Azarakhsh

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Azarakhsh
Type	Strike fighter
Manufacturer	Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company
Introduced	1997
Status	active service, Iran
Primary users	Iran Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

The Azarakhsh (Persian: آذرخش, lightning) is Iran's first domestically manufactured combat fighter jet.

In April 1997 Iranian Brigadier General Arasteh, a deputy head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces declared that Iran had successfully designed, constructed, and tested its first fighter aircraft. By late 1997 Iran had begun mass producing the aircraft, and by mid-2000, four aircraft were said to be undergoing operational tests, with production proceeding at a rate of around ten aircraft per year.

A great deal of the aircraft is believed to be derived from the reverse engineered components of US fighter planes. Notable among these might be the F-14 Tomcat, the F-5 Freedom Fighter, and the F-4 Phantom II. Numerous enhancements and upgrades were also built into the design from an early stage.

Iran has yet to release any additional information about the aircraft and its capabilities are unknown. It is believed to be essentially a modified F-5<ref>GlobalSecurity.org Azarakhsh (Lightning)</ref>, and claimed to be larger by about 10%-15%. The Azarakhsh is also said to use an upgraded version of N-019 Topaz (N-019ME) radar.

On the 17th of May 2000, Iran's acting commander of the Air Force said that Azarakhsh had reached mass-production stage.<ref>Pavyand.comPayvand's Iran News</ref>