| Kowsar | |
|---|---|
 HESA Kowsar | |
| General information | |
| Type | Fighter, advanced fighter trainer |
| Manufacturer | Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force |
| Number built | 5[citation needed] |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 3 November 2018 |
| First flight | August 2018 |
| Developed from | Northrop F-5 HESA Azarakhsh HESA Saeqeh |
The HESA Kowsar (Persian: کوثر, also spelt Kosar)[1] is an Iranian fighter jet based on the American Northrop F-5.[2][3] The aircraft is equipped with new fourth generation avionics in combination with an advanced fire control system.[4][1]
According to the Iranian media, this fighter jet has "advanced avionics" and multipurpose radar, and it was "100-percent indigenously made".[5] It also uses digital data networks, a glass cockpit, heads-up display (HUD), ballistic computers and smart mobile mapping systems.[citation needed][6][7][8]
Development
On 3 November 2018, there was a ceremony that inaugurated the launch of the Kowsar assembly line at the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries Company (HESA) with at least seven being made.[9] President Hassan Rouhani was present as he inspected the Kowsar in the Defense Industry Day event celebration[10] in Isfahan.[11]
The HESA Kowsar has seven hardpoints with a total capacity of 3,200 kg (7,100 lb) of armaments and also has a 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon. It can carry up to four air-to-air Fatir missiles (a reverse engineering of Sidewinder missiles), or twelve 250 kg (550 lb) bombs or five 450 kg (990 lb) bombs or two 900 kg (2,000 lb) bombs. Kowsar has an Italian Grifo radar (a Chinese model or its domestic production has been used) with a range of 93 km (58 mi) that can engage two targets simultaneously.[12]
Western media have described the plane to be inefficient as a weapon, but having potential for training a new generation of Iranian fighter pilots.[13] There were reports of a crash by an Iranian-operated F-5 days after the Kowsar's existence was announced.[14]
Export
On 26 November 2018, Brigadier General Abdolkarim Banitarafi, head of Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO), announced that Iran was ready to export the HESA Kowsar jet.[citation needed]
Design
The Kowsar, like the Saegheh and the Azarakhsh, was made based on the frame of the American F-5.[15]
Variants
The Kowsar is produced in single and two-seater variants.[citation needed]
Operational history
On 25 June 2020, the Iranian Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics announced that three new Kowsar aircraft had been delivered to the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, in a ceremony in Esfahan. The images published showed the aircraft painted in non-combat colours.[16]
Reactions
Official
Israel's defence minister Avigdor Liberman told press that it was a "natural reaction to an economic crisis", adding "[t]he Iranians are feeling very pressured by the continued US sanctions and in reaction they are coming out with these things, but we also shouldn’t dismiss it". Ofir Gendelman, spokesperson of the prime minister's office tweeted "The Iranian regime unveils the Kowsar plane and claims that it is ‘the first 100% locally-manufactured Iranian fighter jet'. It boasts about its offensive capabilities. But I immediately noticed that this is a very old American war plane (it was manufactured in the '50s). It is from the F-5 class of jets which has not been in use for decades".[17]
Commentators
According to Douglas Barrie, military aerospace senior fellow at the IISS, the Iranians have possibly made upgrades and changes to the Kowsar while keeping the basic F-5 jet frame.[18] He also suggests that while Iran can reverse engineer the jet frame, the problem lies in sourcing engines and avionics.[19]
Specifications
Data from [20]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 14.45 m (47 ft 5 in)
- Wingspan: 8.13 m (26 ft 8 in)
- Height: 4.08 m (13 ft 5 in)
- Wing area: 17.28 m2 (186.0 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 4,349 kg (9,588 lb)
- Gross weight: 7,157 kg (15,778 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 9,312 kg (20,529 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Owj turbojet engines, 15.5 kN (3,500 lbf) thrust each, 4,900 lbf (22 kN) in full afterburner.
Performance
- Maximum speed: 1,700 km/h (1,100 mph, 920 kn)
- Range: 1,100 km (680 mi, 590 nmi)
- Combat range: 2,000 km (1,200 mi, 1,100 nmi) (with external fuel tanks and 20 minutes reserved fuel)
- Ferry range: 2,900 km (1,800 mi, 1,600 nmi) (with 3 external fuel tanks)
- Service ceiling: 15,800 m (51,800 ft)
- Rate of climb: 175 m/s (34,400 ft/min)
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
- ^ a b "New Fighter Jet Unveiled By Iranian Military". Forces Network. British Forces Broadcasting Service. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- ^ "Iran unveils new domestically-produced fighter jet". BBC. 21 Aug 2018. Retrieved 26 Aug 2018.
- ^ "Eyeing U.S., Iran unveils new fighter jet". Reuters. August 22, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "European Defence Review magazine". 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- ^ "Iran starts mass-producing locally designed Kowsar fighter jet". Al Jazeera. 3 November 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ^ "Kowsar; fighter with distinctive features". iranpress.com. Retrieved 2025-12-28.
- ^ "Iran unveils homemade fighter jet on National Defense Day - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 2025-12-28.
- ^ "Kowsar fighter jet development quickly underway: IRIAF commander". en.isna.ir. Retrieved 2025-12-28.
- ^ "Iran launches production of F-5-derived Kowsar fighter - Jane's 360". www.janes.com. Archived from the original on 2018-11-17. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- ^ Dudley, Dominic (2018-08-21). "Iran's 'New' Fighter Jet Provokes Derision, As Observers Note Likeness To U.S. Jet From The '60s". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
- ^ "Iran launches mass-production of Kowsar "fourth-generation" fighter jet". Air Recognition. November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- ^ "Military knowledge: Kosar fighter + pictures". iswnews.com. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ^ Iran's New Warplane Seen Limited as Weapon, Useful for Training, Michael Lipin, Farhad Pouladi at globalsecurity.org, August 25, 2018
- ^ "Iranian F-5 jet crashes southwest Tehran days after unveiling native 'Kowsar' jet". Kurdistan 24. 26 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- ^ AFP (2018-08-21). "Israel mocks Iran's 'indigenous' fighter jet as copy of obsolete F-5". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
- ^ Binnie, Jeremy (25 June 2020), "Iran announces delivery of Kowsar jets, shows F-5Fs", Janes, retrieved 29 July 2020
- ^ "Israel mocks Iran's 'indigenous' fighter jet as copy of obsolete F-5", Times of Israel, 21 August 2018, retrieved 29 July 2020
- ^ Reid, David (22 August 2018). "Military experts say Iran's new fighter jet is actually a US plane from the 1970s". www.cnbc.com. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ "Iran's first indigenously developed fighter jet looks a lot like the American F-5". The Defense Post. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ "دانش نظامی: جنگنده کوثر + تصاویر". 30 June 2020.
