Iran flies domestically made fighter jets to mark Army Day

Iran has showcased domestically made fighter jets by flying the aircraft over Tehran during a military parade marking National Army Day.

State TV broadcast footage of the aircraft performing during the parade on Thursday.

The planes include the latest all-Iranian fighter jet, dubbed Kowsar, which in Islamic meaning refers to a river in paradise and is also the title of a chapter in the Muslim holy book, the Quran.

The twin-seated Kowsar — modelled after American F-5 fighter jet — was inaugurated in 2017, when the TV aired images of President Hassan Rouhani briefly sitting in the planes cockpit inside a hangar before the ceremony.

The parade also showcased the Saegheh, or Thunderbolt, another domestically built fighter plane. Irans air force already has U.S.-made and Russian-made Sukhoi aircraft in service.