Iran Launches Test Flights of Homegrown Cargo Plane

The Iranian-made Simorgh plane has officially begun its test flights as it prepares to join the country’s cargo fleet.

Simorgh’s test flights began in an airfield in the city of Shahin Shahr in central Iran on Tuesday after a ceremony attended by deputy heads of Iran’s ministries of defense and transportation, The Caspian Post reports citing Mehr news.

The plane has to carry out 100 hours of test flights in various circumstances to get a final permit to join Iran’s aviation fleet, according to a statement from Iran's Civil Aviation Organization (CAA).

CAA chief Hossein Pourfarzaneh said on Tuesday that Simorgh, whose indigenization process has taken more than 15 years, ranks Iran among fewer than 20 countries in the world that have the capability to design and manufacture aircraft.

Simorgh, named after a mythical bird in Persian mythology and literature, is equipped with two 2,500-horsepower engines that can carry 6 metric tons (mt) of cargo over a distance of 3,900 kilometers, while its maximum takeoff weight is 21.5 mt.

The plane carried out a fast-taxi test in May 2022, a year before it conducted its maiden flight.

Since then, the Iranian defense ministry, which is in charge of manufacturing Simorgh, has been trying to receive a test certificate for the plane from the CAA, a process that has involved obtaining a type certificate, a document that signifies the plane's airworthiness.

Experts say Simorgh is a modified version of IrAn-140, an Iranian-Ukrainian joint project which is itself based Antonov An-140. However, former CAA officials have disputed that view, saying it is quite a different plane as it enjoys a modified engine and fuselage.

Simorgh has been described as an agile, light, and quick plane with a high cargo carriage capacity that is compatible with Iran’s weather conditions, making it a perfect choice for critical services like medical flights.

Authorities say the aircraft will boost the capacity of Iranian ground and navy forces to transport troops or equipment between their bases across the country.

They also believe that Simorgh can join Iran’s fleet of short-haul passenger jets in the future.

Reports in recent years have pointed to major achievements in Iran’s aircraft production and maintenance industry.

That has come against the backdrop of sanctions imposed on Iran, which prevent airlines in the country from purchasing new planes or aircraft parts.