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Iran launches Saeqeh fighter-bomber squadron
The Iranian military has introduced a new squadron of domestically-manufactured Saeqeh fighter-bombers to the country's Air Force to strengthen its deterrence power. Well, no. Televised pictures indicate the new plane is a modified F-5 fighter jet - a U.S.-made aircraft that was supplied to Iran before the Islamic revolution in 1979. "This fleet is the first fighter-bomber squadron made up of domestically manufactured aircraft," a top Air Force officer, Seyyed Mohammad Alavi, explained on Wednesday. "The plane's parts have all been produced inside the country in a joint project between the Defense Ministry and the Air Force," he added. And it they go up against the U.S., all the burning parts will fall inside the country Alavi did not elaborate on the number of aircraft in the squadron, but said that several new Saeqeh fighters would be added at a later date making a full fleet of 24 aircraft. The senior Air Force officer also said that all the pilots that were to fly the planes had been trained in Iran. Alavi went into further detail about the Saeqeh aircraft, pointing out that the fighter-bomber had the ability to track down enemy aircraft, engage in combat, target locations on the ground, and Posted by: Fred 2010-02-26 |
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