Azarakhsh, Saeqeh and Kowsar are three puzzling combat jets.
It is indeed a tricky business to understand the logic behind the Iranian reverse-engineered
F-5 development programme.
On top of it, it is nearly impossible to find any reliable information about them.
After a three-week break, the Weapon Detective is back to investigate the Azarakhsh, Saeqeh
and Kowsar.
Azarakhsh, Saeqeh and Kowsar are the reverse-engineered copies of the Northrop F-5 of the 1950s.
Also, many sources claim they are nothing more than rebuilt variants of the Freedom
Fighters and Tiger IIs.
No one expects a significant performance leap from them compared to their U.S. ancestors.
So, why is Iran spending money on such a futile project?
Before seeking the answer to this question, let's briefly look at the history of the programme
and the features of these aircraft.
The Imperial State of Iran, ruled by the Pahlavi dynasty, acquired the F-5E/F Tiger IIs in
the mid-1970s.
Naturally, the country began to experience maintenance difficulties for these aircraft
due to the embargo exposed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
One year later, the Iran-Iraq War broke out, so Iran had to produce by copying many parts
of its Tiger IIs to keep them operational.
With the experience gained from these efforts, Tehran initiated a domestic combat jet manufacturing
programme in 1986.
But, due to technological and economic insufficiencies, the project progressed slowly.
Iran declared it successfully designed, constructed and tested its first fruit of this programme,
the Azarakhsh, in 1997.
This aircraft has few changes compared to the original F-5E.
So, many sources claim the Azarakhsh is nothing but a modified variant of the Tiger II by
assembling parts from different aircraft.
The only apparent difference with these combat jets is the nose section.
The Azarakhsh has a nearly 20 centimetres extended nose, probably housing a new radar.
Initially, Tehran stated the mass production of this aircraft would begin in the mid-2000s
at a rate of around ten pieces per year.
In 2000, the acting commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force said the Azarakhsh
had reached the mass-production stage.
The plan was to acquire 30 to 50 aircraft.
Still, the flight tests continued until 2007.
This year, Iran declared once more the mass production of the Azarakhsh would begin soon.
But again, in 2013, Iran was still conducting flight tests.
It is understood that Tehran cancelled the Azarakhsh Programme after six aircraft were
produced and switched to the Saeqeh Programme.
The Saeqeh has more distinguished design changes compared to its predecessor.
It has two vertical tail stabilizers instead of one, additional wing strakes and altered
jet intakes.
This appearance naturally reminds the Northrop YF-17, which had competed with the YF-16 in
the Lightweight Fighter Programme of the U.S. Air Force in the 1970s.
This F-5-based aircraft lost the competition to F-16, but later, it led to the development
of the F/A-18 Hornet.
So, we may say that Iran tried to follow the same path to develop a successful fourth-generation
fighter.
Initially defined as Saeqeh-80 and Azarakhsh-2, the Saeqeh was introduced in 2007 and likely
made its maiden flight in the same year.
Five single-seat and one twin-seat aircraft were produced for trials.
They have an Iranian-modified version of the Russian Phazotron-NIIR N019 radar with a range
of 80 kilometres.
It can track 10 targets and engage two targets simultaneously.
Some sources claim that Iran also worked on a Saeqeh variant with two Klimov RD-33 turbofans,
also used by the MiG-29.
But this version has never been seen.
Yet, Iran cancelled the Saeqeh Programme and switched to Kowsar Programme.
Comparing the Saeqeh, the appearance of the Kowsar is more similar to F-5E.
It had one tail stabilizer instead of two.
The aircraft has an advanced fire control system, digital data networks, a glass cockpit,
a heads-up display, ballistic computers and smart mobile mapping systems.
Iran claims that the Kowsar has a 100 per cent indigenously made radar.
But many sources assume it is just a reverse-engineered version of the Italian Grifo radar or its
Chinese variant.
Due installation of the new radar, the aircraft has only one 20mm gun.
The Owj turbojet engines of Kowsar are developed based on the General Electric J85-GE-21B of
the F-5E.
In this perspective, the Kowsar is nothing but a modernized F-5.
The aircraft made its first flight in 2018.
Even though the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force declared that it would receive 15 aircraft
in three years before 2020, it is estimated that only three to four Kowsars have been
delivered so far.
There is no reliable technical data about the Kowsar.
But according to open sources, the twin-seat aircraft has a length of 14.45 metres, a wingspan
of 16.26 metres, and a height of 4.08 metres.
Its wing area is 17.28 square metres.
The aircraft's empty weight is about 4,350 kilograms, while its maximum takeoff weight
is over 9,300 kilograms.
