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HESA Azarakhsh (Lightning)

1997 MODERN AIRCRAFT

History

Beginning in February 1965, Iran received its first Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter aircraft from the United States and joined the Iranian Air Force at the operational level in June of that year. The original A and B model inventory was then sold to make room for the following F-5E and F-5F models ("Tiger II").

The Iranian Revolution of 1979 eliminated all further shipments of U.S. military equipment and forced reliance on other exporters friendly to the new regime, or a determined advance in the current capabilities of the Iranian aviation industry.

With valuable experience running the F-5 production line, the country eventually began to redesign the F-5 production line for its own purposes, producing all-new modern variants to meet ongoing battlefield demands. One development was the HESA "Saeqeh" ("Thunderbolt"), which appeared in 2007 for a fighter character (detailed elsewhere on this page).

Two outwardly sloping vertical rear wings clearly distinguish this model from the original American design. Prior to this version's debut, Iranian industry laid the groundwork for the later HESA "Azarakhsh" ("Lightning"), a strike fighter-oriented offshoot of the same F-5 Freedom Fighter/Tiger family.

The Azarakhsh was developed directly from the F-5E Tiger II model and was introduced to formal frontline operations in 1997. It retains the same form and function as the original, including a twin-engine, dual-air intake layout, a slender nose cone assembly and low-mounted wing attachments. The aircraft is operated by a single operator, has a nose-mounted radar, is equipped with missiles, and has the inherent ability to carry air-to-surface munitions in the form of conventional air-delivered bombs, missile pods, etc.

The wingtip stations are reserved for a short-range air-to-air missile (AAM) very similar to the American AIM-9 Sidewinder. Unlike the Saeqeh, the Azarakhsh only sees a single tail (like the original F-5).

Standard stationary armament consists of 2 x 20mm cannons with approximately 250 to 280 rounds each.

While performance specifications remain largely secret, the Iranian aircraft is believed to be the same as some of the numbers encountered in the original design. The family is also believed to still use a GE turbojet with about 5,000 pounds of thrust and afterburner (3,500 pounds dry), a top speed of 1,050 mph (Mach 1.6), a ferry range of up to 2,300 miles, and a service ceiling of up to 51,500 feet . Climb speeds can easily exceed 34,000 feet per minute.

US-built F-5E models are equipped with Emerson Electric AN/APQ-153 and -159 series radars and AN/AVQ-27 Laser Target Designating Devices (LTDS). Sources indicate that the Azarakhsh has the qualities/capabilities of a 2nd or 3rd generation fighter (studies on a possible form of a 4th generation fighter are not clear) that even today could carry or replace locally derived radar tuning .

Production of the system has reportedly been slow, with the announced three-year window calling for deliveries of around 30 aircraft, although this has not been confirmed. Therefore, its existence and value in the Iranian Air Force stockpile is questionable.