Text/Fat guy eggplant
An industrial park in Iran has been "blown up" again.
According to a report by the global network on January 22, a few days ago, a strange "explosion" broke out in Semnan Province, not far from Tehran, the capital of Iran. Earlier in the day, a number of local residents heard a "loud explosion" in the area of the Gamsar industrial park in Semnan province, but did not see the fire or smoke from the explosion. Given the recent tensions in the Middle East, many residents have chosen to report to the local police and fire department.
(Gamsar Industrial Park, Semnan Province, Iran)
Because there was a precedent for Israeli agents to attack Iranian military industrial facilities, the local authorities did not dare to slack off when they heard about it, and quickly dispatched security personnel and rescue teams to the vicinity of the industrial park to "rescue and relieve the disaster". As a result, when they ran to the scene of the "explosion", they found that there was not even a single smoke and dust from the explosion, let alone fire and smoke...... However, due to safety concerns, the local government still said that it may strengthen safety precautions and consider evacuating residents in the surrounding area in case of a real huge explosion.
What caused the mysterious explosion? The Iranian government soon gave an explanation: Earlier in the day, when a fighter jet was flying near the park, it flew at a low altitude and "flew too hard" to break through the speed of sound, causing the "sonic boom" phenomenon to occur.
(Sonic boom cloud generated when a fighter jet flies at supersonic speed)
Sonic boom is one of the main characteristics produced by supersonic fighters when flying, it generates a huge amount of energy and may even cause some damage, so most of the time supersonic flight is strictly forbidden to be carried out at near-ground altitudes. According to reports, the sonic boom produces a loud sound "similar to a mortar shell or a large-caliber grenade", so it is normal for local residents to mistake it for an explosion.
It is reported that this is already the fourth similar incident reported in the province of Semnan in a week, which means that the first three are likely to be "miscalculations" caused by low-altitude supersonic flights of fighter jets. And although the Iranian authorities did not point out that the fighter was a fighter of the Iranian Air Force, it can be seen from the description that "the fighter flew at an altitude lower than the permissible value", and that the Iranian authorities should have jurisdiction over the aircraft, so the fighter is likely to belong to the Iranian military; moreover, the industrial complex is only 90 kilometers away from Tehran, how can any foreign fighter jet fly so brazenly at ultra-low altitude on the edge of the Iranian capital?
(Iranian Air Force fighter jet takes off)
Among the fighter jets equipped by Iran, there are not many models that can fly at low-altitude supersonic speeds, such as the American-made F-4, the French Mirage F1, the Chinese J-7, and the Soviet-made Su-22 and Su-24. But the problem is that low-altitude supersonic flights can cause tiny cumulative damage to the structure of the fighters, and the Iranian Air Force has basically "antiques" on hand with little maintenance, and it is unlikely that Iran will use these valuable fighters for supersonic flight tests.
Then the most likely option is the "Kosar" fighter "developed" and produced by Iran itself.
(Due to a lack of spare parts, Iranian F-4 fighter jets have rarely performed missions)
"Kosar" is actually a light fighter based on Iran's reverse imitation and upgrade of the American-made F-5 fighter, and it is also the only fighter that Iran can produce independently. The original F-5 fighter has the ability to fly at Mach 1.63 supersonic speed, while the "Kosar" uses an imitation J85 turbojet engine, and its afterburner thrust has been reduced, but it should still have the possibility of supersonic flight.
Some speculate that this may be a supersonic flight test of an Iranian domestic fighter, and before that, the "Kosar" fighter did not make an overt supersonic flight. If this speculation is true, then it means that Iran's emphasis and confidence in the aircraft has been further upgraded, which may be due to Iran's upgrading of the aircraft's production line and assembly process so that the aircraft's structure can withstand the enormous burden of low-altitude supersonic flight.
(Iranian "Kosar" fighter production line)
However, there are also comments that this may be Iran testing a supersonic cruise missile that has not yet been disclosed. Cruise missiles generally fly at low altitudes, and their sonic booms are likely to be heard by the public. And the Iranian authorities did claim that they were able to develop supersonic cruise missiles, and the location of the incident was an industrial park planned by the Iranian government's Industrial Development Organization, so it is possible for defense companies to conduct tests locally.
As for the so-called "Iranian stealth fighter" -- the Conqueror-313 fighter? Eggplant's speculation is that considering its maximum airspeed indicator of 260 knots, it is better to guess whether the Russian Su-35 conducted a secret test flight in the local area than to guess whether it was a supersonic test flight.