Iran-unveils-first-homegrown-fighter-jet

Whist we are discussing just want to say it is worth reading the latest edition of Air International, it has a fascinating article by Babak Taghvaee about Irans attempts to maintain and upgrade the F-14A.

A few things I was surprised to discover including how much spares the Iranians were able to source for the type in recent years even with US attempts to destroy anything related to the F-14 to stop them getting to Iran. That does raise a suspicion in my mind that on occasion the US has actual used F-14 spares as a negotiating tactic via middle men when it wants Iran to do something like release some US citizens etc…

Another surprise is Irans plans to keep the type going until 2040, I am a bit sceptical but if they manage it those Airframes will end up as the longest serving fighter jets in the world!

There was also interesting details about the continuing serviceability of the AIM7 Sparrow with the Iranian armed forces and the adoption of a MIM23 variant in an AIM54 style airframe on their upgraded F-14AM with further plans to develop an active seeker.

o, Sintra; there is still a five years long embargo on importation of weapons that are not strictly defensive ones and an eight years long one on the import of balistic missiles.

You are indeed correct, thanks

Sanctions? Foreign currency?
The sanctions were lifted in January 2016 and of the six partners that signed the “5+1” deal only the US reneged the deal. Its biggest (by far) trade partner is China who´ve just increased its oil inports from Iran.
Last edited by Sintra; 22nd August 2018 at 11:38.

No, Sintra; there is still a five years long embargo on importation of weapons that are not strictly defensive ones and an eight years long one on the import of balistic missiles.
Same with the payments, US control SWIFT so actually EU are implementing a new one to deal with Iran and future US embargoed economy.

Iran will not use Euros or Dollars, but Roubles and Yuans and payments and banking system will go through russian and chinese financial system, which is parallel to western system with their own SWIFT similar system. This new financial system is immune for western sanctions as it have its own money flow, which have nothing with western money flow and control. Iran, Russia and China will use their own financial system and will use their own currencies in international market. They will also give credits in Roubles and Yuans to other states, so no need for Dollars anymore. So no worry, Iran will still sell oil and gas around the World as the World need it, but not through western banking system and not in Dollars.

…only the US reneged the deal. Its biggest (by far) trade partner is China who´ve just increased its oil inports from Iran.

We’ll see, Sintra. Yes, only the US reneged, but companies around the world will choose to comply nonetheless…so that they can continue using US financial markets. I’m sure the Chinese will buy more oil – since the price will drop due to the reduction of demand elsewhere. It’s really smart for them. But are the Iranians going to get any appreciable Euros or dollars out of it? Probably not, because the price of their oil will drop and insurance costs will rise (the big insurance companies being deeply intertwined with the US financial market). I think foreign currency will be extremely hard to come by in Iran. But we’ll see.

The presentation of this deep upgrade as “new fighter” was a PR stunt.

Its the same Azarakhsh/Saeghe project of reverse engineering the F-5, but they have now reached a level of indigenous component production that it can be called “fully homemade”.

Its not the original F-5 anymore, the whole avionics has been modernized.

– Grifo radar copy with GMTI and SAR mode

– INS/GPS + TACAN navigation suite

– Modern HUD + MFDs with digital map

– Modern IFF, RWR, altimeter etc.

all on MIL-STD-1553 bus.

Full hydraulics and actuator suite

Plus a new ejection seat and J-85 small turbojet copy.

Previously they mainly had mastered the airframe, but could not do a serial production due to the lack of those critical subsystems.

Those interested can see the details in the video or this instagram site: https://www.instagram.com/iranian_defensive_power/

In total nothing fancy, but guys from the industry know what it takes to build all that from zero. The only OEM that would supply components to Iran is China… So kicking it off without foreign OEMs requires much effort.

.
Sputniknews have similar story BUT different aircraft.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]262385[/ATTACH]

This seems to be more legit Kowsar.

It’s not that simple. They would both expect to be paid. And, with sanctions in place, it is going to be hard for Iran to come by any foreign exchange currency – dollars, yen, euros, etc. And neither the yuan or the ruble are in significant use yet.

Sanctions? Foreign currency?
The sanctions were lifted in January 2016 and of the six partners that signed the “5+1” deal only the US reneged the deal. Its biggest (by far) trade partner is China who´ve just increased its oil inports from Iran.

