Iran unveiled what it said was a new, domestically built fighter jet on Saturday, local media reported.President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at a ceremony in Tehranthat the Qaher 313 demonstrated Iran's growing self-reliance in the field of military technology.
Iran's functional air force has been limited to perhaps as few as a few dozen strike aircraft, either Russian or ageing U.S. models acquired before the 1979 Iranian revolution.The Islamic Republic, under an international arms embargo,has long struggled to find spare parts and some military experts say the fleet is outdated.
"This advanced fighter jet with unique physical characteristics has a very low radar cross section and therefore is capable of operating at low altitudes," Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi said of the Qaher.