Azarakhsh

The HESA Azarakhsh (Persian: آذرخش, "Thunderbolt") is a jet fighter produced by the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) in Isfahan. Iranian authorities describe it as the country's first domestically manufactured combat aircraft, while outside observers regard it as a rebuilt and renamed Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter/Tiger II. The programme was conducted jointly by the Iranian military, the Iranian Defense Ministry and HESA.

Development

In April 1997 Brigadier General Arasteh, a deputy head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, stated that Iran had designed, constructed and tested its first fighter aircraft. Production was reported to have begun by late 1997, and by mid-2000 four aircraft were said to be undergoing operational testing at a build rate of roughly ten aircraft per year. On 17 May 2000 the acting commander of the Iranian Air Force declared that the Azarakhsh had reached mass-production stage. A further test flight was conducted on 5 August 2007, and on 6 August 2007 Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar said the aircraft was at the stage of industrial production with mass production to begin at a later date.

Design

As of 2001, six aircraft were reported to be in service. Iran has released no technical data on the type and its capabilities remain unknown. No differences have been identified between the Azarakhsh and the Northrop F-5E; this, combined with the very small number of airframes observed since the claimed start of production, indicates the Azarakhsh is a rebuild of existing F-5 airframes rather than a newly built fighter.

Variants

• Azarakhsh: Baseline rebuild of the Northrop F-5E, reportedly in production from late 1997, with six aircraft in service as of 2001.
• Saeqeh: Follow-on aircraft derived from the Azarakhsh, reported to have entered service with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force on 22 September 2007 in unknown numbers, with no performance data released.
• Kowsar: Jet trainer and strike aircraft unveiled by IAIO in August 2018, to be produced in single- and two-seat versions.