Iran’s “Stealth” Combat Aircraft, a Farsi-cal Claim?: Iran unveiled the single-seat Qaher F-313 combat aircraft, with senior Iranian military leaders claiming that the domestically built platform is radar-evading and sophisticated. Iranian Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi said on Feb, 2, the day of the F-313’s unveiling, the aircraft has a “very low radar cross section” and is capable of flying at low altitudes, reported the International Business Times (via The Diplomat), citing Iranian state-run television. Vahidi also said the aircraft is capable of carrying advanced weapons and can take off and land on short runways. The F-313 is designed and built by Iran’s Aviation Industries Organization—part of its defense ministry, reported Flight Global. “All its parts, from A to Z, have been manufactured domestically,” Hassan Parvaneh, Qaher project manager, told Iranian state television, according to Flight Global. Parvaneh also noted that the F-313 is “the first Iranian jet using a front control wing.”
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.