HESA F-313 Qaher (Conqueror)

History

The Iranian government and military describe their Qaher-313 ("Conqueror") (also known as "F-313" or "Q-313") as the first stealth fighter jet of Iranian origin. Its manufacture is carried out by the Aviation Industry Organization (AIO), which oversees the work of GHODS, HESA, PANHA, SAHA and Shahid Basir Industries.

Unlike other Iranian military-industrial attempts, which are largely modified copies of existing American or Soviet-Chinese products, the F-313 is said to be an entirely homegrown effort in Iran - from structure, avionics, piloting cabin and engine. Due to the limitations of the Iranian military-industrial complex, few people truly believed in the viability of the F-313 announced in February 2013. In keeping with their growing saga, the plane has not flown publicly since early 2015. The only published photos are of the aircraft on display or in ground transport.

Iran has admitted to flying a small radio-controlled version of the plane for testing purposes.

Claims related to this stealth fighter include proven stealth features seen in other 5th generation aircraft - faceted fuselage panels covered with advanced coatings, low radar signature radar display and internal weapons bays. It is said to be a multi-role performer capable of air-to-air sorties and ground-attack missions.

As such, it can deploy a variety of Iranian air-to-air missiles as well as precision-guided bombs (estimated power ratings up to 2 x 1,000 lbs).

Externally, the Qaher-313 has a rather sleek profile, with sharp surfaces more reminiscent of the Lockheed F-117 "Nighthawk" stealth fighter of the 1980s than the Lockheed F-22" Raptor" or Russian fighter Sukhoi "PAK-FA". Fifth generation fighter. Its main planes of the wings are on the far sides of the fuselage, with the tips pointing down.

The canards are mounted in front of the main aircraft and behind the air intakes, which themselves are a smaller, low-profile design flanking the cockpit. The pilot sits under a wide, bubble-like canopy with excellent visibility - although there doesn't appear to be any special coating on the glass. The empennage consists of two outwardly sloping vertical fins spanning a single engine unit in the fuselage. The landing gear is a traditional tricycle arrangement, using two main legs and one front leg - all single-wheeled.

The engine exhausts appear to be shielded to some extent by the fuselage structure, but their general design shape is round - not with the flattened rectangular profile of the F-22.

Despite the Iranian government's claims, there are still many who doubt the capabilities of this "fighter in progress". The aircraft does not rely on fly-by-wire (FBW) for secondary control due to the improved inherent stability of the overall assembly, the sources said. The "glass" cockpit shown in the released images is said to contain a range of off-the-shelf commercial aviation products, such as GPS, and the dashboard itself more closely resembles a small modern Cessna turboprop or similar.

Others have noted the aircraft's compact size, which sets it apart from the most compact modern 4th generation fighter jets - avionics, fuel, engines, components and weapons bays all require considerable interior space.

In an effort to thwart criticism, Iranian officials claim that the aircraft shown represents an actual product under development, not its true final form. Iran Air has some experience in producing other aircraft, although these are locally modified versions of American helicopters and jets - the Iranians bought several major American products before the fall of the Shah - Bell AH-1 Super Cobra attack helicopter , Grumman F-14 Tomcat, McDonnell F-4 Phantom II and Northrop F-5 Tigers.

The Iranians repurposed the SuperCobra as the PANHA 'Toufan', while the F-5 Tiger became the HESA 'Saeqeh' - both are said to be in service today (2015).

Only time and published schedule progress will prove one side against the other.

March 2017 - Iranian leadership announced that the Qaher-313 prototype was ready for flight testing.

April 2017 - Qaher-313 photographed during ground testing, showing some design changes compared to the initially proposed static model.

Specification

Basic

Production

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Performance

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Changes