The HESA Azarakhsh ( Âzaraxš, "Thunderbolt") is a jet fighter aircraft manufactured by the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA). It is widely regarded as a rebuilt and renamed American Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter/Tiger II
The Azarakhsh was developed in Isfahan by the Iranian military, the Iranian Defense Ministry, and aircraft-manufacturing company HESA.
Development
In April 1997 Iranian Brigadier General Arasteh, a deputy head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, declared that Iran had successfully designed, constructed and tested its first fighter aircraft. By late 1997 it was reported that Iran had begun producing the aircraft
On August 5, 2007, Azarakhsh conducted a successful test flight. On August 6, 2007, Ministry of Defense Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar said, "<nowiki>[Azarakhsh]</nowiki> is now at the stage of industrial production and its mass production will start in the future."
Design
Azarakhsh
Production started by late 1997 and as of 2001 there were six aircraft reported to be in service.
Saeqeh
The HESA Saeqeh is a follow on aircraft, derived from the Azarakhsh fighter. As with many previous indigenous Iranian developed weapons, no performance data has been released to verify official claims. An unknown number of this generation have been built and are reported to have entered service with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) on September 22, 2007.
Kowsar
In August 2018, IAIO unveiled the Kowsar (or Kosar) jet trainer and strike aircraft. The Kowsar will be produced in single and two-seater versions.