Iran plans to design, manufacture new military aircraft

Category: Iran, TechnologyDate and Time: 20 February 2012 - 21:34

Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi says the Islamic Republic has set up several projects intended to design and build new advanced stealth and fighter planes.

Speaking at the 11th Iranian Aerospace Society Conference in the capital Tehran on Monday, General Vahidi said that Iran enjoys considerable expertise to manufacture various military, fighter and passenger aircraft. 

He noted that Iran has made great strides in the aviation industry through the design and mass production of its first home-made Saeqeh (Thunderbolt) fighter jet, which has joined Iran’s air force fleet. 

Brigadier General Vahidi highlighted that while a large number of world countries assemble airplanes under the license of a certain country, Islamic Republic of Iran produces domestically developed aircraft. 

The Iranian defense minister had earlier said that the design and production of advanced home-made fighter jets reveal the competence of Iran’s defense industries and prove the futility of the US-led UN sanctions and additional unilateral sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic by the US and its European allies. 

Brigadier General Mohammadreza Karshki said in February 2011 that the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force has begun an extensive project to design and build the country’s most advanced fighter jet. 

He added that the Iranian Air Force is cooperating with the nation’s Defense Ministry in the project. 

The Iranian fighter jet is similar to the US-built F/A-18, although its appearance looks similar to F-5E/F Tiger II. The new single-seat bomber has the ability to track down enemy aircraft, engage in combat, target locations on the ground, and carry a load of assorted weapons and ammunition. 

Iran unveiled its first squadron of Saeqeh fighter-bombers in an air show in September 2010.

In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in the defense sector and gained self-sufficiency in essential military hardware and defense systems. 

Iran has repeatedly assured other nations, especially regional neighbors, that its military might poses no threat to other countries, stating that its defense doctrine is merely based on deterrence.