Iran unveils 1st domestic fighter jet, works to upgrade missile defenses

Iran unveiled its first domestic fighter jet at the National Defense Industry exhibition in Tehran on Tuesday. State television showed President Hassan Rouhani sitting in the cockpit of the new ‘Kowsar’ plane. The “100-percent indigenously made” jet it’s a fourth-generation fighter with “advanced avionics” and multi-purpose radar, according to the Tasnim news agency. The state TV said the plane had already been through successful testing and showed it waiting on a runway for its first public display flight. The plane was first publicly announced on Saturday by Defense Minister Amir Hatami. He gave few details of the project, focusing instead on Iran’s efforts to upgrade its missile defenses. “Our resources are limited and we are committed to establishing security at a minimum cost,” AFP quoted the minister as saying.