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Last update - 16:01 20/09/2007
Iran says it successfully tested self-produced fighter jets
By Reuters
Tags: Iran, tested 

TEHRAN - Iran said on Thursday it had "scared its enemies" by test flying two new generation, domestically-produced jet fighter planes and had shown its battle readiness, the latest riposte to speculation about a war over Tehran's nuclear plans.

Iranian Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar told state TV that experts in the ministry and air force had jointly carried out research, design and production of the Saegheh warplane.

"Two Saegheh jets were tested successfully by air force pilots ... The test scared Iran's enemies," Najjar told state television, adding that the two jets would officially join the country's fleet of warplanes on Saturday.
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Iranian Armed forces chief Ataollah Salehi also said of the test flights: "Iran, with its advanced equipment and
capabilities, is fully prepared for any possible aggression."

Iran said in September 2006 that it had for the first time flown one of the Saegheh planes, describing it then as a
modification of a warplane already in its fleet.

It did not say at the time on what plane the Saegheh was based, but images shown of its test flight suggested it might be based around a U.S.-built F-5, a plane bought from the United States when Iran was a U.S. ally before the 1979 revolution.

Iranian state television said the Saegheh jet was a new generation of the Azarakhsh [Lightning] fighter, which Iran said in August was now being built on an industrial scale. Tehran says it makes tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles and torpedoes.

"We have reached the cutting edge of designing new generation fighter jets," the Iranian defence minister said.

Tehran says the Saegheh has similar capabilities to the U.S. F-18 fighter but is "more powerful".

Although Iran regularly says it has made major advances in its weaponry, Western experts say it rarely gives enough detail to confirm the capabilities

The experts say Iranian weaponry, some of it modifications
of equipment bought from China and others, would be no match for U.S. technology but say Iran could still deliver a punch by hitting strategic targets, such as blocking the Gulf waterway.

An Iranian air force commander said on Wednesday Iran had
plans for bombing Israel if Israel attacked first.

French officials, including President Nicolas Sarkozy, have spurred talk about a possible war by saying the failure of diplomacy to resolve Iran's dispute with the West over its atomic program could result in conflict.

