Iran's New Fighter Jets Ready for Export!!! Who Might Buy?

[Last starfighter]

All jokes aside it's a start. At least it fly's unlike the samosa with wings from next door, even if they give one away to Sudan it's an export, unlike samosa

 

[TheImmortal]

its light fighter but its supersonic

Cant stay supersonic long without losing a lot of fuel.

 

[drmeson]

Iran lacks the technological expertise remember its expensive and compkex engineering to manufacture potent fighter jet

Please support your claim with evidence?

• Iran produces the highest number of STEM grads in the Islamic world.

• We also have the highest Citation rankings in scientific publishing in Islamic countries. We stand at 15 (your country stands at 32). Filtered just by citations of engineering-related publications, we get to the ranking of 9.

• Here is the scientific output by countries. Iran by far is much ahead of any other Islamic country. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_..._of_scientific_and_technical_journal_articles
• Last but not least, we have 4 Science and Tech universities ranked above 500 in QS rankings. That is again the highest among Islamic countries, their citations per faculty is much high compared to Universities from let's say Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan.
• I will not go into details here because separate threads exist for that. We are the only Islamic country with an active Space launching capability (SLV). Our Missile program is the only one in the entire region which literally shows MarV-MRBMs, Long range Cruise, Long-range air defense missiles hitting their targets (indicates CEP) with pinpoint accuracy, even with Cameras strapped on board. No other country has that capability to demonstrate. You should read about our missiles, space, UCAV, naval threads. I am not bragging, I am just letting you know.

On topic, the Iranian air force is not part of the grand military strategy of Iran. Capability is there, but the will of leaders is not (shown by low budget). Maybe we will purchase some 100-120 Su-30SM, Su-35 or J-10C or something like that in next 2-4 years but even with that our focus will stay on MaRV-BM, LACMs, UCAV's, Air defence weaponry, Navy supplemented by cyberwarfare and regional proxy forces.

 

[drmeson]

There is no world where F-5 would be characterized as an “interceptor”. It’s a subsonic light fighter.

It is not subsonic, it has a top speed of 1.4 Mach. You need to wake up. Interceptor is a role, F-5E has been used by IRIAF before for point defense or interception.


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I do not think we will see more than 7-8 squadrons of this jet if we get nothing from abroad. But .... with KLJ-6F/KLJ-7 onboard armed with PL-12 BVR, it can help F-14AM, F-4E/D (Dowran upgraded) and MIG-29s. defend the airspace against regional foes, giving the IRGC enough time to tackle the foes with air defense and destroy the airbases of foes with Ballistic/Cruise missiles or UCAV strikes. IRIAF fits perfectly with the military strategy.

Nojeh coup mentality Mullahs need to age up and die.

 

[TheImmortal]

It is not subsonic, it has a top speed of 1.4 Mach. You need to wake up. Interceptor is a role, F-5E has been used by IRIAF before for point defense or interception.

I think you need to wake up. It cannot sustain 1.4 (no supercruise) and going supersonic depletes a lot of fuel hence why it’s mostly a subsonic fighter and with external drop tanks its already compromised RCS goes way up against enemy fighters while having a much shorter radar.

It was used for Point Defense in 1980’s not in an era when real interceptors have 200KM+ Or even 300KM+ radar range (F-22, SU-35, F-35)

With its 90KM radar it will be mighty defenseless against a lot of fighters. Relying on radar data links is range limited and also during a period of likely high cyber warfare and jamming is asking for trouble.

Kowsar with a Grifo E like radar system would be able to serve as a stop gap, but even then throwing them into airspace defense is risky. Also what is Iran’s furtherest BVR range F-5 A2A missile? People forget that Brazilian F-5’s dont just have Grifo E they can be equipped with top of line Israeli and US missiles. That’s the real lethality.


Kowsar can be a great advanced trainer compared to a Yak-130 it can save money. But people are trying to make it something it’s not in 2022.

