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Iran starts mass producing of Sa'eqeh fighter jet

Xinhua, January 8, 2015 Adjust font size:

Iran has started mass production of its independently developed Sa'eqeh fighter jets, Tehran Times daily reported on Thursday.

Sa'eqeh (Thunderbolt) fighter jets would satisfy the needs of Iran's air force for the time being and "it would be altered and modified in line with the requirements," a high-ranking air force official was quoted as saying.

Sa'eqeh is an Iran-built single-seat fighter jet, which is derived from the American Northrop F-5 fighter jet with two vertical stabilizers instead of one. A joint product of Iran's air force and the Defense Ministry, Sa'eqeh was successfully tested on Sept. 20, 2007.

Iran has announced that the Sa'eqeh is a combat plane with high maneuvering capability and is capable of bombing close ground targets. The fighter-bomber has a range of 3,000 km and can track down enemy aircraft and carry a variety of weapons and ammunition.

In September 2010, Iran displayed the first squadron of the Sa'eqeh fighter jets during an air show.

In September 2012, the air force said the new generation of home-made Sa'eqeh fighter jets are more advanced than the previous versions and had been optimized by Iranian specialists. The new aircraft could be equipped with enhanced ammunition, smart bombs and modern electronic systems. Endit