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Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Satellite image captures decades-old US-made F-5 jets at an Iranian airbase, offering a snapshot of Tehran's vintage air force
New satellite imagery of an Iranian base shows several aging F-5 fighter jets. The US-made F-5s, which first flew in the 1950s, are part of Iran's outdated air force. Tehran relies heavily on its missile and drone arsenal, rather than crewed fighter aircraft. A new satellite image taken of an Iranian airbase showed a handful of decades-old, American-made F-5 fighter jets, offering a look at Tehran's antiquated air force. The photo, captured Tuesday by US commercial satellite imaging company Maxar Technologies and obtained by Business Insider amid Israeli strikes on Iranian military assets, showed six F-5s on alert and dispersed around the Dezful airbase in western Iran. The section of the base did not appear to have been targeted by Israel, which has spent the past six days launching airstrikes against Iranian nuclear and military facilities. The intensive bombing campaign has caused widespread damage across the country and killed a number of senior commanders. There are several variants of the F-5 supersonic light fighter made by the US aircraft manufacturer Northrop Corporation. The early F-5 took its first flight in the late 1950s and was introduced the following decade. The US procured thousands of these aircraft for use by allies. Iran, once an American ally, acquired F-5A/B Freedom Fighters and F-5E/F Tiger IIs in the 1960s and 1970s, building its air force before the 1979 Iranian Revolution tanked relations between the two countries, ending logistical, maintenance, and technological support. Iran is estimated to have had a few dozen F-5s in service in recent years, with many of the originally purchased fighter jets non-operational or long since disposed of amid strains on maintaining the aircraft. The US military, specifically the Air Force and Navy, still uses the jet for training purposes, though not for active combat operations. Iran's air force is fairly outdated and obsolete due to international sanctions and other embargoes that prevent the country from obtaining more high-tech weaponry but also critical components and parts. Aside from the F-5, Tehran operates other aging aircraft, including the Soviet-era Su-24 and MiG-29, and the American-made F-14 Tomcat. An Iranian official said earlier this year that Tehran had purchased newer Su-35 aircraft from Russia, but it's unclear how many, if any, have been delivered. The Israel Defense Forces said on Monday that it had bombed two F-14s at Tehran's main airport, marking what it described as "another loss of strategic weaponry for the enemy." The IDF also confirmed on Wednesday that it struck five Iranian attack helicopters. Limited in its airpower, Iran has invested heavily in developing a large arsenal of ballistic missiles and attack drones. By contrast, the Israeli Air Force operates newer and more powerful aircraft, such as the F-35I stealth fighter and the older but highly effective F-16 and F-15 jets. Israeli officials said that the country has, with its mix of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters, achieved air superiority over swaths of Iran, including Tehran, after battering its air defenses. Amid fighting between Israel and Iran, another image captured by Maxar on Tuesday showed what appeared to be several of Iran's Shahed-136 attack drones on and next to trailers parked on a taxiway at Dezful. Iran has used its notorious Shahed-136s in its ongoing retaliatory attacks against Israel. Tehran has also sent many of these drones, also described as loitering munitions, to Russia, which has used them to carry out strikes on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure. Russia also produces its own domestic version of the Shahed-136, which has increasingly become a problem for Ukraine. Israeli combat aircraft have launched hundreds of airstrikes across Iran since Friday, targeting the country's nuclear program, its leading scientists, senior commanders, air defenses, missile launchers, weapons production sites, bases, and other military infrastructure. Iran has, in turn, retaliated against Israel by launching around 400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones. Read the original article on Business Insider
Reuters
09-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Trump's vision for a twin-engine F-55 fighter jet faces reality check
WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's vision of a new, twin-engine version of Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet may need to be scaled back due to cost and engineering realities, according to two people familiar with the matter. Speaking in Doha last month, Trump said the new "F-55" would feature "two engines and a super upgrade on the F-35." However, there is a caveat, with Trump saying, "if we get the right price." Trump was not shown a twin-engine redesign of the F-35, the two sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. Developing such a jet would require an extensive overhaul, running into billions of dollars and taking years to complete, the sources said. Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), opens new tab had briefed Trump on a possible upgrade to the F-35 during multiple meetings before the Doha event, the people said. The proposal included just one "advanced" engine, a redesigned nose and forward fuselage, and a new sensor suite. Trump's reference to the "F-55" - the designator of the jet - caught officials and industry insiders off guard, particularly the mention of twin engines, a feature Trump has said he prefers for safety in case one engine fails. Lockheed is exploring the development of two new fighter jet variations, according to industry experts and the two sources. The proposed F-55 emerges against a backdrop of intensifying global competition in military aviation. China continues rapid development of its J-36 and J-50 stealth fighters, while Russia advances its Su-57 program despite economic constraints. After Doha, Lockheed acknowledged Trump's comments with measured enthusiasm, stating, "We thank President Trump for his support of the F-35 and F-22 and will continue to work closely with the Administration to realize its vision for air dominance." A Wall Street analyst tracking what might replace Lockheed Martin's (LMT.N), opens new tab F-35, said "it sounds like Trump has asked DoD to consider a twin-engine variant of the F-35 'if we get the right price,'" according to a note from TD Cowen. Shifting the F-55 to two engines would initiate a costly and lengthy redesign of the F-35's airframe - and while it would make the jet fast, it would delay production by years, industry experts and one of the people said. Lockheed CEO James Taiclet had told investors in an April call that the company was exploring a "fifth-generation-plus" fighter concept that would apply technologies developed for its unsuccessful F-47 bid to enhance the F-35 platform. These new technologies would make it much harder to export the F-55, the people said, adding that they are still highly controlled. "We're basically going to take the chassis and turn it into a Ferrari," Taiclet told analysts in April, claiming such an approach could deliver 80% of next-generation capability at half the cost. Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab beat out Lockheed to win the contract for Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD), now named the F-47 which will be America's first sixth-generation fighter and intended to replace Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor. Because Lockheed lost the NGAD competition it is able to leverage its production plans for new jets. Lockheed had production spaces already lined up, the people said, and the president was made aware the company was poised to move ahead. "Lockheed is much further along than he realized," one of the people said. The timing of the F-55 announcement raises questions about how it fits into existing defense procurement plans and budgets. The Pentagon is already managing multiple high-cost aviation programs, including the ongoing F-35 program, the new F-47 development, and potentially the Navy's next generation carrier-based fighter jet - F/A-XX. For Lockheed Martin, the F-55 concept represents a critical opportunity to maintain relevance in the high-end fighter market after significant setbacks in next-generation competitions. Boeing's NGAD, which was just awarded and therefore is not in mass production yet, is expected to eclipse the F-22's capabilities, and so would F-55, the person said, making it a formidable fighter jet.
