| Kowsar | |
|---|---|
| Role | Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) |
| First flight | August 2018 |
| Introduction | November 2018 |
| Status | In service[1] |
| Primary user | Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force |
| Number built | at least 7 under production |
| Developed from | Northrop F-5 HESA Azarakhsh HESA Saeqeh |
The HESA Kowsar (Persian: کوثر, "thunderbolt") is an Iranian fighter jet based on the American Northrop F-5.[2][3][4] The aircraft is equipped with new fourth generation avionics in combination with an advanced fire control system.[5][6][7][8]
Western analysts have described the plane to be inefficient as a weapon but having potential for training a new generation of Iranian fighter pilots.[9] According to the Iranian state-media, this fighter jet has "advanced avionics" and multipurpose radar, and it was "100-percent indigenously made".[10] It also uses digital data networks, a glass cockpit, heads-up display (HUD), ballistic computers and smart mobile mapping systems.[11][12]
Criticism[]
Widespread ridicule followed the revealing of the Kowsar fighter jet.[13][14] Some commentators have mocked the new aircraft, calling it an obsolete yet illegal copy of the American F-5, as Iran is under military embargo from US and its military allies.[15][16] Reports of a crash of an F-5 type jet were reported days after the jet was revealed.[17] The Iranian press acknowledged that the Kowser is based on the F-5, but lauded it for being the first fighter jet manufactured from the ground up by a Muslim nation.[18]
Variants[]
The Kowsar is produced in single and two-seater variants.
Export[]
On November 26, 2018 Brigadier General Abdoklarim Banitarafi, head of Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO), announced that Iran was ready to export the HESA Kowsar jet and had agreements with Russia, China and Indonesia.[19]
Gallery[]
See also[]
References[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Kowsar (aircraft). |
- ↑ Sputnik. "Iran Launches Mass Production of Kowsar Interceptor Jet - Defense Minister". https://sputniknews.com/military/201811031069475073-iran-military-plane-production/. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- ↑ "Iran unveils new domestically-produced fighter jet". 21 Aug 2018. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-45259586/iran-unveils-new-domestically-produced-fighter-jet. Retrieved 26 Aug 2018.
- ↑ "Iran unveils new domestically-built fighter jet". 21 Aug 2018. https://www.cnbc.com/video/2018/08/21/iran-unveils-new-domestically-built-fighter-jet.html. Retrieved 26 Aug 2018.
- ↑ "Eyeing U.S., Iran unveils new fighter jet". August 22, 2018. https://www.reuters.com/video/2018/08/21/eyeing-us-iran-unveils-new-fighter-jet?videoId=456814443. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ↑ "European Defence Review magazine". European Defence Review magazine. 2018. https://www.edrmagazine.eu/project-kowsar-88. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- ↑ "New Fighter Jet Unveiled By Iranian Military". Forces Network. British Forces Broadcasting Service. 21 August 2018. https://www.forces.net/news/new-fighter-jet-unveiled-iranian-military. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- ↑ al-Atrush, Samer (21 August 2018). "Iran unveils new fighter jet as president says US 'knows the consequences' of an attack on Tehran". https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/08/21/iran-unveils-new-fighter-jet-president-says-us-knows-consequences/. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- ↑ "Iran launches production of F-5-derived Kowsar fighter - Jane's 360". https://www.janes.com/article/84295/iran-launches-production-of-f-5-derived-kowsar-fighter. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- ↑ Iran's New Warplane Seen Limited as Weapon, Useful for Training, Michael Lipin, Farhad Pouladi at globalsecurity.org, August 25, 2018
- ↑ "Iran starts mass-producing locally designed Kowsar fighter jet". 3 November 2018. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/iran-starts-mass-producing-locally-designed-kowsar-fighter-jet-181103062235724.html. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ↑ "Iran unveils first domestic fighter jet". 21 August 2018. https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/08/21/571802/Iran-Kowsar-jet. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ↑ "PressTV-Iran launches mass-production of Kowsar interceptor jet". https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/11/03/578896/Iran-air-force-jet-massproduction-Kowsar-Defense-Minister-Amir-Hatami. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- ↑ "Iran's Kowsar fighter looks like a joke, but could save its air force". 2018. https://www.businessinsider.com/irans-kowsar-fighter-looks-like-a-joke-but-could-save-its-air-force-2018-8?op=1. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- ↑ "Iran's 'new' fighter clone of 1950s-era US jet, highlights tech woes". 2018. https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2018/08/21/iran-new-fighter-clone-1950s-us-jet-tech-woes.html. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ↑ "Israel mocks Iran’s ‘indigenous’ fighter jet as copy of obsolete F-5". 2018. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-mocks-irans-indigenous-fighter-jet-as-copy-of-obsolete-f-5/. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ↑ "Iran's 'New' Fighter Jet Provokes Derision, As Observers Note Likeness To U.S. Jet From The '60s". 2018. https://www.forbes.com/sites/dominicdudley/2018/08/21/irans-new-fighter-jet/. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ↑ "Iranian F-5 jet crashes southwest Tehran days after unveiling native ‘Kowsar’ jet". 26 August 2018. http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/f2f63004-14e9-4c6e-9090-6829b868cf83. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- ↑ "Le chasseur supersonique Kowsar produit en masse". 3 November 2018. https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/11/03/578907/Le-chasseur-supersonique-Kowsar-produit-en-masse. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ↑ "Official: Iran says ready to export fighter jets". 26 November 2018. https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/11/26/581183/Iran-Navy-Kamand-CIWS-Sahand-d.estroyer-Khanzadi-Phalanx. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The original article can be found at HESA Kowsar and the edit history here.