failed to show its take-off or landing. Its stealth factors are also called into question, having no visible weapons carrying capability, either internally or externally.[19][20]

The Times of Israel labelled the aircraft "a hoax". Israeli aeronautics expert Tal Inbar said, "It’s not a plane, because that’s not how a real plane looks. Iran doesn’t have the ability to build planes. Plain and simple." Aviation expert David Cenciotti stated that the aircraft has "implausible aerodynamics and Hollywood sheen", noted that it is too small to be a real fighter jet and that the cockpit was too simple and was "similar to those equipping small private planes."[20]

One Israeli aerospace engineer speaking anonymously to The Times of Israel indicated that while the aircraft displayed was obviously not a flying example, it did show advanced stealth features and that the design could be capable of high maneuverability. He stated that while the aircraft lacked bomb-carrying provisions it could be an effective interceptor. He concluded, Iran needs "a defensive interceptor that gives them the element of surprise, and it is big enough to carry real air-to-air missiles."[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Iran to unveil new indigenous fighter jet". Iran: PressTV. 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  2. ^ "Iran president unveils Qaher-313 indigenous fighter jet". Iran: PressTV. 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  3. ^ a b "Iran unveils new indigenous stealth fighter "Qaher 313″. And here's a detailed analysis". The Aviationist. 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  4. ^ a b "Ahmadinejad unveils Iran's newest fighter jet". Google News. AP. 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  5. ^ "Iran unveils futuristic-looking warplane". Philippine Daily Inquirer. AFP. 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  6. ^ a b c "Turkey: U.S. Embassy bomber was convicted of terrorism in 1997". Haaretz. Reuters, Associated Press. 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2013-02-02. A closer look at the example presented to the regime's leaders, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi, looks like little more than a glorified mock-up that seems to have been built with leftover props from a cheap science-fiction flick. [...] The blurry video published by the Iranians purporting to show the Qaher 313 in flight seems to show not a manned fighter jet but a small radio-operated drone.
  7. ^ "Iran unveils advanced fighter jet F-313" (slideshow). The Economic Times (India). 2013-02-02. p. 6. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  8. ^ a b Majumdar, Dave (2013-02-03). "Iran reveals new Qaher 313 stealth fighter". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  9. ^ a b Cyrus Amini (2013-02-02). "Qaher F313: Iran unveils home-made 'stealth' fighter" (report with video). BBC Persian. BBC News Online. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  10. ^ "Iran unveils domestically built fighter jet". Emirates 24/7. AFP. 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  11. ^ "Iran's super advanced Qaher-313 can evade radars: Defense minister". Iran: PressTV. 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  12. ^ http://www.mehrnews.com/en/newsdetail.aspx?NewsID=1808201
  13. ^ "Iran Is Desperately Defending Its Non-Flying 'Stealth Jet'."
  14. ^ Amadinejad Ahmadinejad unveiled Iran's new fighter jet "Ghaher 313" (video) (in Persian). YouTube. 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2013-02-02. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |works= ignored (help)
  15. ^ "مراسم إزاحة الستار غن المقاتلة الايرانية " قاهر 313" (video). TV14VIP (in Arabic). Tehran: YouTube. 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2013-02-02. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "Qaher-313 (Persian)" (video). Jovan Vukovic (in Persian). Tehran: YouTube. 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  17. ^ Anshel Pfeffer (2013-02-02). "המפציץ החמקן האיראני – כנראה מטוס דמה שלא מסוגל לטוס" (in Hebrew). Haaretz. Retrieved 2013-02-02. השאלה הרצינית היחידה שמעלה הצגת המטוס, שכמעט בוודאות מעולם לא הופיע על שולחן השרטוט של מהנדס אווירונאוטי, אבל ללא ספק דרש אלפי שעות הפקה של אנשי התעמולה של המשטר, הוא על מי האיראנים מנסים לעבוד? [The only serious question raised by the display of the plane, that almost certainly never appeared on the drawing board of an aeronautical engineer, but certainly demanded thousands of production hours of the regime's propaganda, is who are the Iranians trying to deceive?] {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)Google translation
  18. ^ "Iranian technology: Domestic triumph or monkey business?" (in Hebrew). Israel HaYom. 2013-02-03. Retrieved 2013-02-03. Officials in Israel's defense establishment cast doubt on the capabilities of the F-313. "Without knowing too much, it looks like the plane has many flaws. Developing a fighter jet is not a simple task. It's quite unlikely that this plane will be a cause of concern for the Israeli Air Force..."
  19. ^ Egozi, Arie (2013-02-04). "Israeli experts dismiss Iran's Qaher fighter claims". Tel Aviv: Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  20. ^ a b c Ben Zion, Ilan (2013-02-03). "Iran's cutting-edge fighter a hoax, critics claim". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
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