The IAMI Azarakhsh (Persian: آذرخش, lightning) is Iran's first domestically manufactured combat aircraft. Iran was not previously known to have an aircraft production capability. In April 1997 Iranian Brigadier General Arasteh, a deputy head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces declared that Iran had successfully designed, constructed, and tested its first fighter aircraft. By late 1997 Iran had begun mass producing the aircraft. By mid-2000, four aircraft were said to be undergoing operational tests, with production proceeding at a rate of around ten aircraft per year.
A great deal of the aircraft is derived from the reverse engineered components of US fighter planes. Notable among these are the F-14 Tomcat, the F-5 Freedom Fighter, and the F-4 Phantom II. Numerous enhancements and upgrades were also built into the design from an early stage.
Iran has yet to release any additional information about the aircraft and its capabilities are unknown. It is believed to be essentially a reverse engineered F-5F, but larger by about 10%-15% and powered by two Tumansky RD-33 turbofans, as used on the Mikoyan MiG-29. The Azarakhsh is also said to use the MiG-29's N-019M Topaz radar.
