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Iran unveils new indigenous stealth fighter “Qaher 313″
- truebecomefalse 14y agoThat is a bizarre looking jet.
- guylhem 14y agoI'm not a plane designer, but there are very interesting pictures. However, the article is weird - "And, above all, the aircraft is way to small" The point of a stealth fighter is in being stealthy. Being small may therefore be a good thing. And as long as it can strike and deliver missiles, how relevant is its size? Also, aybe it will be cheaper to make, something especially important for a country under embargo. Quantity is a quality it itself - and making 10 small planes might be better than making 3 average sized ones. There is another critic about the lack of advanced computer electronics in the cockpit. Who knows, maybe the iranians learnt a thing or two after the stuxnet centrifuge stories, and this makes the plane less vulnerable to viruses and software attacks??
- rprime 14y agoIt's "way to small" in the sense that the pilot cannot fit in it properly. As it has been stated this looks pretty far from a working prototype, it's merely a model.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- meaty 14y agoI think the issue regarding the size is more that there isn't enough space to add enough fuel, a full set of avionics such as comms, radar, IFF etc and get a pilot without a growth hormone deficiency crammed into it (perhaps they are using that monkey when it comes back!). Size doesn't matter with stealth technology at all - it's all about which way EM radiation bounces off it. It looks like a JJ Abrams prop to be honest. Actually not even that credible. Regarding virus and software attacks on aircraft (military at least) - it's all a load of JJ Abrams style "let's inject a virus into the core" horse shit.
- jnsaff2 14y agoWay to small consideration is not about the pilot fitting in but rather not having enough range (can't carry much fuel) nor useful payload (in this case armament).
- rmah 14y agoAs far as I know, it's not even a prototype, just a model.
- pknerd 14y agoMVP? :-)
- 3amOpsGuy 14y agoAll fur coat and nae knickers as they say. Shame because I reckon we're overdue some positive news about Iran instead of all the propaganda we've been getting drip fed in the west over the past couple of years.
- neurotech1 14y agoSome comments in the article imply its a mock-up, but Flight Global embedded a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ok2aMgfBdCs#t=22s http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v...
- Encosia 14y agoThat's an RC model with the jet sounds dubbed over. It's almost impossible that the plane would maneuver that well to begin with, without thrust vectoring and using what looks like Cessna avionics, but it's a certainty that the fiberglass model shown would disintegrate under the force of those kind of maneuvers.
- chakalakasp 14y agoOn second thought, lets not go to Tehran. Tis a silly place.
- maximilianburke 14y agoThere is a higher resolution picture of the cockpit here: http://i47.tinypic.com/24zxgsw.jpg http://i47.tinypic.com/24zxgsw.jpg The avionics seem to be what you would get in a Cessna or other small plane. The airspeed indicator marks the never exceed speed at 260kts. Based on the interior picture it also looks like the fuselage is made out of molded chopped strand mat fiberglass, the same type of material you'd find in the hull of a boat rather than an aircraft.
- redthrowaway 14y agoThis just reminds me of the photoshopped missile debacle. Who is Iran trying to fool with these things? They have to know that any competent military will see right through it. Are they trying to convince their own people that the military is all-powerful?
- ExpiredLink 14y agoThe 'danger' sign in English. LoL!
- hencq 14y agoMost likely to impress its own people I think. It's not like Iran's government is very popular with its own people nowadays. They seem to derive their legitimacy from standing up to the West (and particularly the US).
- slurgfest 14y agoThis isn't just about today's politics, it is also about a long-standing sense of national inferiority and a strong desire to prove that Iran is as good as other big countries
- pooriaazimi 14y ago> Are they trying to convince their own people that the military is all-powerful? Yes.
- jstalin 14y agoLOL... why would it say "DANGER" in English?
- at-fates-hands 14y agoIf you ever wanted to know how far advanced the US military is, here's a prime example. It's a long way from model to prototype to full scale production, so I wish them good luck. This hardly worrisome considering we're already working on third generation stealth technology. We also have the best pilots in the world, and technology that makes this plane look like a fourth year engineering student project.
- pal_graham 14y ago... you wish the Iranians good luck?
- mikecsh 14y ago>> We also have the best pilots in the world By what measure?
- diminoten 14y agoIf you consider training to be a measurable value of skill, I am randomly guessing that the above statement is due to the fact that we train our pilots more than any other military? (I don't know if that's true or not, just that's what I would gather as the source of such a statement)
- pm90 14y agoIndeed. Plus, the tactical knowledge obtained from fighting so many wars means that not only are there many experienced pilots, but when these pilots retire, they are likely going to train other pilots in their craft.
- mpyne 14y agoYes, it's one thing to develop the industrial scale needed to field and effectively utilize aviation assets, it's another thing entirely to adapt and maintain that base as long as the U.S. has been able to. Right now the U.S. has the institutional knowledge within the military, the industrial base to build craft, repair those craft, make custom tools/mods to those craft, well-trained and very experienced pilots, well-trained and very experienced aircrew, aircraft maintenance techs, etc. The latter means that the U.S. has a ready base of available personnel to use as expert instructors, as policy makers (in and out of the military), to feed back into the industrial base, etc. So it's not at all that other countries can't do it, but the investment needed to do so efficiently is just so massive nowadays.
- rikacomet 14y agoPoints: 1. Its a model only, the video says so itself. 2. If Iran makes a airplane, no need to think it will use it on west automatically. This news just happen to come at when both sides have tensions. Peace people! 3. If you look at it from a technological perspective, making such an airplane, despite the international embargoes, is a big feat. The odd shape would be really interesting to analyse for its aerodynamics. I hope someone can do a detailed analysis. 4. Imagine, if you are a country, would you really post pics of a new 'advanced' jet you just made? you wouldn't and they didn't. This is a rather diplomatic approach to make us reflect, how ready are we to jump the horse. But again, this does not prove in anyway that Iran's nuclear intention is peaceful or not. Lets not have another war in our lifetime anytime soon please. Live and let live!
