HESA Kowsar

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Kowsar
File:HESA Kowsar4.jpg
HESA Kowsar
General information
TypeFighter, advanced fighter trainer
ManufacturerIran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA)
StatusIn service
Primary userIslamic Republic of Iran Air Force
Number built5[citation needed]
History
Introduction date3 November 2018
First flightAugust 2018
Developed fromNorthrop F-5
HESA Azarakhsh
HESA Saeqeh
File:HESA Kowsar rollout.jpg
Unveiling the HESA Kowsar
File:HESA Kowsar production line.jpg
HESA Kowsar production line
File:HESA Kowsar3.jpg
HESA Kowsar production line

The HESA Kowsar (Persian: کوثر, also spelt Kosar)[1] is an Iranian fighter jet based on the American Northrop F-5.[2][3] The aircraft is equipped with new fourth generation avionics in combination with an advanced fire control system.[4][1]

According to the Iranian media, this fighter jet has "advanced avionics" and multipurpose radar, and it was "100-percent indigenously made".[5] It also uses digital data networks, a glass cockpit, heads-up display (HUD), ballistic computers and smart mobile mapping systems.[citation needed]

Development

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On 3 November 2018, there was a ceremony that inaugurated the launch of the Kowsar assembly line at the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries Company (HESA) with at least seven being made.[6] President Hassan Rouhani was present as he inspected the Kowsar in the Defense Industry Day event celebration[7] in Isfahan.[8]

The HESA Kowsar has seven hardpoints with a total capacity of 3,200 kg (7,100 lb) of armaments and also has a 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon. It can carry up to four air-to-air Fatir missiles (a reverse engineering of Sidewinder missiles), or twelve 250 kg (550 lb) bombs or five 450 kg (990 lb) bombs or two 900 kg (2,000 lb) bombs. Kowsar has an Italian Grifo radar (a Chinese model or its domestic production has been used) with a range of 93 km (58 mi) that can engage two targets simultaneously.[9]

Western media have described the plane to be inefficient as a weapon, but having potential for training a new generation of Iranian fighter pilots.[10] There were reports of a crash by an Iranian-operated F-5 days after the Kowsar's existence was announced.[11]

Export

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On 26 November 2018, Brigadier General Abdolkarim Banitarafi, head of Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO), announced that Iran was ready to export the HESA Kowsar jet..[citation needed]

Design

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The Kowsar, like the Saegheh and the Azarakhsh, was made based on the frame of the American F-5.[12]

Variants

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The Kowsar is produced in single and two-seater variants.[citation needed]

Operational history

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On 25 June 2020, the Iranian Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics announced that three new Kowsar aircraft had been delivered to the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, in a ceremony in Esfahan. The images published showed the aircraft painted in non-combat colours.[13]

Reactions

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Official

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Israel's defence minister Avigdor Liberman told press that it was a "natural reaction to an economic crisis", adding "[t]he Iranians are feeling very pressured by the continued US sanctions and in reaction they are coming out with these things, but we also shouldn’t dismiss it". Ofir Gendelman, spokesperson of the prime minister's office tweeted "The Iranian regime unveils the Kowsar plane and claims that it is ‘the first 100% locally-manufactured Iranian fighter jet'. It boasts about its offensive capabilities. But I immediately noticed that this is a very old American war plane (it was manufactured in the '50s). It is from the F-5 class of jets which has not been in use for decades".[14]

Commentators

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According to Douglas Barrie, military aerospace senior fellow at the IISS, the Iranians have possibly made upgrades and changes to the Kowsar while keeping the basic F-5 jet frame.[15] He also suggests that while Iran can reverse engineer the jet frame, the problem lies in sourcing engines and avionics.[16]

Specifications

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Data from [17]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 14.45 m (47 ft 5 in)
  • Wingspan: 8.13 m (26 ft 8 in)
  • Height: 4.08 m (13 ft 5 in)
  • Wing area: 17.28 m2 (186.0 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 4,349 kg (9,588 lb)
  • Gross weight: 7,157 kg (15,778 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 9,312 kg (20,529 lb)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Owj turbojet engines, 15.5 kN (3,500 lbf) thrust each, 4,900 lbf (22 kN) in full afterburner.

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 1,700 km/h (1,100 mph, 920 kn)
  • Range: 1,100 km (680 mi, 590 nmi)
  • Combat range: 2,000 km (1,200 mi, 1,100 nmi) (with external fuel tanks and 20 minutes reserved fuel)
  • Ferry range: 2,900 km (1,800 mi, 1,600 nmi) (with 3 external fuel tanks)
  • Service ceiling: 15,800 m (51,800 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 175 m/s (34,400 ft/min)

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to HESA Kowsar.

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

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  10. ^ Iran's New Warplane Seen Limited as Weapon, Useful for Training, Michael Lipin, Farhad Pouladi at globalsecurity.org, August 25, 2018
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