Iran’s New Saegheh Fighter Enters Service

Saegheh, IRIAF photo(click to view full) Back in September 2006, there was a bit of a kerfuffle in some quarters over an Iranian news agency (IRNA) announcement that quoted the commander of the Iranian army General Attollah Salehi as saying their new indigeous Saegheh/ Saeqeh [DID: “thunder” or “lightning”, reports vary] aircraft is “similar to the F-18 fighter jet, but it is more capable and has been manufactured domestically… designed, remodeled, optimized and made more capable by our engineers… no country has aided us in its production.” Reports are also repeating Iran’s claim that it is developing a 5th generation “Shafagh” stealth fighter, without appropriate laughter or ridicule. Readers may recall past Iranian claims re: “stealth” flying boats that obviously used stealth-killing propellers, and other such nonsense. At the time, DID offered a more sober and reasoned light on this new development. Now that IRNA news reports are resurfacing, including pictures, the issues seem worth revisiting. More Heat Than Light? (Sept 2006) F-14 w. Hawk AAM The official FARS news agency article that touted the new aircraft as “more difficult to pick up on the radar systems compared with the normal version due to its higher maneuverability” was especially funny. […]