Is the new Iranian fighter a paper tiger?

Feb 4, 2020 5:24 PM PST

1 minute read

SUMMARY

Iran has made waves announcing new weapons, like the Bavar 373 and Qaher 313 in recent years, and they’ve been

Iran has made waves announcing new weapons, like the Bavar 373 and Qaher 313 in recent years, and they've been conducting a lot of tests. Iran even claimed to have copied the RQ-170 "Beast of Kandahar" reconnaissance drone after one of the American spy planes made a forced landing in Iran.

But are these systems paper tigers? According to the National Interest, the Iranians may not have thought through their Qaher 313 very well. In fact, the Qaher 313 may be in the pantheon of "most useless combat planes" that includes such luminaries as the Boulton-Paul Defiant and the Brewster F2A Buffalo.

Lineart of the Qaher-313 mockup based on estimations. (Image from Wikimedia Commons)

In fact, when Iranian-made versions of the Chinese C-802 missile were fired at American ships on multiple occasions this past October by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, they failed to score any hits, and drew a retaliatory strike.

The Qaher 313 is touted as Iran's fifth-generation stealth fighter, capable of carrying 2,000-pound bombs, Chinese PL-12 missiles, and other weapons. That's the hype. But what is the reality?

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani joins Defense Ministry officials at the unveiling of the Bavar 373 SAM system. (Photo: Tasnim)

The claim drew skepticism, with the National Interest reporter recalling a comparison of the Qaher 313 to a GI Joe toy. One of the reasons is that the Iranians appear to only have the option of using reverse-engineered versions of the J85 engine, which is used on their inventory of F-5E Tiger fighters.

Public Domain

The aircraft's size has also caused some discussion, with some believing that the Iranians displayed a small-scale mock-up. Others, though, have claimed that the plane is just a propaganda exercise — and a poorly executed one, at that. Haaretz.com called the plane a "glorified mock-up" that "won't cause any panic in the Israeli Air Force's intelligence wing."

Iran has reportedly made a killer drone based on a secret U.S.-designed RQ-170 Sentinel.

This isn't the only such dispute. Iran's claims to have copied the RQ-170 also drew skepticism, with some claiming the Iranians had built a static mock-up. It should be noted that Iran has successfully built naval vessels, notably the Jamaran-class frigates and the Peykan-class missile boats, as well as an indigenous coastal submarine.