IRIAF | News and Discussions

[TheImmortal]

but in the long term they should be looking at 5th gens, maybe Su-75 or J-35.

SU-75 or J-31 are the best bets for the future of Iranian Air Force while it’s own programs are still development.

Obviously the question is if Russia or China would give such high tech planes ever to Iran in such a geopolitical world.

We are still waiting for SU-35 after months of speculation and talk.

 

[Mr Iran Eye]

Maybe not yet but eventually... in Turkey we see F4s and F5s in museums. You will get there eventually. It just won't make sense to try to keep 60-70 year old airframes airworthy when that money can be better spent elsewhere.

That and, there's such a thing as metal fatigue, wings and fuselage literally begin to crack over time. It becomes much more costly to keep fixing them. You can spend that money on more fuel, more ammo, more training for your Su-35 pilots and get much better value.

Iran is not Turkey because their planes will not go to a museum and they will be active in the fight to come. I pose the question:

How many fighter planes have fallen in Iran and elsewhere in the world because of failing airframes? Have you ever seen a plane in the sky disintegrate? Iran is modernizing their fighter jets intelligently and in an integrated defense system strategy, it is effective.

The Kowsar and other planes to come will always participate in combat, that's for sure. In support of attack, it is perfect

 

[Readerdefence]

SU-75 or J-31 are the best bets for the future of Iranian Air Force while it’s own programs are still development.

Obviously the question is if Russia or China would give such high tech planes ever to Iran in such a geopolitical world.

We are still waiting for SU-35 after months of speculation and talk.

Hi
possibility of getting Su75 is more as china is
mediating between Iran & KSA so hopefully if
everything goes to China plan
in that case SA is definitely ruled out of F35 so next
bet for SA is J35 in that scenario there won’t be any
opposing from KSA for Iran to get hold of SU75
if it’s available to export by that time
My thought is China & russia both agreed to export
munitions left & Right policy yIu take Right I’ll take left
let’s see how things unfolded because russIan need an
ally who can pour money into SU75 project
thank you

 

[tsunset]

Question: How about MiG-31? It is made for defending a large country such as Iran and explode enemy reconnaissance and radar aircrafts, Iran was willing to buy it in 1991 after the USSR collapse

Another question: When the current fighter fleet would be replenished with new fighters and local upgrades, could a large massive ordnance and nuclear bomber such as the H-6 or Tu-16/95, Tu-22M benefit for Iran? Iran could fit its own cruise missiles and AshCM like China does with its H-6, it would be adapted for 100% success missions against threats near the borders and inside Syria with massive ordnance inside it, i remember Iran said that they made their own version of the "Father of all bombs" and Iran has quite experience with thermobaric weapons, they said that they could only deliver it using Il 76 which isn't adapted. China got its hands on Tu-16 and made it to a very modern bomber called H-6 capable of carrying hypersonic missiles

This could provide Iran another platform to launch cruise missiles from and carpet bombing threats from long range such as groups in Syria or US warships from long range efficiently instead of purely relying on missiles for this purpose, and area denial in the Arabian Sea

 

[TheImmortal]

Question: How about MiG-31? It is made for defending a large country such as Iran and explode enemy reconnaissance and radar aircrafts, Iran was willing to buy it in 1991 after the USSR collapse

Mig as a company is in shambles. Wouldn’t trust anything they put out. Some buyers that recently bought MiGs returned them and bought SU instead.

 

[LegionnairE]

Regarding the JF-17; it's a good, affordable multirole fighter. Iran's priority at the moment is defensive, hence opting for a powerful air superiority fighter/interceptor such as the Su-35.

I personally don't think Iran will buy the JF-17 when the Kowsar project is still active. Not because Kowsar is superior (it's not) but because it's a domestic product which is the legacy of 25 years of development of the F-5 platform since Azarakhsh. Maybe if the IRIAF is provided more funds it will purchase JF-17/J-10 and relegate Kowsar to more of a training role (which it already has - training plus light multirole jet) but in the long term they should be looking at 5th gens, maybe Su-75 or J-35.

I said before that Su-75 is the best option in the long term but in the short to mid term, Iran needs numbers. Too many 60+ year old planes need replacement, some might be kept in reserve but they have to retire from frontline service for sure. Kowsar is better than nothing but relying on it for the next 10-20 years would not be a good idea.

Su-35 is nice and capable, but in my humble opinion Iran needs at least 200-300 fighters and Su-35 can't make up all of it.

JF-17 really is the best option right now. I don't understand the resistance towards this plane. Is there a problem with the Iran-Pakistan relations?

 

[tsunset]

I said before that Su-75 is the best option in the long term but in the short to mid term, Iran needs numbers. Too many 60+ year old planes need replacement, some might be kept in reserve but they have to retire from frontline service for sure. Kowsar is better than nothing but relying on it for the next 10-20 years would not be a good idea.

Su-35 is nice and capable, but in my humble opinion Iran needs at least 200-300 fighters and Su-35 can't make up all of it.

JF-17 really is the best option right now. I don't understand the resistance towards this plane. Is there a problem with the Iran-Pakistan relations?

It has nothing to do with Pakistan relation but it has to do with a realistic point of view

The problem in a reality scenario is that Pakistan would be exposed to massive pressure, threats and sanctions by the US by selling or even proposing military systems to Iran, and i don't think Pakistan wants to get sanctioned and banned from refitting their F-16 and buying any NATO weapon just to sell some JF-17 squadron to Iran, Pakistan isn't China or Russia and cannot sustain such pressure, they already have a large freedom of choice for weapons of any kind from handguns to tanks and fighters that Iran doesn't have and i doubt they want to lose that freedom of importing, and get sanctioned and threatened at the same time

 

[Sineva]

I said before that Su-75 is the best option in the long term but in the short to mid term, Iran needs numbers. Too many 60+ year old planes need replacement, some might be kept in reserve but they have to retire from frontline service for sure. Kowsar is better than nothing but relying on it for the next 10-20 years would not be a good idea.

