Their ability to work with fiberglass has clearly improved - the release said - the drone seems to be even working.
According to analysts, the one sold as a drone with the decoded software of the Sentinel may have been assembled with components of the F-5 Tiger fighter.
The CIA, however, confirms the loss of the Sentinel (and it would be the first official admission). The Sentinel has not been shot down - the agency says - but it has only crashed due to a technical problem. Once lost control - they add from Langley - all systems aimed at protecting the secrets of the drone have been activated. Another admission of the CIA: drones, therefore, would all have been equipped with a self-destruct system to prevent their sensitive technology from falling into enemy hands.
Iran, on the other hand, claims the opposite and that is to have shot down the drone and revealed its secrets. But this would be only the latest gimmick of the Iranians.
The 27 June last year, Iran revealed to the world the fifth-generation super fighter made at home: the Qaher 313. It will turn out to be only a toy, with shots taken on a remote-controlled remote-controlled aircraft.
Ten years earlier, Tehran unveiled another super fighter. The Shafagh or "Twilight" was presented as revolutionary and superior to any fighter ally of the era: it will turn out to be a wooden mock-up.
But the examples do not end there. Last May 6th, the last Ghadir class submarine, defined with very high stealth capabilities and built with Chinese technology, sank during an exercise near the Strait of Hormuz. All ten members of the boat would have died.
This latest news, confirmed by the CIA, is obviously denied by the Iranians. Moreover, Tehran's only goal is internal propaganda.
The Qaher-313
The Qaher-313, was presented on the first day of the celebrations commemorating the victory of the Islamic Revolution of 1979. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad himself took part in the presentation of the aircraft, described as "a super-last-generation fighter from air superiority." Iran: Its radar is able to track and engage multiple air and ground targets in all-weather conditions, the aircraft can carry out several missions in a single sortie, with the ability to internally transport its war load to reduce the radar signature.
Our invisible fighter - said the Minister of Defense, General Ahmad Vahidi - is able to follow the profile of the terrain by darting at very high speed thanks to its more unique than rare profile. The Qaher - he added - is a manifestation of Iran's ability to build state-of-the-art aircraft. The aircraft - Vahidi later explained - has a very small cross section radar, hardly detectable by western radar, thanks to its very special aerodynamic profile. Its unique propulsion system gives the aircraft the ability to take off and land from short runways. The Qaher 313 - the defense minister concluded - is able to compete on equal terms for features and performance with the most advanced fighters on the planet like the F-22 or the F-35.
The Qaher 313 - they finally commented on state television - is unique in the world, so exceptional that only three countries (we presume USA, China and Russia) could build it.
Did Iran therefore have a frighteningly powerful fighter capable of dealing with fifth-generation western aircraft?
Probably, more than a flying prototype, as stated during the presentation, the Qaher-313 is only a mock-up, made for internal propaganda purposes.
Presenting a last-generation fighter to the people strengthens the consensus of the typical political leadership of totalitarian or militarized governments. In fact, claiming to own the "stealth" technology means being in step with the times, conveying the idea of an advanced country. It would be correct to say that the "stealth" has taken the place of the atomic in the political propaganda of some countries.
And perhaps the objective has been reached, considering the reaction of the people after the presentation of the fighter in front of the nation. But what was shown, would not even be able to get up in flight. By analyzing the photos, in fact, there are many anomalies . Meanwhile, the aircraft's measurements seem to be too small for a fighter jet. Almost no radar, for example, could fit on the nose of the aircraft.
The very aerodynamics of the Qaher then, presents some choices that seem not to be plausible with the current stealth configurations. The anti-radiation material used to coat the surface of the aircraft then, seems more like a banal industrial color. Finally, considering the design, there do not seem to be any signs of RAM or similar films. The air intakes are extremely small, while the engine section is devoid of any type of nozzle: if there were an afterburner, it could melt the whole jet. The only engine that could be installed would be a reverse engineering version of General Electric's J85, without afterburner. If moreover, the Iranian fighter flew, it would be subsonic and certainly not equipped with a vectorial control system for the thrust.
The hold inside the fuselage does not seem to exist. The cockpit inside the passenger compartment was then recreated with Iranian avionics, although it seems to have been assembled more for choreography (and internal propaganda) than for real use. for the benefit of the pilot. A Dynon EFIS-D100 electronic display, a couple of EFIS-D10As Dynon and a Garmin NavCom VHF along with other products made by the two companies would be placed. To date and after the Qaher's in-flight videos proved to be fakes, not there is evidence to suggest that Iran has the technological means to build an advanced stealth aircraft.
This does not mean, however, that the real purpose has not been achieved.
Franco Iacch
(photo: Fars News Agency, Iranian Presidency)