 

[Hack-Hook]

Cant stay supersonic long without losing a lot of fuel.

no jet ca do that unless it can super-cruise and there are limited amount of airplane that can do that with loaded pylons F22 can , Eurofighter can, Rafale can, and the only single engine that for sure I knew can do that with weapon is Grippen .
the rest I heard some other can do but I'm not how they can do it and if they can do it with payload

 

[Hack-Hook]

It is not subsonic, it has a top speed of 1.4 Mach. You need to wake up. Interceptor is a role, F-5E has been used by IRIAF before for point defense or interception.

with disappointing result

 

[Shabi1]

Following the unveiling of the Iranian Air Force's Kowsar twin engine light fighter in August 2018, and the initiation of mass production of the aircraft three months later, the Iranian military has announced its readiness to export the combat platform to friendly states. The showcasing of the fighters to potential buyers during an airshow on Kish Island was reportedly intended to demonstrate not only the capabilities of Iranian military aviation, but also the potency of the Kowsar to potential buyers. Brigadier General Abdoklarim Banitarafi, head of Iran Aviation Industries Organization, announced at the airshow’s opening ceremony regarding the Koswar: “We have already taken the necessary steps to export products that we are authorised to sell” - which he specified would include the export of fighters.

While the Kowsar is far from the first fighter jet to be produced by Iran, it is the first to enter mass production.

The platform is closely based on the F-5E Tiger II, acquired from the United States in the 1970s, and is prized for its versatility, cost effectiveness and low maintenance requirements.

While modernised variants of the F-5 continues to be deployed widely by U.S. defence clients, including Switzerland, Taiwan, Singapore and Thailand, the Kowsar is reportedly considerably more capable than the original American made platform.

The fighter makes use of high end sensors and avionics, and according to some analysts it may deploy the country’s lethal edge Fakour 90 long range anti aircraft missiles - an advanced derivative of the American AIM-54 which would give the fighters a longer air to air engagement range than any other combat aircraft in the Middle East.

According to General Banitarafi, Iran has already reached export agreements with China, Russia and Indonesia.

While Chinese and Russian acquisitions of Iranian fighters remains extremely unlikely, it is possible that the countries are supplying radar, avionics or missile technologies for the fighters which will be exported by Iran to third parties - much as China has done for the Pakistani JF-17 fighters.

With Indonesia modernising its air fleet with the acquisition of Su-35 air superiority fighters from Russia, the Kowsar could play a key role in expanding the country’s light fighter fleet and support existing squadrons of the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

A number of African states, possibly Sudan which formerly operated the F-5, have also been highlighted as potential future clients.

The Kowsar may also be marketed to Middle Eastern clients such as Lebanon or Syria - a less costly alternative to extra regional light fighters such as the MiG-29, J-10, F-16 and JF-17.

The marketing of the Kowsar for export could provide much needed extra revenues to the Iranian defence sector, and mark the beginning of its emergence as a military aviation power - albeit a minor one.

There actually is a market potential for new F-5s, specifically the two seat variant, it not being in production was the basis for a lot of next gen trainer programs.

This is a excellent aircraft for Iran and would fulfill its workhorse requirements while freeing up funds for a advanced top tier fighter. What I would really be excited would be if Iran pulls outa updated variant of the F-14. Don't know if they have plans for such a move but given how much they would have invested in keeping existing airframes airworthy they must have achieved self reliance in a lot of its sub systems to the extent they would be confident enough for such a move. The F-14 if redesigned with current technology (replace maintenance intensive hydraulics with actuators and analogs with digital) is still a beast.

 

[drmeson]

delete

 

[Progressive1]

Good step in the right direction, there is the good potential market for inexpensive small multirole fighter jets that Pakistan and Iran should target , not to get revenue (which in most cases will not exceed few hundred million dollors) but to develop local expertise to diversify export sector.

 

[arjunk]

7-8 planned Squadrons armed with KLJ-7/KLJ-6F radars (90-100 km range) with PL-10 can be very good platforms to complement are MALE-UCAV fleet.

But then by budget, IRIAF is not the focus; Missiles are.

Is that radar made of LEGO?

 

[drmeson]

I think you need to wake up. It cannot sustain 1.4 (no supercruise) and going supersonic depletes a lot of fuel hence why it’s mostly a subsonic fighter and with external drop tanks its already compromised RCS goes way up against enemy fighters while having a much shorter radar.

Whatever makes you happy but the definition of a Supersonic fighter jet would not change. F-5E is capable of reaching 1.4 Mach and hence is a supersonic fighter.