Su-35 is nice and capable, but in my humble opinion Iran needs at least 200-300 fighters and Su-35 can't make up all of it.

JF-17 really is the best option right now. I don't understand the resistance towards this plane. Is there a problem with the Iran-Pakistan relations?

Pakistan couldnt even start its section of the IP Pipeline for fear of us disfavor and the adverse political and economic consequences that might incur,such as the lack of any us political support to ensure that it would continue to get imf bailouts to keep it afloat.
So long as pakistan remains a us vassal there would be no possibility of iran and pakistans relationship developing any further than it currently has.
And thats just the political reason why its just a total non starter.

 

[jauk]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1642441202866823170

 

[LegionnairE]

It has nothing to do with Pakistan relation but it has to do with a realistic point of view

The problem in a reality scenario is that Pakistan would be exposed to massive pressure, threats and sanctions by the US by selling or even proposing military systems to Iran, and i don't think Pakistan wants to get sanctioned and banned from refitting their F-16 and buying any NATO weapon just to sell some JF-17 squadron to Iran, Pakistan isn't China or Russia and cannot sustain such pressure, they already have a large freedom of choice for weapons of any kind from handguns to tanks and fighters that Iran doesn't have and i doubt they want to lose that freedom of importing, and get sanctioned and threatened at the same time

Aren't they already under lots of American pressure?

Iran could make it worth their while.

40*200 = 8 billion dollars for 200 planes

Good money for Pakistan's struggling economy.

Pakistan couldnt even start its section of the IP Pipeline for fear of us disfavor and the adverse political and economic consequences that might incur,such as the lack of any us political support to ensure that it would continue to get imf bailouts to keep it afloat.
So long as pakistan remains a us vassal there would be no possibility of iran and pakistans relationship developing any further than it currently has.
And thats just the political reason why its just a total non starter.

Hmm. Maybe it has to do with the current ruling party, maybe if Imran Khan gets back into office it will work.

Iran should have made this move when he was in office lol. He was known as a pretty anti-American guy

 

[Sineva]

Aren't they already under lots of American pressure?

Iran could make it worth their while.

40*200 = 8 billion dollars for 200 planes

Good money for Pakistan's struggling economy.



Hmm. Maybe it has to do with the current ruling party, maybe if Imran Khan gets back into office it will work.

Iran should have made this move when he was in office lol. He was known as a pretty anti-American guy

Unfortunately we saw just how easily the pakistani deep state removed him [khan],likely at the bidding of the americans or perhaps simply just because the deep state saw him as someone who wouldnt play ball and respect the status quo and thus could`ve posed a threat to their interests.
Speaking of money,the real irony here is that under the penalty clause in the ip pipeline deal the pakistanis now owe iran a literal sh!tload of money [multi-billions].Iran finally got pissed off enough back at the end of 2019 to threaten them with arbitration,at which point they said they were still committed to the deal and just needed a little more time,so iran gave them yet another 5 years.......
Maybe they should`ve said something like "Tell you what,you give us 400 jf-17s and we`ll call it even,okay?"

 

[TheImmortal]

Aren't they already under lots of American pressure?

Iran could make it worth their while.

40*200 = 8 billion dollars for 200 planes

Good money for Pakistan's struggling economy.

Lol 8 billion dollars doesn’t go a long way if US and EU sanction Pakistan and drive it’s economy into the ground.

They could also enforce an energy embargo and withhold any loans.

You clearly don’t have a grasp of how easily Pakistan could be sanctioned into oblivion by the West.

 

[Luosifen]

For the record, the 'unreliable' Chinese engines the Turkish guest here keeps arguing about was the initial lab prototype WS-10 made in the early 2000s. Two decades have passed since then and the WS-10 is at B and C variants with widespread use among PLAAF and the PAF using WS-10Bs (and the PAF doesn't settle for low quality stuff), with the WS-15 also recently announced as entering mass production, which is intended to be competitive with the American F119s. If I'm remembering incorrectly, @Deino or @siegecrossbow can correct me.

Now, as far as the Su-35's overall performance, in current PLAAF service it's actually considered 3rd tier, with the J-20s and 1st and the J-10Cs/J-16s 2nd. In multiple Golden Helmet A2A tournaments the Su-35 loses because even though the PLAAF rates it's PESA as best of its class there are still fundamental weaknesses vs. EW compared to AESA radars, allowing both J-10C/J-16 to acquire lock 1st and launch BVRAAMs against it before it can do the same. That said, it will win a dogfight vs. the other two if it can somehow survive to merge thanks to its thrust vectoring and superior kinematics. I believe currently the PLAAF Su-35s are used for intercepts and air policing in Eastern Theater Command which would be the airspace around Taiwan, if they need to use wartime radar modes they won't compromise the rest of the PLAAF radars for Western SIGINT/ELINT, so there's that benefit too.

 

[Stryker1982]

Aren't they already under lots of American pressure?

They can do even more. Even start a famine if they wanted to.

Pakistan already has food security issues. Cut their imports through USD embargo. Back is broken in 2 seconds and boom, no chance of selling any JF series to Iran.

 

[Hack-Hook]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1642441202866823170

as you see no weapon only for show they can't even be used as radar as their radars is too weak