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Iran Claims It’s Rolled out a Stealth Fighter Jet — But Is it Real?

Feb. 3, 2013 7:21am Sharona Schwartz

Iran’s newest fighter jet, Qaher-313 is unveiled by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, accompanied by top officials during a ceremony, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013. (AP)

Iran has unveiled a new domestically designed and manufactured fighter jet that it says has stealth capabilities, a claim that aviation experts are already questioning.

Iranian authorities rolled out a single-seat bomber, the Qaher F-313 (“Dominant”), on Saturday to much fanfare, including an appearance by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who assured the jet is for defensive purposes only, a claim reminiscent of Iranian assurances that its nuclear program is designed for peaceful purposes.

The Tehran Times reports that Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi detailed some of the plane’s capabilities which he claims include:

•   avoiding radar detection
•   flying at low altitudes
•   carrying advanced domestically-manufactured weapons
•   taking off and landing on short runways
•   able to combat other aircraft and targets on the ground

According to Russia Today, Ahmadinejad said at the ceremony: “Iran’s defense might does not serve purposes of expansionism and aggression against other countries.”

“This project carries the message of brotherhood, peace, and security and it doesn’t pose any threat to anyone. There is no intention to interfere in any other country’s affairs,” he said.

On Iranian state television Saturday, Ahmadinejad touted Iran’s scientific achievements, even in the face of international sanctions: “Now the speed of Iran’s development in science and technology does not depend on circumstances, it depends on our will.”

“We should set higher targets. We see that it is possible, we have the capabilities,” he added.

The Tehran Times writes that the aircraft reflects Iran’s “significant achievements in the field of aerospace technology.” This as the official in charge of the project, Hassan Parvaneh, told Iran’s state-run television, “Its shape and structure is completely unique and peerless.”

The stealth claims are eliciting skepticism as they come on the heels of Iran’s admission that one of two official photos of the monkey it says it sent into space last week showed the wrong animal. Iran insists it successfully sent a monkey to space and returned it safely to Iran.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, center, listens to an unidentified pilot during a ceremony to unveil Iran’s newest fighter jet, the Qaher-313, in Tehran, Iran, on Saturday (photo credit: AP/Mehr News Agency/Younes Khani)

The Israeli paper Maariv interviewed aeronautical expert Tal Inbar who says the aircraft looked like a model made of fiberglass or cardboard. He 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,” Inbar added.

The Times of Israel spoke with an Israeli aerospace engineer on condition of anonymity who had a slightly different take. It reports the engineer “said that while the plane displayed by the Iranian press on Saturday was clearly not a working prototype, it integrated advanced stealth design with extreme maneuverability.”

He also believes that even though the plane can’t drop bombs, it could potentially operate as an interceptor to defend Iranian skies from foreign bombing threats. “They need a defensive interceptor that gives them the element of surprise, and it is big enough to carry real air-to-air missiles,” he said.

David Cenciotti, a pilot, Italian Air Force veteran and aviation reporter who runs the blog The Aviationist examined the photos and video of the new Qaher F-313 and is asking some big questions as to the viability of the plane. He writes:

Indeed, based on the first photographs released by the FARS News Agency, the new stealthy jet has a really peculiar design. It features hard edges and those distinctive edges and angle of the U.S. F-22 and the twin tail shape much similar to that of the F-35 Lightning II. […]

The canopy material is at least odd (based on its transparency, it looks like plexiglass or something like that).

The cockpit seems to be basic (a bit too much for a modern plane – note the lack of wirings behind the front panel and the presence of few instruments, some of those similar to those equipping small private planes…).

The nose section is so small almost no radar could fit in it.

The air intakes are extremely small (they remind those of current drones/unmanned combat aerial vehicles) whereas the engine section lacks any kind of nozzle: engine afterburners could melt the entire jet.

Iranian pilot in cockpit of Iran’s new fighter jet (Photo from official Iranian news agency FARS)

Based on the above photo of an Iranian pilot sitting in the cockpit, Cenciotti concludes, “the aircraft is way too small.” Echoing the Israeli aeronautical expert Tal Inbar, Cenciotti also believes it’s “nothing more than a large mock up model” that can’t fit a real pilot.

Cenciotti also examined this video which alleges to show the Qaher F-313 in flight. He also believes “the depicted plane flies is suspect. It seems a radio-controlled scale model more than a modern fighter jet.”