The United States, which has been leading efforts to isolate Iran because it believes Tehran is trying to build atomic bombs, has said it wants diplomacy to end the standoff but has refused to rule out military options if that route fails. Tehran says its nuclear plans are geared to energy production.
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  1.   GREAT!!!! ALL OUR PILOTS SHOULD NOW 16:30  |  Robert 20/09/07
  2.   ISRAEL: PREPARE THE COUNTDOWN 16:38  |  indrajaya 20/09/07
  3.   #2 16:48  |  Tony 20/09/07
  4.   Iran is still no match for Israel or the USA 16:51  |  Shepherd 20/09/07
  5.   Iran threats 16:52  |  US analyst 20/09/07
  6.   indrajaya 16:52  |  frenz 20/09/07
  7.   inrajaya 16:53  |  vava 20/09/07
  8.   Russian and Chinese technology,Iran Will Be The Loser In The End 16:54  |  Tal 20/09/07
  9.   Flying a prototype 16:57  |  Axel 20/09/07
  10.   Indrajaya:hilarious and delusional 16:58  |  Stephen 20/09/07
  11.   Irans groundbreaking technology Indrajaya? Hmm.. 17:00  |  danalogue 20/09/07
  12.   I had once a much higher opinion about Iranians... 17:02  |  S 20/09/07
  13.   Iran, Technology? 17:05  |  Avi (from Poland) 20/09/07
  14.   Iran Tech: Jets? 17:05  |  Existential 20/09/07
  15.   indrajaya #2 17:09  |  S 20/09/07
  16.   # 5 us analyst 17:10  |  Axel 20/09/07
  17.   TO NO 1 GREAT 17:11  |  DANNY. 20/09/07
  18.   Iran is pouring oil into the phoney war 17:13  |  Alphaeus 20/09/07
  19.   Building fighters 17:14  |  Mark Lincoln 20/09/07
  20.   "Test scared Iran`s enemies" 17:15  |  SLAVO 20/09/07
  21.   Shaking in their boots? Yeah right! 17:18  |  Solomon 20/09/07
  22.   WELL DONE TO IRAN.... 17:23  |  ME Observer 20/09/07
  23.   Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force 17:23  |  ussishkin 20/09/07
  24.   INDREDJAYA 17:26  |  DANNY. 20/09/07
  25.   # 2 Indrajaya 17:27  |  Kipperraes 20/09/07
  26.   Indrayoyo, wake up 17:30  |  Rory 20/09/07
  27.   What a joke indrajaya 17:30  |  George 20/09/07
  28.   US analyst: you underestimate 17:31  |  Rory 20/09/07
  29.   indrajaya; more Pig Slop again 17:47  |  Free The World 20/09/07
  30.   Indrajaya 17:48  |  daniel W 20/09/07
  31.   How? 17:51  |  frankie 20/09/07
  32.   Camel Jets from Iran! 17:53  |  Ron 20/09/07
  33.   #2 - What a joke 17:53  |  JES 20/09/07
  34.   The new Iran Fighter Plan Photo 18:02  |  Dav 20/09/07
  35.   The F-5 is over 45 years old now. Way to keep up, Mullahs. 18:03  |  George 20/09/07
  36.   Iran`s new fighter jets. 18:04  |  Elias 20/09/07
  37.   #2 false indrajaya alert 18:11  |  natan 20/09/07
  38.   sad 18:18  |  Steve 20/09/07
  39.   CIVILIAN AIRCRAFT ARE FAILING BIG TIME IN IRAn, HERE IS WHY? 18:27  |  Gabriel 20/09/07
  40.   Nobody should be scared by Iranian threats 18:27  |  Jonathan S 20/09/07
  41.   To Elias 36.. I guess you are 18:32  |  American analyst 20/09/07
  42.   wow, that #34 picture sure is fear inspiring (yawn) 18:34  |  dave 20/09/07
  43.   Iranian Jets 18:39  |  Allan 20/09/07
  44.   2 indraya 18:39  |  annoyed by flies 20/09/07
  45.   I AM SCARED!! HELP ME!! 18:43  |  Kooky Dennt 20/09/07
  46.   Judging from the posts here 18:47  |  Axel 20/09/07
  47.   Iranian made jet fighters 18:53  |  Adeni Jew 20/09/07
  48.   Iranian clay pigeons 18:59  |  Izik 20/09/07
  49.   Let the mice roar 19:09  |  Existential 20/09/07
  50.   To # 37 19:10  |  Elias Hazineh 20/09/07
  51.   Iran warplanes 19:11  |  Martin 20/09/07
  52.   Iran`s Fighter jets. 19:25  |  David Nigel Braham 20/09/07
  53.   Typo 19:26  |  Chick 20/09/07
  54.   Plane should be re-named 19:28  |  CHick 20/09/07
  55.   Underestimate Iran at your peril 19:29  |  Chris Linthwaite 20/09/07
  56.   Hope they used good glue on the tail fins, piece of junk. 19:38  |  L A 20/09/07
  57.   To U.S Analyst 19:41  |  Elias Hazineh 20/09/07
  58.   Good Something Besides Suicide Bombs 20:02  |  Jane 20/09/07
  59.   indrajaya #2 20:10  |  jeff 20/09/07
  60.   If Iran depends upon its prowess in the air... 20:14  |  Ike 20/09/07
  61.   There are more ways than one of skinning a cat,as the saying goes 20:17  |  lakshmi 20/09/07
  62.   Iran doesn`t need fighter jets.... 20:33  |  Natallie Durson 20/09/07
  63.   lakshmi 20:41  |  jeff 20/09/07
  64.   No match for IAF but 20:53  |  JJ 20/09/07
  65.   Iran is wasting their money 20:57  |  JJ 20/09/07
  66.   WORDS OF SICK NEW YORK POLICE 21:03  |  JACKAL 20/09/07
  67.   Don`t forget.... 21:06  |  Webster 20/09/07
  68.   Jets-Nuc 21:09  |  Irish 20/09/07
  69.   Check out lakshimi 21:11  |  Existential 20/09/07
  70.   Very good that they have domestic production 21:25  |  Man 20/09/07
  71.   CLAY PIGEONS 21:29  |  SM 20/09/07
  72.   New Iranian fighters 22:15  |