Yasin / Kowsar 88 advanced jet trainer

A new version of Iran�s homegrown Yasin Training jet was unveiled during a ceremony attended by Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani and other high-ranking Iranian officials in Tehran, Iran, on March 11, 2023. Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani has launched the production line of homegrown Yasin training jet, which could also be tasked for close air support (CAS). �Among our main concerns is training fighter pilots, because the process is of paramount significance and requires training aircraft in different classes,� Ashtani said at ceremony in the capital Tehran.

Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi also said, �Previously, our fighter pilots used to be trained abroad. The first sector affected as a result of the sanctions against our country was this field, which created difficulties for us in terms of training.� �Utilization of the new aircraft will make training duration more complete and shorter,� he said.

The new version of Yasin training jet that was unveiled appears to have been much more upgraded and developed in tactical terms compared to the first prototype unveiled during a ceremony in Shahid Noje Airbase in Iran�s western province of Hamadan on October 17, 2019. The Iranian jet trainer is now furnished with a homegrown ejection seat, avionics, engine, and landing gear. The airborne weather radar installed on its radome has been manufactured by domestic knowledge-based companies. Yasin reportedly weighs 5.5 tonnes, and is able to fly up to 1,200 kilometers. Its wing design enables the jet to land and take off at a speed of at least 200 kilometers per hour.

The term "El-yasin" is part of a Quranic verse that it is used only once in verse 130 of Al-Safat Sureh. Due to the Special conditions of this verse, the verse has received many presentations and confrontations of the different interpretive ideas. According to the interpretive narrations of the verse and considering that one of the names of the Prophet is "Yasin", along with proving the virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS), Some Shia commentators believe that the correct reading of the verse is "Salam Ala Ale-Yasyn".

Moreover, they believe that the meaning of these words is the Prophet (Pbuh). Naturally, according to this assumption, the greetings in the verse are devoted to the Prophet, but another group of Shia commentators and most Sunni commentators have considered the term as a form of the word Elias based on some pieces of evidence such as the famous reading, the structural form of the word, and Siagh (Register) and Sebagh (Tabdor). But the interpretive narratives are weak and unreliable and the accurate reading of the verse is El-Yasin, referring to Prophet Elias.

Surah Yasin is among the chapters that discuss the major issues of monotheism, prophethood and resurrection. Yasin (Yaseen) is the 36th Surah of the Quran. It has 83 verses and is in the 22nd and 23rd Juzes. Yasin is Makki and was the 43rd chapter revealed to the Holy Prophet (PBUH). It begins with Huroof-e-Muqattaat (disjoined letters) of �Ya� and �Seen� and hence comes its name. According to Hadiths, Yasin is among the most virtuous Surahs of the Holy Book. It is known as the �Heart of the Quran�. It talks about the resurrection of the dead and how limbs speak on the Day of Judgment.

The starting verses refer to the issue of prophethood, its philosophy and how people react to the invitation of messengers of God. They underline that the outcome of accepting the invitation is revival of people and that only those who accept this call will be on the path to salvation. The section about the Resurrection Day is the most important part of the Surah. These verses are about the resurrection of the dead, separation of sinners from the righteous, how people are asked questions, the end of the world, and heaven and hell.

Yasin, which was unveiled 11 March 2023, will actually be a standard model to be included in the production line, and the saddle of Yasin's next cars will be produced based on the standard model. Amir Brigadier General Afshin Khawajafard, the CEO of the Air Industries Organization of the Ministry of Defense, stated that Yasin is a plane designed from zero to 100 in-house and based on needs, and says: All parts of this plane, from aerodynamics to its structure and various systems, are designed done by experts in the country.

The CEO of the Air Industries Organization of the Ministry of Defense explained the differences between the first and second Yasin training jets, saying: "The first plane that flew was actually to prove the design, which is the same way all over the world, but after proving the design for different stages, at least Let's build four planes; The plane that will be unveiled today is the first production plane in our production line, which will also be the standard of production, that is, we have produced 5-6 pieces of some parts of this plane for the next planes."

Amir Khajefard said that reaching this stage indicates the stabilization of the design and moving towards production: "We had optimizations in the flight of the first plane, which is evident even in the shape of the plane, that is, if you compare the first plane and the second plane, you will notice some changes . You will be in it . Therefore, we made some changes in the design and we hope that the same aircraft can be used in training flights."

In response to the question why the wheels could not be folded in the first flight during the test flight, he said: "In the first plane, the wheel was also able to be folded, so in the test flights we are not allowed to close the wheel due to emergency situations. The plane should be minimized, so we make choices to reduce the risk for the first flight, which includes not collapsing the wheels."

The CEO of the Air Industries Organization of the Ministry of Defense emphasized the use of digital displays in the cockpit of this plane: this plane has a completely modern cabin, the so-called Glass Cockpit, which means we used modern methods that are used in advanced planes.