Even if the aircraft doesn’t live up to the Iranian description, Cenciotti and Robert Johnson wrote in an article in Business Insider that it might one day be used to attack the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf:

Perhaps Iran isn’t imagining a fleet of stealthy fighter/bombers, based on some design similar to this new display, but a few dozen single seat craft with an array of missiles, a couple guns, and the ability to fly low and slow over the Gulf.

The Associated Press from Tehran provides more background on the aircraft and Iran’s military industries:

The Qaher is one of several aircraft designs rolled out by the Iranian military since 2007. Tehran has repeatedly claimed to have developed advanced military technologies in recent years but its claims cannot be independently verified because the country does not release technical details of its arsenals.

The Islamic republic launched a self-sufficiency military program in the 1980s to compensate for a Western weapons embargo that banned export of military technology and equipment to Iran. Since 1992, Iran has produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles, torpedoes, drones and fighter planes.[…]

Iran’s English-language state Press TV said Qaher was similar to the American-made F/A-18, an advanced fighter capable of dogfighting as well as penetrating enemy air defenses to strike ground targets.

Physically, Press TV said, the aircraft resembles the F-5E/F Tiger II, a much older American design that Iran has had in its arsenal since it was supplied to the U.S.-allied regime of the Shah before Iran’s 1979 revolution.

The aircraft’s introduction is one of several ways in which Iran is marking the “Ten-Day Dawn” commemorating the Iranian Revolution 34 years ago.

Besides the alleged monkey space mission and the stealth fighter, Iran announced it will unveil upgraded versions of two domestically designed tanks – the Zolfaqar and Samsam – on Monday.

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Comments (172)

Jim S
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 10:55am
..other than avoid radar, the listed abilities of this aircraft rival a Cessna 172…
• avoiding radar detection
• flying at low altitudes
• carrying advanced domestically-manufactured weapons
• taking off and landing on short runways
• able to combat other aircraft and targets on the ground

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Baracalypse
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 10:37am
My microwave oven would see that coming 100 miles away.

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RIGS
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 10:32am
Just in time for the 2013 model airplane show,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

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THE EQUALIZER
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 10:31am
These camelshit planes will probably kill more Iranians from falling parts!

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servant100
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 10:26am
lol…this is Iran…these camel jockeys couldn’t go to the bathroom unless someone interveined to assist them. Everything in their armed forces is purchased from some other country’s cast off arsenal…using the petro dollars that we CHOOSE to give them.

They ‘rolled out” an expensive toy they cannot maintain…that they purchased from another prostitute European or Asian nation who doesn’t care about the larger picture of what Kipling called the “great game” of nations.

Remember these fools threatened Regan with attacking oil tankers in the Persian Gulf back in the 1980′s with their “awesome” navy. Regan’s response was to give the US navy the green light to engage in the morning. By that afternoon…the Iranian “navy” had ceased to exist with no US casualties.

Nothing has changed excepting the demonically posessed worthless joke currently inhabiting the Oval Office chooses to back the preditors rather than protect US citizens and interests.

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TADTAD
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 10:25am
Stealth? HA! With that canopy profile? That’s like Playboy announcing Hillary is Playmate of the Year.

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FlagWavingPatriot
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 10:02am
I think the world is in a real mess right now, but I can always get a chuckle out of Iran’s claims. It’s almost like having Baghdad Bob do a weekly radio show.

At least when they tell lies, they tell whoppers. I’ll give ‘em that.

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garbagecanlogic
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 10:01am
Which monkey is going to fly it, the one with the beard who looks like a rodent, or the “real” monkey?

Praise Be To Obama. Psalm 109:8

The U.N. Out Of The U.S.
The U.S. Out Of The U.N.

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- ofass
  Posted on February 4, 2013 at 12:04am
  There are some serious candidate here: Tech (“Yichya Ayash”), Wasp (his pic shows a true monkey), AUSERNAME (Plain and stupid) and of course, the unforgettable Jerky, the Kafiya Nazi, the cultured Gaza guy. Any of them will suit the role…
  
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Advection
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 10:01am
LOL. There are some real gems in these posts. Here’s a compilation so far…

What’s Iran’s new stealth jet called? The “Dominatrix”.
What makes it stealthy? It’s covered with a burqa.
What’s the small hole next to the cockpit? That’s where you insert the quarter.
Why is the cockpit so small? It’s designed for a monkey pilot.
Why are the decals in English? Iranians can’t read, so any language will do.
What’s it made of? A top-secret mix of cardboard, sheet metal, and plywood.
How fast does it go? That’s classified but estimated to be “Mock” 313!
What is Iran’s stealth aircraft really? Either a homecoming float or a Battlestar Galactica movie prop.