It was used for Point Defense in 1980’s not in an era when real interceptors have 200KM+ Or even 300KM+ radar range (F-22, SU-35, F-35)

None of the Iranian foes operates operate F-22 and F-35 for a long time. We are likely to face F-16 AB/CD/E (UAE), F-18 C/F (Kuwait), F-15 C/S (Saoodis), 4th generation Mirages etc in case of aerial combat that is max. Israel is too far to reach Iranian skies unless IAF operates from UAE/KSA bases, which is not impossible considering how Israelis are controlling the Arab sheikh these days, but IRGC-aerospace command can take care of those airbases with ease.
These 4.0 generation fighters have equally large RCS, none of them have stealth features.

With its 90KM radar it will be mighty defenseless against a lot of fighters. Relying on radar data links is range limited and also during a period of likely high cyber warfare and jamming is asking for trouble.

You have this false and rather naive assumption that to counter enemy intruders we will have to send 1 single type of fighter. This is hilarious. IRIAF usually deploys "Gashtzani" formation for CAP and area localized interception whose sole purpose is to be a self-aware group with a maximum number of BVR capable radars and missiles up there. A pair of F-14AM with digitalized AWG-9 provide AWACS like detection of up to 400 KM, armed with Aim-54/Fakour-90 with ARH BVR interception of 190 km range (2 x 6 missiles). Below them are 4 x F-4E/D with (who are themselves capable of detection at +100 km depending upon NRIET pulse doppler radar they got from Dowran upgrade, seems like JL-10A of Flying Leopard. Kowsar can supplement that capability with its own BVR capability, it does not have to go alone against F-15s from Penninsula across Persian gulf like you are assuming.

Total vehicles: 10
2 x F-14AM ... 2 x AWG-9 + 12 AIM-54/Fakour-90
4 x F-4E ... 4 x JL-10A + 16 AIM-7/PL-12?/R-27E/EA
4 x Kowsar ... 2 x KLJ-6f/7 + 16 PL-12 OR 2 x MIG-29 9.12 (12 R-27E/EA)

Max detection: 370- 400 KM
BVR strike: 40+ missiles ARH missiles with range in between 90KM-190KM

This is no fantasy, IRIAF used to do the same during the war, F-14A's used to act as mini-AWACS and fire multiple BVR rounds at intruders to rattle the incoming group while F-4E/Ds would then push forward to finish the group off.

Depending upon numbers, 4 or 5 such interception groups are more than capable package to deal with regional foes. Again, not everyone flies F-22 and F-35 and our only real threat is from across the Persian Gulf from where we can face F-15, F-16, Mirage-2000, Torando, F-18. These interception groups from Bandar Abbas, Chabahar, Umidiyeh, Bushehr can launch massive interception BVR strikes at incoming intruders giving IRGC enough time to destroy every single airbase in KSA, UAE, Kuwait with BM/CMs and UCAVs. Kowsar can help if we get no Su-35S.


F-4E with new pulse doppler radar stationed at Bushehr.

Kowsar with a Grifo E like radar system would be able to serve as a stop gap, but even then throwing them into airspace defense is risky. Also what is Iran’s furtherest BVR range F-5 A2A missile? People forget that Brazilian F-5’s dont just have Grifo E they can be equipped with top of line Israeli and US missiles. That’s the real lethality.

What you are forgetting is that KLJ-6F/KLJ-7/GRIFO-E (AESA) are equivalent to what number of nations around Iran operate on their 4th Gen MRCA in light category, that too in bulk. It was a surprise that such Iran is being produced even if by TOT is being assembled/produced inside Iran. May be some version of it in future can be used on UCAVs but the thing is that it has been shown and and if the origin is NRIET, then we can be sure that other combat suite was also procured from the same origin, if Babak Taghvaee is to be believed.

Kowsar can be a great advanced trainer compared to a Yak-130 it can save money. But people are trying to make it something it’s not in 2022.

Nobody except you here is assuming that Kowsar is a F-15 equivalent. It is a small fighter concept with 4.0 generation combat suite and BVR capability. If IRIAF gets no help from Russia then it can be a stop gap for some time before we can get 4+ MRCA.

 

[HammerHead081]

Graaapeee. Can give tough competition to our F-7s and mushak trainer.

 

[drmeson]

Light plane with good weapons load is effective. It's a base platform which will be built upon. Any info on the engine?

2 x OWJ Turbojet: 3500 dry/5000+ wet thrust lbs

https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/iranian-military-engine-development-news-and-updates.446453/

 

[Hack-Hook]

Is that radar made of LEGO?

Each of those Lego are a single T/R elements