- greghinch 14y agoDoubt they would outright use it against "the west" (US, Europe, etc.). Quite a bit more likely against Israel, which then drags the west (US) in due to alliances...
- kapitalx 14y ago> "the video says so itself" The video says "all stages of design and build .. are complete".
- rikacomet 14y agothere are two footages 1. the one shown up and close in pics (model) 2. the real plane flying for few seconds and only doing 1 maneuver (flip)
- thedrbrian 14y agoBut it's an RC model real plane.
- stcredzero 14y agoSo, how would one go about disrupting the world of stealth aircraft? How would one make the whole notion of "Fifth Generation Aircraft" obsolete? How about Infrared Telescopes operating above the atmosphere? Right now, all fighter aircraft need to burn liquid fuels to extract energy in the form of rapid thermal expansion of gasses, which spew out the back or which operate turbines to run fans. Large IR telescopes could be used to spot IR sources moving rapidly against the background, which could be localized and targeted by hypervelocity missiles. Stealth planes have a very reduced radar cross section, perhaps the size of a bird, but if you know exactly where the plane is, a radar guided missile could be made to home in on even a bird-sized return in the immediate vicinity. Such telescopes could be deployed on suborbital rocket planes that can overfly the area on a moment's notice. They could also be placed on circling high altitude drones. I'd bet that someone at DARPA has already gone through this thought process, and a program to disrupt 5th generation fighters already begun. (Not necessarily with this idea, though.)
- nickpinkston 14y agoI remember hearing the Russians had a similar satalite IR setup that could actually track our subs in the 1980's, +/- 0.1deg C was claimed.
- lifeisstillgood 14y agoSurely that was the mcguffin in Roger Moore's The Spy Who Loved Me ?
- runarb 14y agoDon't think that would be so great in practice. * The IR part would be vulnerable to countermeasures ( flares etc http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CH-46_Sea_Knight;_Flares.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CH-46_Sea_Knight;_Flares.j... ) * The communication between the telescope and missile would be vulnerable to jamming. * The communication between the telescope and missile would have to be very fast to make the missile catch up to fast manuring jets. * If you IR telescopes would be space based they would be more expensive then jets, meaning you probably want have enough of them. * All high altitude and space based weapon system are very vulnerable to a nuclear weapons. When a nuclear weapons is detonated in low earth orbit there are almost no atmospheric pressure to compress the explosion and little gravity to lower it. Instead the gravity will bend the explosion around the earth, radiating near earth space and high altitudes. Because of this just a single nuclear devise can take out must the world satellites and high altitude airplanes. (This is one of the reason last resort type nuclear weapons don't uses GPS/GLONASS/Galileo satellite navigation. Satellite navigation is amused to be destroyed early in a nuclear war). While a full nuclear war is not very likely, detonating a single nuclear devise like this maybe be more acceptable if attacked. Fighter jets on the other hand is a proven and efficient weapon against other jets.
- velodrome 14y agoDoes not mean it can't fly. It looks a lot like the X-36 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_X-36 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_X-36 However, I do agree the the craft shown in flight looks and sounds like a model r/c jet. If the craft is really this size, it cannot carry much of anything to the enemy. It is more of recon fighter. It's stealth abilities are also questionable.
- lifeisstillgood 14y agoI have a theory on corruption - there are basically two kinds if corruption 1. The "good" corruption. Think US congress pork barrel politics. It makes doing the right and progressive thing more expensive but it does not prevent it happening. So we grow richer. 2. The "bad" corruption. The tribal politics of mid-african nations is a well studied affair (building roads to one part of a country and not to the opposing tribal areas etc). This corruption stultifies actual growth. (there is a point honest...) The aircraft exists as a marker in a game of internal Iranian politics, and while there are many possible explanations I fancy the "bad" corruption one - it takes a special kind of distance from reality to imagine this will fool anyone with skin in the game - and that distance from reality tends to come from arrogant under educated privilege In short Iran looks like it may be suffering from bad corruption. Which is interesting - there has so far only been one way to grow a global superpower - democracy, science and forcing the politicians to pay lip service to both. Both China and India are vying for that new role. We may see an answer to which of the three you can do without soon.
- sausman 14y agoIf a country grows richer its corruption is a good thing? What good comes out of "good" corruption? If you look at corruption in isolation it's hard to find any.
- lifeisstillgood 14y agoWas new York growing and expanding as Boss Tweed took kickbacks and traded votes? Yes. Would it have grown without his control? Of course. But if he had been Papa Doc like? Compare Indonesia and Nigeria (search undercover economist where I must have remembered "my" theory) - take too much in bribes and drive away investment.
- nikster 14y agoYeah as long as your interests align with those who purchase politics in the US you can call that good. Its like a "good" dictator. You have no say and no power but you can still applaud from the sidelines. In reality, there is no good corruption.
- rdl 14y agoBoeing should give them a few billion dollars to get this in the air to keep f-35 funding from disappearing due to lack of threats.
- gruseom 14y agoAre you familiar with Pierre Sprey's critique of the F-35, and if so, is he credible?
- rdl 14y agoHe's certainly got the background but I think he pushes his own agenda, which isn't compatible with how the modern military works. Ultimately what kills F-35, etc. is drones. Over the next 20 years I think we'll see all air to air go to drones (for performance) and air to ground (for expendability, size, etc.). The F-35 would be the last major offensive aircraft, if it does happen.
- DrinkWater 14y agoQaher like the english 'anger'?