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- DZ-015
  Posted on February 3, 2013 at 10:47am
  Don’t downgrade the significance of 313. It is also Donald Duck’s license number (his birthday was Friday, March 13).
  
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satotbs
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:56am
Personally I won’t believe it’s real until I see Obama sitting in it! Might be a problem getting his oversized helmet (the one with room for his ears and a skeet gun) though.

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- GO-FOR-LIBERTY
  Posted on February 3, 2013 at 11:32am
  But he does have the sun shades, Maybe he could test the e-ject seat.
  
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tp517
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:53am
Anyone ever see this turkey fly?
From the video I can’t tell what is flying around up there.

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- DougHuffman
  Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:58am
  RC half scale model. Go to a good model airplane show to see high performance jet powered amateur privately built TOYS that fly rings around this IraXis Dominatrix sex toy.
  
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americansfightingforcommonsense
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:52am
What a joke! But what’s worse is our illustrious President and Vice President are stating they would sit down and have talks with these idiots. But, “Only if they are serious!” Yeah right! LOL

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DZ-015
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:51am
Remember the stealth drone the Iranians brought down intact by hacking, probably with Chinese or Russian assistance? Before shipping it off to their benefactor, they probably studied it to come up with this movie prop propaganda that is less than life size.

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texasbornandraised
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:50am
Look aweful small. No room for the engines in that air-frame.

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TROONORTH
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:50am
It’s the air intakes. Beside everything else, it’s the air intakes. In order to feed engines large enough to drive this lead-sled, the air would have to travel at hypersonic speeds through these tiny intakes, without eroding the intake venturi and or collapsing the structure around the intake. Even if all that didn’t happen, the shock wave produced in front of the engines both internally and externally . .. . . . well it is a fake.

Let’s be thankful that the Iranians are incapable of producing even a good fake fighter let alone a real one. And these guys are building a bomb? I’ll bet their engineers are working around the clock trying to figure out how to put a gun in a shopping cart.

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point22
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:42am
Jimmy Stewart is the pilot?

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rtk
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:40am
No one has postulated the “piloted suicide bomb”.

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point22
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:40am
The “pilots name” look to be Jimmy Stewart. Please look and see if I am blind

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The_Fifth_Column
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:39am
Would no way be Stealthy! I think they should fly into Israeli air space to check out it Stealth capabilities.

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John 1776
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:24am
Guess anyone can build a movie prop! I like how the writing is in English!

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ItsAllCrap
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:20am
Is danger spelled the same in the Iranian language? If not why would they have a sticker on the the plane using English word danger? (Third picture down)

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13th Imam
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:17am
Surprised they didn’t designate it the F-911

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searching for the Truth
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:17am
It will crash !

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Captain Morgan
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:17am
Looks like I now know what happened to the studio mock up for the old battle star gallactica fighters. LOL. I have been a pro pilot for 25 years and I am here to tell you this is total cr@p. the topper for me is the danger sticker warning of an ejection seat is written in English….

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- OlefromMN
  Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:39am
  The “Danger” stickers are one of the first things I noticed as well. I guess they are planning on being forced to ground and want the English speaking world safe during rescue.
  
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- AmericanResolve
  Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:43am
  It almost looks like the jet used in the early 80′s movie with Clint Eastwood called “Firefox.” Accept in that movie the jet was a little longer. This is hysterical.
  
  God Bless
  
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- vampiresmurf
  Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:57am
  humm i was thinking more along the line of the movie, deal of the century, from the early 80s, richard pryor, pretty sure thats the name of the movie where hes a arms dealer and hijacks the uav and attacks the arms show. guess they finally got a vcr there so they could watch it as a new release.
  
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mtsnj
Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:15am
there’s a bicycle under that paperwork, but it rolls like crazy.

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- G-WHIZ
  Posted on February 3, 2013 at 9:54am
  I was thinkin the approx-same thing….it rolls out….but do it fly?!
  
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