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Via the BBC:  Qaher F313: Iran unveils home-made ‘stealth’ fighter

Iran has unveiled a new home-made combat aircraft, which officials say can evade radar.

The single-seat Qaher F313 (Dominant F313) is the latest design produced by Iran’s military since it launched the Azarakhsh (Lightning), in 2007.

[…]

The ceremony was timed to coincide with the 34th anniversary of the 1979 revolution, which replaced the US-backed shah with an Islamic regime.

This has the feel of a political show, but that doesn’t mean the plane doesn’t work as advertised.  Of course, it also doesn’t mean that it isn’t just a plane painted black.

At a minimum, this story, and the space monkey bit, are clear indicators that the Iranian government feels the need to bolster its standing with its own population (the likely main target of these stories).  This is as much about nationalism than it is technology.

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Steven L. Taylor
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a retired Professor of Political Science and former College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog). Follow Steven on Twitter

Comments

  1. Have you seen the pictures? The thing looks like a mock-up to me. Call it the Potemkin Fighter.

  2. @Doug Mataconis: Yep–that was my reaction as well, to be honest.

  3. carpeicthus says:

    It’s so stealthy it doesn’t even fly.

  4. Dave says:

    Well this may be a show, but Iran’s ability to produce a stealth fighter increases with every crashed US stealth helicopter or drone in “allied” Pakistan. The bright side is if they will continue to have the means for the R&D since sanctions appear to be taking their toll on the Iranian economy producing the need for more shows of force to its own citizens.