Iran on doorstep of aircraft making with homegrown engine parts: Official
Iran has taken its first steps toward joining global aircraft manufacturers with the development of its domestically built Simorgh cargo plane, a senior aviation official said, marking a milestone in the country’s aerospace development goals.
Mohammad Reza Vaqefimanesh, director general of the Aircraft Design and Manufacturing Engineering Office at Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, told IRNA in an exclusive interview that the Simorgh transport aircraft was entirely designed and produced by Iranian specialists inside the country, with work on the design dating back about 15 years.
Iran on Tuesday began test flying its domestically made aircraft in the central province of Isfahan, aiming to meet the requirements for an airworthiness certificate from the Civil Aviation Organization.
Vaqefimanesh said the plane was developed based on the Ukrainian Antonov-140 model but features an indigenously designed tail and rear fuselage. The aircraft is larger than the Antonov, equipped with a bigger tail and a rear cargo door that allows loading of items such as vehicles the size of a jeep, aircraft engines, and other equipment.
“Powered by two 2,500-horsepower engines, giving it a total output of 5,000 horsepower, the Simorgh can carry six tons of cargo, has a maximum takeoff weight of 21.5 tons, and can fly up to 3,900 kilometers.”
He also said the aircraft falls into the medium-size category among global transport planes and is also capable of carrying postal cargo.
“Iran has not yet achieved full technical know-how in building engines and auxiliary power units (APUs),” he said, “though the design and production of some engine parts have begun domestically.”
Globally, countries seeking to design passenger aircraft typically start by developing components and gradually move toward modifying and redesigning existing aircraft models. To meet certification requirements, they must comply with at least 80% of the CS-25 heavy aircraft design regulations, Vaqefimanesh explained.
According to the official, the Simorgh must complete between 100 and 150 hours of test flights to meet Iran’s heavy-aircraft airworthiness standards. So far, the aircraft is scheduled to undergo about 70 test flights to assess stability, control, performance, engine function, and load measurement, including one-engine-inoperative (OEI) tests to ensure it can safely continue flying with one engine off.
He said that the main flight tests will take about a year. If all tests are successfully completed and documentation finalized, the aircraft could receive a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the Civil Aviation Organization by next year, authorizing it for operational cargo use.
Until now, global aircraft manufacturing had been dominated by giants such as Boeing, Airbus, and firms in Russia, China, Brazil, and Canada, along with a few smaller Eastern European companies. “Iran is now joining that club,” Vaqefimanesh said.