Well i don't disagree that IRIAF is facing multiple challenges.
Mod edit
They have failed projects like many other countries and airforces.
Please provide list of failure projects of same scale by comparable countries to IRI. I will give a list ... Turkey, Israel, Pakistan, Indonesia, Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, KSA, India, Egypt .... For reference the IRI failures in aviation sector is written here:
44 FMC airframes of F-14 reduced to 12 within 10 years.
F-14AM Upgradation program abandoned after 2 airframes in 10 years.
MIG-29 upgrdation halted, still flies with MIG-23ML avionics + SARH BVR
SU-24MK upgradation halted, still cant fire LR-ALCMs
SU-22M3/M4 upgradation halted after 10 airframes despite having 40+
F-4E/D Dowran upgradation halted after single squadron.
Kowsar Light fighter yielded 5 airframes in 8 years.
Saegheh Light fighter abandoned after 6 airframes over 12 years
Azarakhsh Light fighter abandoned after 3 airframes, PSed pics peddled
Qaher propaganda RC stunts brought national shame to Iran
Yasin AT yielded 2 airframes over 6 years and 1 got crashed
Tazarve AT abandoned after crashes
Karrar interceptor never progressed to larger wingmen despite attempt
Kaman-22 UCAV never got built in higher numbers for IRIAF
Low RCS Stealth Flying wings were never produced/purchased by IRIAF
IrAN-140/HESA SImorgh Maritime Petrol/AWACS project never progressed.
Fakour-90 LRBVR bundled up after 100 missiles, 2 x F-14AM for them
Maghsoud LRBVR never got tested
Azarakhsh WVR HOBS never purchased, IRIAF uses non-all-aspect AIM9J
Arash Light BVR never built, there is no ARH BVR missile in IRIAF for 80% IRIAF
Without Shah bribing Grumman, there would have been no F-14 for example since the Grumman company was close to dismantling the project for lack of fund.
And the same Shahi imported F-14A in IIAF/IRIAF later went on to kill 159 enemy jets in air, saving hundreds and thousands of Iranian lives. His US trained cadre of flying assassins became ace of aces .... do you even know this Iranian history? Are you telling me that Shah built deterrence of Iranian nation that later saved Iranian lives after his death, was somehow his fault ? what stopped Mullahs building this deterrence ?
Iran doesn't face technological hurdles at this moment, its mostly about the financial issues.
Worlds second largest proven HC reserve holder (27 Trillion USD, more than China) is facing financial reserves? I wonder how did that happen? 48 years back it was world 14th largest economy, top 10, if EU countries are listed under EU umbrella.
And its because of the basis that IRIAF is built upon. IRIAF has Shah's legacy, an importer of high tech items not an innovative and self sufficient branch of armed forces.
More lies, Shah signed TOT of F-17/F-18 into Iran, he was bringing CKD/Assembly of F-16A/B into Iran (140+160). The same F-5 that Mullahs cant mass produce in 2025 (3 Azaraksh, 6 Saegheh, 5 kowsars in 30 years) were going to be retired as "obsolete" in 1980s by Iran. IAIO was being expanded to build 4th gen fighters in 1980s. See when you try to deceive people in todays modern age of open information, I am fool no one except yourself.
Too bureaucratic and too heavy to be held on its own feet.
What does this mean? few dozen FMC obsolete fighters left with "fasting" and "praying" pilots, commanded by "Hejab sermons" unfit Chief is what is left of IRIAF.
IRIAF must experience a change from its roots to the top. Problem with IRIAF is bigger than thought.
Regime controlled MODAFL gives funds to IAIO/HESA to build prototypes that IRIAF refuses to purchase. Atleast IRIAF is still resisting regime officials corruption. They want actual fighters that are built in actual fighter jet producers like Russia, China, US. Why are you blaming them for going for actual fighters instead of meaningless local cash grab projects?
The budget that IRIAF wastes could be used to produce a new platform.
IRIAF wastes nothing, they instead resist corruption of IRI officials. When ahmadinejad was smiling at cardboard Qaher built by same IAIO fraud who previously pulled Azaraksh Photoshop, was it IRIAFs fault? When Raisi got fooled by HESA into showing him dysfunctional assembly lines of Kowsar, why did not he immediately summon its head along with defence minister and conducted an audit? how is it IRIAF fault? Raisi, Ahamdinehjad, Rouhani, Pezeshkian are all frauds. IRIAF atleast was still flying during the war with their obsolete few dozen airframes, they even fooled Israelis in bombing numbers of wooden decoys wasting PGMs ...
and btw here is the list of your
"new platforms" tried over 30 years since Sattaris death (last serious commander of IRIAF), all failed to be mass produced:
Kowsar
Saegheh
Azarakhsh
Yasin AT
Tazarve AT
IrAN-140/SImorgh
what became of them?
Remember, IRGC's missile program was started with a bunch of amateur commanders that eventually successfully produced hypersonic missiles and kept themselves on par with countries like Russia.
IRIAF's annual budget is 200-400 million USD. IRGC's budget is ~4-6 Billion USD. If same ratio is applied to new figure that Khamenei said ... IRGC will end up with a whooping budget of ~15 Billion USD while IRIAF will still be barely touching 1 billion USD.
Shah's corruption has spread into IRIAF. Self reliance is not defined in their doctrine.
Shah's "corruption" like hundreds of F-14A, F-4E/D that saved hundreds and thousands of Iranian lives by beating the shat out of Baathists in skies? Do you lack common sense ?
? you want to know more about corruption and failure projects in Iranian aviation sector, stretched over decades? Well, I am glad you brought that up. Here is a list:
www.middleeastmonitor.com
www.tasnimnews.com
farsnews.ir