Amir Khajefard said about the engine of this plane, stating that Yasin uses the national Oj engine, he said: The Oj engine has two versions, one with an afterburner that is used in the Kausar fighter, and a version without afterburner called Oj-Y, which is on Yasin's plane. In terms of parameters, the peak engine thrust of this plane is desirable because this plane is not supersonic and it should not be.

The Oj-Y engine is a light turbojet engine without afterburner, the thrust of which is 3500 pounds equivalent to 16 kilonewtons. Its maximum engine speed is 16,600 rpm, which can provide a maximum speed of Mach 0.8 and take Yasin to an altitude of 40,000 feet. He also said about the formation process of Yasin's production line: "the current production line is limited for production, we will get the final order from the Air Force after the tests and we will develop the same production line based on the order and the production rate that we should have in the year."

The CEO of the Air Industries Organization of the Ministry of Defense stated that "we updated the designs and built them in almost 2 years, which is a record in itself", and stated: "Production plans at this level in other countries take 3 to 4 years. We reached this stage within two years and today this plane enters the flight line, the first stage of which is engine run-up, then slow taxi and then fast taxi until it reaches the flight day."

Amir Khajefard emphasized that the pilots who are trained on this plane have the ability to fly new generation fighters: Yasin's main mission is that the pilot who is trained on it can go and fly on the most advanced planes. He also said about other versions of Yassin and its ability to be used in combat operations: "this aircraft will have a CAS or close air support version in the future, which will be a single-pilot version , leading to a weapon that can currently be installed on the training version. Yes, it is a training weapon for pilot training."

Dr. Reza Khaki, the head of the Air Industries Research Institute, was directly responsible for this project. He stated that he personally witnessed that in the process of designing, building and testing the Yasin jet, some works were done on this project, which was done for the first time in the country, and he said: "Many of these works are new to us and many technologies In the process of making Yassin Jet, it is also possible to patent it."

The head of the Air Industries Research Institute said: "For example, the nonlinear system that was designed and built to move the command surfaces and convert the movement transfer from the surface where the stick moves to the command surface is easily patentable. This plane has a wet wing and we have installed a fuel tank inside the wing, which is the first time in our country that we design, build and test a wet wing."

Dr. Khaki said Yasin's design is not similar to any other training jet in the world: "All aerospace professors know very well that whenever an airplane, satellite or satellite carrier is designed, a data collection is done from the available devices and a database is built in. and based on that, the designer makes his new design and then tries to calculate what he expects from the performance of the aircraft or flying device and include it in his design."

He continued: "As a result, this flying device is a newly designed device and you will not find a similar example for this bird, of course there are many training jets in the world, but the Yasin example definitely does not exist in the world because it was designed by Iranian experts from scratch. The head of the Air Industries Research Institute also emphasized that this project was carried out in a very short period of time and during which many experts reached maturity.

Pilot Colonel Gholamreza Fasuniehchi is another one involved in this project. Regarding the process of training a pilot, Fausonechi said: "After entering the flight school, our pilots first fly propeller planes like the Bonanza, then they go to the PC-7 plane, and then they have to fly an advanced jet plane before they enter the fighter squadrons.... The PC-7 plane is a turboprop plane that had a low stall speed, it is necessary for the pilot to fly an advanced jet plane like Yasin after the PC-7 course and before entering the fighter battalions. Yasin fills the gap between the speed of the PC-7 and the fighter jet, i.e. the pilot lands at 120 knots, stalls at 90 knots, can climb higher, has a jet-like cabin."

According to Fasuniehchi, Yassin has the ability to perform all the necessary maneuvers in terms of training, that is, he can perform TR or acrobatic maneuvers, instrument (precision instruments), BFM or ACM air combat. By stating that Yasin as a training jet can meet all the training needs of the Air Force in terms of pilot training, he emphasizes: "if this plane reaches mass production, we will be able to train student pilots from other countries, which in itself can generate currency for become a country".

The HESA Kowsar (Persian: thunderbolt), also known as Kosar, is an Iranian jet aircraft equipped with new fourth generation avionics in combination with an advanced fire control system. The aircraft was designed by experts of Iran Aviation Industries and Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force as advanced training jet.

The Yasin All-Iranian Advanced Training Jet is 12 meters long, 4 meters high and and weighs 4.3 tons load-free under operational take-off conditions [other reports claim it weighs five and a half tons without further specification]. It can fly up to 12 km altitude. The wing is designed to be more than 4 meters long and 2 meters wide so that it can land at a speed of the best training aircraft in the world and take off at sea level quickly. The presence of a fully rotating tail fin eliminates the pilot's restriction on various maneuvers, especially spin-off or rotational crash. The Yasin Advanced Training Jet utilizes a 7,000-pound thrust turbo jet engine. The aircraft's ejection seat is capable of working at zero speed and under any circumstances, propelling the pilots out of the fighter jet in a fraction of a second to a height of up to 100 meters.