Two 22 kiloNewton Owj afterburning turbojet engines provide a top speed of 1,700 kilometres
per hour.
The Kowsar has a range of 2,900 kilometres.
Its service ceiling is 15,800 metres, in other words, 51,800 feet.
The aircraft has one 20mm autocannon and seven hard points with a total capacity of 3,200
kilograms of armaments.
The Kowsar can be equipped with the Fatir air-to-air missiles, bombs and rockets.
As you may see, Iran has only managed to modernize 1950-vintage F-5s through this three-stage
programme.
Many experts rightfully claim that the Kowsar has a meaning only as a jet trainer and a
light attack aircraft.
In the early 1990s, Canada attempted to modernize its CF-5s with an advanced fire control system,
digital data networks, a glass cockpit, a heads-up display and ballistic computers.
The Royal Canadian Air Force planned to use these aircraft for CF-18 conversion training
roles.
But, due to defence budget cuts after the end of the First Cold War, Canada cancelled
the programme.
Again, in the 1990s, Turkish F-5s were modernized with a similar package in Singapore.
They served in F-16 conversion training and combat training roles until 2013.
So, the Kowsar symbolizes that the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force is still 30 years
behind the air forces of Western countries.
At first look, it is a terrible situation.
Indeed, the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force is not in a good place currently.
Iran could not acquire new and high-tech combat jets for a few decades.
Many combat jets of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force are now at the end of their
service lives.
And Iran cannot find new aircraft.
The relationship between Iran and the Western world is hostile.
Acquiring new aircraft from Europe and the U.S.A. is impossible.
So, why does Iran buy the new Russian and Chinese jets?
The expression "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" is not always true.
Yes, Moscow is pleased that Iran threatens Western interests in the Middle East.
Still, it does not want a powerful Islamist country in its south.
Similarly, Iran, which is trouble for the U.S.A., makes China happy.
But Beijing cannot afford to make Moscow and Washington angry together by giving J-10s
and J-20s to Iran.
So, the only choice for saving the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force's manned fleet
is to develop and produce combat jets domestically.
But, Iran does not have sufficient infrastructure, experience and know-how to achieve this task.
And no one intends to transfer aerospace technologies.
There is no way to fill a century-old gap in this field in a few decades.
So, we may say that Iran started from scratch because it had to.
The first step was to disassemble and reassemble a simple aircraft to learn to design a new
one.
The Tiger II was perfect for this goal.
The F-5 was already designed as a fighter jet, which could be easily produced by countries
with limited technological capabilities.
The Azarakhsh served this goal.
The second step was to try some changes to the base design to test the level of aerodynamic
capabilities.
According to our analysis, Iran never followed the same path to develop a combat jet equivalent
to the F/A-18.
It just aimed to comprehend the course itself.
The Saeqeh served this goal.
The Persians are practical people.
So, after these daring efforts, they decided it was too early to challenge the big aerospace
industries of the world.
So, Iran developed and produced a relatively inferior jet trainer.
It could only do that.
Spending a vast of money on a more ambitious programme was not wise.
It would be doomed to be fruitless from the beginning.
The Kowsar served this goal.
In this perspective, being 30 years behind the Western world also means filling the 70
years of a century-old gap.
So we may say it is kind of a success.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought new opportunities to Iran.
Russia, which acquired unmanned aerial vehicles from Iran, is now open to selling new combat
jets, like the Su-35, and transferring technology to this country.
So, the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force may overcome this crisis without indigenously
developing combat jets.
Or, Iran may use Russian know-how to develop indigenous fighters.
Iran needed a base to build up an efficient aerospace industry.
The Azarakhsh, Saeqeh and Kowsar give the country this ground.
Time will show us if Iran can go forward from there or not.
But we should accept that catching up with the world will not be easy.
We may say achieving this goal is almost impossible.
But also history shows us many impossibles of the past are the realities of the future.
In the mid-1700s, no one would believe that thirteen British colonies would be the dominant
power in the world one day.
The Azarakhsh, Saeqeh and Kowsar also have psychological benefits besides practical ones.
Please remember that the general population are not military and aviation enthusiasts.
Seeing an aircraft in the air is enough for many people to accept their countries have
an efficient aerospace industry.
So, Iran also uses the Azarakhsh, Saeqeh and Kowsar as internal propaganda assets.
In this way, Tehran tells many believers of the Islamic Republic their country is now
competing with Westerners.
Yes, the audience of this video does not buy it.
But millions in Iran do.
So we cannot say the Azarakhsh, Saeqeh and Kowsar, the Iranian copies of the F-5, are
entirely meaningless and futile.
On the contrary, they serve particular practical and psychological purposes well.
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