If tomorrow is war
Relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the West (primarily the United States) have never been good. Recall that the 1979 revolution overthrew the secular Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, abolished the monarchy and established the power of Ayatollah Khomeini. An attempt by the United States to somehow influence the situation, to put it mildly, had no effect. Moreover, the ally of the Americans in the person of the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, on whom great hopes were pinned, at some stage began to play "his own game." However, this is a long history, full of all sorts of contradictions. Another thing is important.
What does Iran have (or may appear), start a real conflict? You can talk endlessly about thousands of boats, boats, ATGMs and other things that could be used, for example, to combat piracy (but not in a real war with a real enemy). First of all, of course, we are talking about fighters. The logic is simple. If the United States gains dominance in the skies, then it will be a matter of time before the suppression of air defenses. And after that, the destruction of ground objects will follow, as was the case with Iraq in 1991. Therefore, Iran tried to create its own combat aircraft. How did he do it?
Azarakhsh
For many years, the basis of the Iranian Air Force was (and partially continues to be) the American F-14 Tomcat and the Soviet MiG-29. Theoretically, the Iranians can find several dozen combat-ready vehicles, but the planes are old, they need to be changed for something. Back in 1986, Iran began developing its own fighter. Created by Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) Azarakhsh ("Lightning") began testing in April 1997, at the same time the machine performed its maiden flight.
It is known that in September 1997, the plane carried out bombing, dropping two napalm tanks weighing 113 kilograms each. In general, its combat load is declared in the region of 3200 kilograms (other data indicate, however,), which are located on seven hardpoints. There is one 20mm cannon.
Most importantly, we have before us nothing more than a version of the American Northrop F-5, which made its first flight in 1959. The aerodynamic layouts of the aircraft are very, very close: however, Azarakhsh is somewhat larger than its overseas "brother".
The main problem is that we still cannot speak with confidence about the capabilities of the new aircraft and the number of Azarakhsh produced (a number of sources speak of several dozen aircraft produced). Earlier, as the basis of the power plant for this machine, the media called two Russian RD-33s - the same as on the MiG-29. The N019ME "Topaz" was indicated as the radar, as on the MiG-29SD, with the ability to work more or less effectively against ground targets. That is, according to the idea of the Iranians, there should have been something in between the F-5 and the MiG-29: clearly not what you expect from an aircraft of the XXI century.
Saeqeh
Having made its first flight in 2004, Saeqeh was, without a doubt, a development of the ideas laid down in Azarakhsh. In a broad sense, this is a single-seat version of this machine, which has an excellent tail unit. The tail section no longer looks like the Northrop F-5, but is similar to the much more modern McDonnell Douglas F / A-18 Hornet. However, we repeat, do not deceive yourself: this is not the Hornet, but the modernized F-5. With all the ensuing consequences. In general, the definition of a "light fighter" was well suited to the "American": relatively economical, with a small combat radius and a limited load. As of the 50s, it was conceptually a very successful aircraft. Now its modernization potential has been exhausted.
What is known specifically about Saeqeh? The first squadron of these machines was accepted into the Iranian Air Force in 2009, and the total number of aircraft built is estimated at several dozen (that is, the situation is close to that in the case of Azarakhsh). The Saeqeh is believed to have 7 hardpoints: 2 at the wingtips, 4 under the wing and 1 under the fuselage. Other characteristics can be found in open sources (this applies to both Saeqeh and Azarakhsh), but how true they are is difficult to say. In fact, in many cases they are purely speculative in nature and require confirmation.
Kowsar
A much less famous aircraft, but it was he who was supposed to give the aircraft industry of the Islamic Republic a full start in life. Recall that Kowsar was presented as a purely "national" development. It was presented in August 2018, and in November it became known about the start of serial production. "Soon, the required number of such aircraft will be produced and transferred to the Air Force," said then Minister of Defense Amir Khatami.
The car must exist in both single and double versions. The aircraft has a "multipurpose radar and computerized ballistic calculation system."
As you might expect, Israeli experts were skeptical about the new product, saying that we have the same … Northrop F-5. In the West, they were more restrained. “While the Kowsar presented today looks similar to the F-5F, it is not identical to those (fighters, - Military Review) received from the United States. For example, the photographs show a more modern digital cockpit display and ejection seats based on the Russian K-36,”Joseph Dempsey, a specialist at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), told The Defense Post.
According to Justin Bronk, a researcher at the Royal United Defense Research Institute (RUSI), Kowsar is very limited in terms of radar capabilities and combat radius. We have no particular reason to doubt the correctness of these judgments, although, of course, every country may have a hidden ace up its sleeve.
Qaher-313
Introduced in 2013, the Iranian "invisible" fighter can rightfully be considered the strangest "stealth" (if, of course, this wording is generally appropriate here). Recall that for a long time no one heard about a small one-seater car, outwardly unlike anything else. However, in 2017, taxiing tests of this aircraft, developed by the Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO), began.
For the fighter they chose an integral layout and a "canard" aerodynamic scheme. It has a normal swept wing with wingtips deflected by 60–65 degrees downward and keels “broken” in different directions, which partly makes it similar to Saeqeh (but not Azarakhsh). But this relationship, of course, is conditional, as with the Northrop F-5 - except that we can talk about the composition of the avionics, which, however, is also doubtful. The plane can only be compared with its earlier version - that is, 2013. As you can see, instead of one nozzle, it has two. They are recessed into the fuselage and placed inside special pipes, which (in theory) can serve to reduce the IR signature.
Needless to say, the West called the plane "paper", adding, however, that in theory it can be used to combat helicopters. Experts drew attention to the shape of the fuselage, strange from the point of view of aerodynamics, as well as the very small size of the air intakes. But the Iranians seem to be full of optimism: at least, this follows from the official statements. “This is an American analysis. We can safely say that the Qaher, designed and built for two to three million dollars, is intended to protect the Persian Gulf,”said Iranian Brigadier General Majid Bokey. “Of course, the Qaher is unique in its ability to fly at low altitudes, and this is an ability that no other similar aircraft in the world has,” said Hassan Parvaneh, Qaher-313 project manager in 2013.
As you can see, the situation with Iranian fighters is ambiguous. In fact, the country was never able to create its own aircraft, which is logical given international isolation and sanctions, which will now become even stronger. Buying weapons abroad in such circumstances could be the only real way out, but this again requires good relations with other countries, a lot of money and time, which Iran may not have.