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi announced on 20 April 2013 that the country planned to display new home-made defensive products in the near future, including a new aircraft for training purposes, and an air-launched cruise missile. "We have on the agenda the production of other types of fighter jets and we will unveil Kowsar training jets in a not too far future," Vahidi told reporters on the sidelines of the military parades held in Tehran on the occasion of the National Army Day.

The first Kowsar 88 (also named Kosar) prototype jet trainer was unveiled 15 April 2017. This jet will form future fleet of IRIAF Iranian Air Force advanced jet trainer airplanes until 2025. The Kowsar trainer strongly resembles the AIDC AT-3 Tzu Chung aircraft developed by the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation of the Taiwan in collaboration with American aircraft manufacturer Northrop between 1984 and 1990. It also resembles the CASA C.101 Aviojet Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft, and the Yak-130 Russian air force's advanced flight and tactical combat trainer -. But close examination confirms that it is a copy of none of these.

Managing-Director of the Iranian Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO) Manouchehr Manteqi announced the country's plans to test a new home-made training jet named 'Kowsar 88' next year. "Kowsar 88 jet will go under tests in the next Iranian year (which starts on March 21, 2015) if the plans go ahead with no problem," Manteqi said 04 December 2014.

Iran was in final stages of manufacturing its new home-made training jet, �Kowsar�, Air Force Deputy Chief Liaison Officer General Aziz Nasirzadeh said February 9, 2015, adding that the country is also ready to start exports of flight simulators to foreign nations. �The double-cockpit Kowsar jet which is being designed and built in cooperation with the defense ministry�s aerospace industries organization is in final stages of manufacturing,� Nasirzadeh said.

He also elaborated on the country�s capabilities in building simulators for different types of aircraft, and said, �The Air Force has designed and built simulator systems for all airplanes using the most state-of-the-art technologies and we have reached full self-sufficiency in this regard.� He also underlined Iran�s preparedness to export different types of simulators to other countries.

In relevant remarks in December 2014, Managing-Director of the Iranian Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO) Manouchehr Manteqi announced the country�s plans to test �Kowsar� training jet next year. �Kowsar 88 jet will go under tests in the next Iranian year (which starts on March 21, 2015) if the plans go ahead with no problem,� Manteqi told FNA.

On 15 April 2017 President Rouhani visited Iran Helicopter Support and Renewal Company (IHSRC) and ordered the unveiling of a jet trainer named Kowsar, Mohaajer 6 tactical drone, Nasseer anti-ship cruise missile, and Fakour air-to-air missile. During the ceremony, the IAIO Qaher-313 fighter also started taxiing test and preparation for take-off at President Rouhani's order. The ceremony continued with delivering 20 helicopters, which were undergone major overhaul, to the armed forces. At the beginning of the ceremony, Dr Rouhani reviewed the honour guards and paid tribute to the martyrs of the Sacred Defence era, as well as those of the Ministry of Defence. The President also visited different parts of the exhibition on the achievements of the defence ministry and was briefed about the latest developments and advancements in Iran's defensive capabilities.

The all Iranian Yassin Jet Advanced Trainer was unveiled 16 October 2019 in the presence of Brigadier General ' Ali Hatami " Minister of Defense , Brigadier General pilot 's Nasirzadeh commander of the Air Force and Surena Stari Science and Technology Vice President , in Nojeh martyr base in Hamadan. The training aircraft made its first official flight over the martyred base of Nujah after completing the final test stages on the orders of the Army Air Force Commande.

The Iranian Air Force is considering the use of the Yasin jet trainer in the light attack role. In an interview with Iranian state TV on 26 October 2019, Amir Karim Bani Tarafi, the Chairman of the Iran Aviation Industry Organization, said the Air Force is examining the prospect of using Yasin for close air support missions (CAS). He said, �At present, the plane only has a training function, but it can be in the future completed and equipped with bombs and missiles and be used as a CAS plane.�

Bani Tarafi underlined that one of the problems facing Iran in manufacturing the training jet was its engine, but the problem was eventually overcome and the engine was later mass-produced by Iranian experts and used in Yasin. Yasin utilizes two 7,000-pound-thrust turbo jet engines, which is used for jet fighters.

Iran unveiled and put into operation the domestically-manufactured training jet, which is "among the world�s best" in terms of takeoff and landing capabilities. The advanced jet, dubbed Yasin, was put on display in the presence of Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami, Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh and Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari.

He added that the Air Force is assessing its requirements, suggesting that the Air Force would typically require between three and four squadrons with 16 jets each, or a total of 48 to 64 aircraft.