Iran Starts Testing Converted An-140 Transport Aircraft

Iran is completing tests of the Simorgh military transport aircraft, developed from the Ukrainian An-140.

The Simorgh has accumulated around 100 hours of flight testing as part of its certification program.

According to state news agency IRNA, the tests aim to meet requirements for an airworthiness certificate from the Civil Aviation Organization of Iran.

Once testing is complete and approval is granted, the aircraft is planned for use in the national air transportation system for military and humanitarian missions.

In Iran, the Simorgh is presented as a domestic product of the national aviation industry.

However, the aircraft is based on the IrAn-140, a licensed modification of the Ukrainian An-140 turboprop developed by the Kharkiv State Aircraft Manufacturing Company.

Media reports indicate that Iran assembled ten IrAn-140 passenger aircraft from Ukrainian components before the countries’ cooperation ended.

Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries (HESA) performs the conversion of passenger An-140s into military transport versions.

The transport variant features a rear cargo ramp for loading oversized cargo and equipment.

Production of parts of the fuselage, wings, and other key components was carried out in Ukraine, while HESA engineers in Isfahan completed final assembly and modifications for transport roles.

The project to develop a tactical transport aircraft with a payload of up to six tons is managed by the IAMI Design Center (Aeronautical Design Center IAMI). The aircraft is intended to replace the Iranian Air Force’s aging Fokker-27 fleet.

The Simorgh was first presented in May 2022, built from parts that the Kharkiv State Aircraft Manufacturing Company supplied prior to sanctions and the suspension of cooperation between Ukraine and Iran.