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.”
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.