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“This is the next generation of fighter-bombers”, stated the Minister of Defense while referring to the new aircraft Saeqeh, which the Islamic Republic claims they have developed [Persian]. The name of the new plane, Saeqeh (Thunderbolt), inspired the editors in the newspaper of the government, Iran, to use the big title “Iranian Thunderbolt at Zionists”.

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What is missing in this “big achievement”? The fact that when the website of the national television first carried the news, they showed a plane which had the emblem of the Pahlavi Dynasty on it. This has made many guessing that this plane is not really designed by the Islamic Republic, but that it is rather an old plan which has been worked on since the late Shah of Iran. Of course they have changed the page now and it shows another picture [Persian]. An Iranian blogger managed to capture the original page.

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Screen shot from the state-run television’s website. The picture down here shows the magnified version of the emblem on the tail of the plane. Click to enlarge.

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Left: Emblem on the side of the plane “built by the Islamic Republic”, Right: The Lion and Sword emblem of Pahlavi Dinasty

See more pictures of the plane here. A helicopter and four unmanned airplanes are stated to be the next steps in the Islamic Republic’s technological quest [Persian].

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