Iran to Manufacture New Generations of Fighter Jets
News number: 9010175462 15:19 | 2012-02-20
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9010175462

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi
announced on Monday that the country is upgrading its warplanes and
manufacturing new generations of fighter jets.

Speaking to reporters about the fourth generation of Iranian fighter jets,
Vahidi stated, "These planes are divided into the two categories of +1 and
+2 depending on the upgrade works done on them."

"We intend to create better generations of our fighters through upgrading
them," the minister stated.

"As regards the areas of aerospace and missile technology, we are seen among
the world's major powers," he added.

In January, a senior Iranian Air Force commander announced that the
country's defense industries has started research for manufacturing vertical
climb aircraft with straight vertical flight.

"Studies are underway at the Defense Industries" for manufacturing this type
of aircraft," Lieutenant Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
(IRIAF) for Coordination Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh told reporters.

The Iranian Air Force tested its defense capabilities in massive air drills,
dubbed as 'Fadaeeyan-e Harim-e Vellayat III', in Iran's Northwestern regions
a few months ago.

During the exercises which started on September 6, the Iranian Air Force
fighter jets practiced electronic war operations and Iran's two well-known
home-made fighter jets, namely Saeqeh (Thunderbolt) and Azarakhsh
(Lightening) staged successful missions and bombed the specified targets
under full radio silence.

Saeqeh and Azarakhsh were among the several squadrons of the Iranian Air
Force fighter jets which conducted night raids on fixed and mobile targets
under complete radio silence.

Different plane equipments, ammunitions and tactics went under test in the
four phases of the exercises codenamed 'Fadaeeyan-e Harim-e Vellayat III'.

An array of fighter jets, fighter bombers, cargo and transportation planes,
including F-4, F-5, Sukhoi-24 (SU-24) fighter-bombers, Mig-29 and the
logistic C-130 planes, were used in the exercises.