Much of Iran’s air fleet is in dire need of spare parts that Tehran has been unable to buy due to US and other western sanctions.
“Iran’s air fleet is a metaphor for the regime as a whole,” said Ali Ansari, founder of the Institute of Iranian Studies at the University of St Andrews. “It’s old, should not be able to keep flying, and yet does — until it doesn’t.”
Tehran has yet to give an official explanation for the crash.
The likely culprit is an aging fleet, battered by decades of wear and tear. Blocked for years by western sanctions on Iranian institutions and export controls on aerospace goods, Iran has been thwarted in efforts to renew its fleet or access spare parts and maintenance contracts.
Much of Iran’s air force is even older than its civilian fleet and combines decades-old US aircraft, many of them bought in the 1970s, with Soviet-made planes and a few airworthy French Mirage F1s.
@RavenBradyLibertarian2wks2W
And yet Iran seems to have enough parts for its drones!
@RightAndyRepublican2wks2W
That’s like saying an F1 team can use parts from go karts.
@RavenBradyLibertarian2wks2W
If they can make parts for drones - and space rockets - can they not make parts for planes and helicopters?
@RightAndyRepublican2wks2W
Probably depends if they made it originally. They made their drones and rockets end to end from scratch. There will be very specific tolerances - precision engineering.
You get the exact metal composition and engineering slightly off in a part for an F16 it’s going to crash. It’s not a lawnmower.
@D1rectLeahVeteran2wks2W
Yea thats not true lol. We have given them billions of dollars, and they chose to market death to Jews with that money (missiles and drones), instead of taking care of their people and apparently also getting new helicopters.
Oh so unfair to Iran!! Everything should be a level playing field.
@SalamiMayaNo Labels2wks2W
Despite sanctions, countries like Iran may still develop or acquire certain technologies through various means, including domestic production, partnerships with other nations, or illicit channels. Sanctions aim to limit access to certain resources, but determined entities
Even the PRESIDENT'S helicopter? It sure seems he'd get the newest and safest of stuff.
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
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