Iran, for the second time, has publicly revealed a prototype of its indigenous IAIO Qaher-313 "stealth" fighter jet, which some western aviation experts deride as a "laughable joke" and a "hoax."
The prototype Qaher-313 designated "Experimental 08" conducted taxi tests on April 15 but did not fly. Analysts noted this prototype was markedly different from the one unveiled in 2013 by the aircraft's maker, Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO), which is a division of the Ministry of Defense and the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF).
For one, Experimental 08 had two engines and a forward looking infrared (FLIR) camera beneath its nose. IAIO said two sub-sized models of the jet have been built and tested.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who attended the event in which Experimental 08 was unveiled, praised the plane but blasted the West that continues to oppose Iran's military expansion.
"We don't ask for permission from others to reinforce our armed forces; don't ask for permission to manufacture our missiles, our jets," said Rouhani.
The Qaher-313 has received universal scorn from the west since a prototype of this fighter was revealed in February 2013. The brickbats are directed at Iran's claim this fighter is a fifth generation stealth fighter as this phrase is understood in the west.
Iran also makes the claim the Qaher-313 has a very low radar signature and is so stable the pilot doesn't need the assistance of a fly-by-wire system to fly the jet, something at odds with experience gained from modern fighter jets.
The jet's combat payload is said to include six air-to-air missiles and two 2,000 lb bombs.
These claims and others have been ridiculed as fake by some western analysts, along with the fighter. Some analysts claim the prototype presented in 2013 was nothing more than a "very sleek plastic model" and a "laughable fake."
Israeli analysts were even more damning, describing the Qaher-313 as "a hoax" and claiming Iran doesn't have the ability to build planes, especially a sophisticated stealth fighter.