Iran flies domestically made fighter jets to mark Army Day

The Kowsar domestic fighter jet, a fourth-generation fighter, with ‘advanced avionics’ and multi-purpose radar in one of its test flights. (Iranian Defense Ministry/AFP)

The production line of the Kowsar domestic fighter jet, a fourth-generation fighter, with ‘advanced avionics’ and multi-purpose radar. (Iranian Defense Ministry/AFP)

• The twin-seated Kowsar — modelled after American F-5 fighter jet — was inaugurated in 2017
• The parade also showcased the Saegheh — Thunderbolt — another domestically built fighter plane

TEHRAN: Iran has showcased domestically made fighter jets by flying the aircraft over Tehran during a military parade marking National Army Day.
State TV broadcast footage of the aircraft performing during the parade on Thursday.
The planes include the latest all-Iranian fighter jet, dubbed Kowsar, which in Islamic meaning refers to a river in paradise and is also the title of a chapter in the Muslim holy book, the Qur’an.
The twin-seated Kowsar — modelled after American F-5 fighter jet — was inaugurated in 2017, when the TV aired images of President Hassan Rouhani briefly sitting in the plane’s cockpit inside a hangar before the ceremony.
The parade also showcased the Saegheh, or “Thunderbolt,” another domestically built fighter plane. Iran’s air force already has US-made and Russian-made Sukhoi aircraft in service.