Because it is cheaper than smuggle, which is expensive and unreliable. Iranian choose to produce F-5 jet is logical. F-5E/F is a simple plane compared to F-4 or F-14. They produce whole J85 engine in form of Owj, for which they said is upgraded engine. They already produce bodies and wings to repair damaged ones and subsystems for spare parts. Finally they come to new build fully domestic jet. There is a good question, why they change the name from Azaraksh to Kowsar, when it is practically the same jet.

I think they were waiting with production of new build F-5s, because they are waiting for new domestic electronics. They build some Saeqeh twin tail jets from heavily damaged original F-5 jets, because they still install original F-5 electronisc inside or their own reversed enineered copies. In this new new build F-5 Iran install iranian produced K-36 ejection seats, maybe Russia give them lycence to produce them. Iran also show iranian produced new electronics for it. It got new multirole radar, which could be developped from Russian export Kopyo radar for MiG-21 jets and new FCS and navigation blocks and data link. As they are describing it in media, could be wrong, it sounds very similar to SVP-24, which work fine in Syria. Could be, that Iran got some technological help from Russia or China in developing its new modern electronics. Iran also show their new targeting pod on their IRGC Su-22 jets and new weapons. For Iran this new build F-5 Kowsar is very important as they receive new build fighter plane and is fully domestically build, what means it is immune on any sanctions. Although not the best fighter plane it still could serve well inside Iranian IADS and is still on the level of Indian Tejas or Pakistani JF-17.

If Iran was important to Russia and China they would never have voted for sanctions in the first place.

My dear Swerve, Easily like easily avoiding scrutinity ( since the story is dead with the regime admitting having displayed only an indigenously upgraded US plane). 😀

Easily smuggle?

I used the verb to smuggle

1 : to import or export secretly contrary to the law and especially without paying duties imposed by law
2 : to convey or introduce surreptitiously

Russia and China.

Cheers

Both signed on to UN sanctions, which expires in 5 years IIRC.

Russia and China.

It’s not that simple. They would both expect to be paid. And, with sanctions in place, it is going to be hard for Iran to come by any foreign exchange currency – dollars, yen, euros, etc. And neither the yuan or the ruble are in significant use yet.

CAN they buy anything? They are under sanctions.

Russia and China.

Cheers

The underlying issue is the Supreme Leader who shows little interest in allowing funds to be released to buy new aircraft from anywhere preferring to play the IRIAF off against the Republican Guard for resources.

CAN they buy anything? They are under sanctions. Although there have been years without sanctions where Iran have done nothing to import new aircraft and other weapons systems.

Why would they reverse engineer something that they can easily smuggle-in?

They are saying it is an upgraded F-5F so:
https://www.farsnews.com/news/13970530000805/ببرهای-آسمان-با-قلب-ایرانی-و-چشم-دیجیتال-تصاویر-مشخصات

…This must be the 3rd or 4th upgraded F-5 they announce as “the first domestic…”, but they’ve all been externally indistinguishable from vanilla F-5E or F’s, with the exception of that funny twin-fin modification.

The Fars article above does note a few interesting details though, namely what seems to be a proper 0-0 seat (it looks a lot like a reverse-engineered Zvezda from the MiGs, I’d say), some fancy full-color MFDs and what I interpret as a domestically produced J-85 derivative with a domestic afterburning section.

To be honest I’m surprised that Iranian aviation industry hasn’t come longer than this. Then again this is how China started as well, way back in the day. First copies of foreign aircraft, then minor modifications over the years, then larger modifications (e.g. new wings, new intakes, new canopies, that kind of thing) and at last fully domestic planes (though still built concurrently with various copies etc).

Why did Iran never build a F-20 analogue with a RD-33?

Well the IRIAF won’t let Iranian industry have any of the RD-33 they have in inventory, those are needed to keep their small Mig-29 fleet going.

Likewise this won’t be anything new just a relaunch of their F-5 refurbishment program under a different name. It probably uses a refurbished F-5 fuselage albeit the IRIAF have refused to give Iranian industry airframes from the active fleet forcing the use of surplus Vietnamese examples.

The IRIAF has never actually inducted any of these F-5 clones and upgrade programs for other aircraft like the F-4E or F-14A have proven to be far less ambitious than first suggested.

The IRIAF appears to have preferred having their current fleet refurbished to near stock capability than really upgrade them.

The underlying issue is the Supreme Leader who shows little interest in allowing funds to be released to buy new aircraft from anywhere preferring to play the IRIAF off against the Republican Guard for resources.