Qaher F-313
In February this year, Iran unveiled a combat jet dubbed the Qaher (Conqueror) F-313 claimed by it to be designed by Iranian aerospace engineers. The unveiling coincides with the 34th anniversary of the 1979 revolution in which the US-backed regime of the Shah of Iran was replaced by an Islamic regime.
At the unveiling ceremony, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the machine as “one of the most advanced aircraft in the world” and that it had been test-flown for “thousands of hours” by Iranian pilots who are “very satisfied with its performance”. The state television footage showed the grey, futuristic-looking aircraft displayed in a hangar. Ahmadinejad called Qaher ‘a deterrent’ and despite its aggressive name, it was meant to send “a message of peace”. Media quoted Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi as saying that the plane boasted a very low radar signature, is equipped with “advanced electro-avionics systems” and “advanced materials” were used to build it. The Islamic republic is subject to a US embargo which prohibits it from buying new fighter jets and spare parts for its ageing air force, much of which is of American origin and was bought in a huge pre-revolution spending spree.
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