Why Iran’s New Home-Grown Stealth Fighter Will Never Get Off the Ground

Gizmodo - Credit to The Aviationist ^ | Feb 4, 2013 | David Cenciotti - The Aviationist

[Corporate Democrat]

On Feb. 1, 2013, Iran unveiled its indigenous fighter jet named "Qaher 313″. The prototype of the Q-313 (or F-313 according to the stencils applied to the aircraft), was presented to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and publicly displayed as part of the Ten-Day Dawn ceremonies held in Iran to celebrate the 1979′s victory of the Islamic Revolution.

In the previous days, the Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi had said, "The aircraft will be different from the other fighter jets Iran has already made." Iran's new fighter jet doesn't look like any we've ever seen before. Turns out, as The Aviationist explains, that's because it maybe possibly almost definitely can't fly.

[Little Pig]

The "vehicle" they showed a few days ago is pretty much certainly a mockup. When the photos came out, I pointed out Here that it was fake, based on the horrifically distorted canopy, as well as the really minimalist instrument panel. The size kind of gives it away too. Despite the way they look, even "small" fighters are pretty damn big; the Iranian one looks like a kit-plane in comparison to even "little" fighters like the F-16 and the A-4.

[Obama_Is_Sabotaging_America]

You’re right.. A boat with our hijacked drone embedded with wings protruding (front).. Hahahahaaa. Can see in the front a boat bow and back the stern. LOL

[Obama_Is_Sabotaging_America]

How nice of them to put “REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT” (in English) ON THOSE RED ENGINE TAGS.

[Dan(9698)]

You can double your math capacity by taking off your shoes.

[FredZarguna]

Comment at the article says “Remember to think in Persian when you fly it.” Bwahahahaa!

[FredZarguna]

You can double your math capacity by taking off your shoes.

And calculate in hex, too!

Well, at least up to 14.

[Kirkwood]

Iranian Midget Air Force.

[Tucker39]

Looks like a cheap bogus knockoff of an SR-71 Blackbird.

[Charles Martel]

Yeah, about that canopy... the view from inside is so blurry that it looks like privacy glass.

[Swordmaker]

Did you notice there are no latches on the canopy edges or any seals either? The wind noise will be horrific! If the canopy doesn’t tear off in flight. LOL!

[Kadric]

When I see it I think of the Boeing “Bird of Prey”. Mainly due to the wings.

[PLMerite]

Here's part of where they got it from.

[PLMerite]

Someone apparently has built a flying RC version of the Firefox.

[Vinnie]

When I saw the pic posted a few days ago the thing that struck me was the ripples in the skin. If it is real they don’t know sheetmetal work.
But my thought was, it’s a mockup.

[PLMerite]

And here's the X-36:

[PLMerite]

And here's where the bent wing comes from - Boeing Bird of Prey:

[greenhornet68]

And this is where that design came from...

[PapaBear3625]

The video at the link shows something that looks like the plane flying around.

MadMax at #8 says "It’s the Iranian equivalent of our Amusement Park “Bumper Car”". I think so too.

I don't think Iran is trying to produce a fighter that can credibly go up against US fighters. I think they are trying to produce a manned cruise missile, a kamikaze plane with an embedded nuke that has some chance of getting through to Israel or get close enough to a US carrier fleet.

[Chode]

no, is it at the Gizmodo link???

[jmcenanly]

It sounds like the so called ‘baka bombs’ the Japanese used toward the end of the Second world War. These would be dropped from a bomber and the pilot would guide the rocket powered craft to its target. However, I think that our air defenses have evolved to a point where it would be difficult for someone to try that again.