In the 1980s, a severe war broke out between Iran and Iraq, during which over a million soldiers and civilians died. This war is commemorated in Iran every year with a series of events known as the "Holy Defense Week," during which the Iranian military displays its sophisticated and advanced combat inventions.
But there is still a long way to go between show and reality. The Pazm website revealed some of the Iranians' "advanced" weapons, which, rather embarrassingly, turn out to be fakes at best, or weapons of war that are incapable of doing even a little of what the Iranians describe.
This is how the Iranians revealed the 'Qaher 313' stealth fighter jet, which, according to the Iranians, is capable of hitting targets on the ground with great precision, evading enemy defensive weapons, and even carrying advanced weapons. The plane does look impressive, but experts quickly revealed that the plane probably can't even... take off. The aviation experts quoted on the website said that "the cockpit looks too basic for a modern plane, and it contains instruments that are usually found in private planes. The nose of the plane is so small that there is no chance of putting a radar in there. The air pumps are too small and resemble unmanned vehicles, and part of the engine lacks an exhaust pipe, so the entire plane could burn up at the first moment. And above all - the plane is too small. It looks like the pilot is sitting in a miniature plane. In conclusion: it looks like an enlarged model of a plane, not something that can really accommodate a pilot."'
The Qaher was preceded by another fighter jet called the 'Citizen'. In 2007, the Iranian Minister of Defense announced that the plane had entered operational use, but it soon became clear that it was a fake, to the point of being 'deceptive'. The plane is an imitation of an old American fighter jet from the 1960s. The Iranians dismantled the plane and rebuilt it with negligible differences from the original.
The Japanese drone
In 2011, the Iranians reported on the Haseka plane. An advanced Iranian-made fighter jet. However, here too, it quickly became clear that it was a copy of the F5 with external additions reminiscent of the F-18. Later, the Iranians reported on the 'Karar' drone [unmanned aerial vehicle] – an innovative 4-meter-long drone that is also capable of attacking targets. However, three years have passed since then and the drone has not been seen in the sky. Where has the advanced plane gone?
The Iranians did not give up and released a picture of the 'Coker-1', another type of sophisticated unmanned aircraft. However, bloggers exposed the hoax and proved that it was actually a Japanese drone called the QTW.
Embarrassing? Not the Iranians. The Iranian president announced with great pride the production of two new tanks, one of which is called the 'Zolfiqar'. In a conversation with a senior military official in the IDF, the latter told the Pazm website that this is an old tank that has undergone bodywork and perhaps some minor upgrades. This is an old M-60 tank, which, if it even exists, has undergone bodywork to look like the American Abrahams. According to various estimates, there are currently only 10 tanks of this type, so in any case it is not really influential.
And what is happening in the maritime domain? In early 2010, the Iranian Navy boasted that it had four new 'Ghadir' class submarines with stealth capabilities and the ability to launch surface-to-surface missiles. The Iranians promised that the submarines were capable of operating in shallow water and that they would reach 'all the way to Israel.' Here too, an IDF official explained that it was not certain that they were truly capable of diving, and certainly not for long. The Iranian submarines are dwarfs and only 20 to 25 meters long. They are not capable of reaching the State of Israel at all, and it is doubtful whether they are capable of competing with the American fleet.
Harry Potter's bus
'The latest 'invention' that has received a lot of jokes and cynical humor is the RATEGH - a unique vehicle designed to disperse protests. The sophisticated vehicle was unveiled last week, and a picture of it that went viral on the Internet revealed that it is a simple civilian bus with armored plates, speakers, and a small plow on the front to pave the way.
On Twitter, the ridiculous bus is called the 'Batmobile' [an imaginary vehicle belonging to fantasy films and comics], and users were quick to give it a series of amusing nicknames such as 'Batmobile on drugs', 'the evil twin of Harry Potter's bus', 'Iranians are preparing for the arrival of the zombies'.
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