The Iranian Air Force will be equipped with domestically-manufactured fighter jets within a few months, the commander of the air force announced Tuesday.
An F-14A Tomcat.
Photo: Courtesy
"Iran has made great achievements in manufacturing anti-aircraft missiles and various jet fighters over the past two years," Ataollah Salehi told reporters, claiming that the Islamic Republic enjoys technical capabilities that perhaps no other country in the region has.
Salehi added that the air force would hold a defensive maneuver, dubbed Modafean-e Aseman (Defenders of Sky) during the upcoming month of Ramadan, but emphasized that only a part of Iran's military capabilities would be on display during the maneuvers.
Earlier, An Iranian Air Force commander, Ahmad Miqani, claimed that Iran had revamped its fighter jet fleet to fly distances of up to 3,000 kilometers without refueling, a measure which he said was aimed at improving the country's "defense capabilities."
In July, Iran announced that it had started producing aircraft with stealth capabilities as well as overhauling its fleet of F-14 fighter jets.
The Iranian Air Force is currently the only air force in the world to maintain an active fleet of F-14s, a model which has effectively been rendered obsolete by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
