Iran reveals unmanned naval versions of Qaher ‘stealth fighter'

Two of the new unmanned subscale naval versions of the Qaher F-313 manned fighter prototype seen aboard Iran's new Shahid Bahman Bagheri drone carrier on 6 February. (IRNA)

Iran has revealed unmanned naval versions of the Qaher (Conqueror/Omnipotent) F-313 ‘stealth fighter' it first presented in 2013.

Shown for the first time during an event to mark the entry into service of Iran's new Shahid Bahman Bagheri drone carrier on 6 February were two new subscale versions of the Qaher manned fighter that was developed into a prototype but not progressed into an operational combat aircraft.

Imagery and footage of the 36,000 ton, 240 m long converted container ship showed it to be carrying three 60%-scale Qaher-type unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that bore the designation JAS 313 and tail numbers 60-01 and 60-02 (the tail number of the third aircraft could not be discerned), and four much smaller again 25%-scale Qaher-type UAVs, which were also designated JAS 313 but bore tail numbers 25-01, 25-05, and 25-06 (the tail number of the fourth aircraft could not be discerned).

The original Qaher was approximately 14 m in length with a wingspan of about 8 m, and it is likely that the first value in the tail numbers of the new unmanned versions relates to the scale of these aircraft to the Qaher. While the Qaher manned fighter was shown to be a twin-engined prototype, both of the smaller navalised versions appear to be powered by a single turbojet that is scaled to the relative size of the airframe.

The smallest Qaher-type was shown in the footage being flown from the Shahid Bahman Bagheri