HESA Azarakhsh

HESA Azarakhsh (Persian آذرخش = Lightning ) is the first designed and manufactured in Iran warplane. It has been produced since 1997. However, it is believed that so far only six copies actually are at the service of the Iranian Air Force.

History

For a long time were the world has no information that Iran is independently produced combat aircraft. In April 1997, but left the Iranian chief of staff, announced that his country had successfully developed and tested its first fighter jet.

According to reports, the aircraft is produced (ten pieces per year) since 1999 in series. In 2001, however, there were only six of them in the inventory of the Iranian Air Force.

A successful test flight was reported by the news agency Fars News Agency in August 2007. In the same year, the Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said the aircraft befände now in the status of " industrial production " and the "mass production" would start in the future. At the same time he advertised that at a building on the Azarakhsh successor to the 5th generation ( HESA Saeqeh ) will work.

Construction

The HESA Azarakhsh has significant design features of the U.S. type Northrop F- 5, which is available in versions E and F in Iranian service. It is believed that the Iranian aircraft, a modified F-5E / F is basically using well also characteristics of other standing in the possession of Iran western types ( Grumman F -14 and McDonnell F -4) have been incorporated. The Azarakhsh is known to have 10-15 % greater than the Northrop F- fifth

It is believed that the Azarakhsh is equipped with an Iranian -made, based on the Russian type Phazotron N019 Topaz radar and Russian avionics components.

Technical data and performance

Since the development of the aircraft subject to date of secrecy There are no reliable data on its performance. The is seised with the global security policy organization Globalsecurity.org ranks the performance of the Azarakhsh in the same category as that of the Northrop F-5E / F. Iranian sources, however, compare the type of aircraft optimistic with the American F/A-18 Hornet.