SHOW REPORT // IRAN
The ninth Iranian air show at Kish was one for the history books. Contrary to earlier iterations held at the tiny free trade zone island in the Persian Gulf, the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) attended this year en masse.
THE PERSIAN GULF Air Show 2018 drew attention from around the world as the first images from the event — which ran from November 26-29, 2018 — started to emerge. It’s an event many are comparing to the Libyan Aviation Expo (LAVEX) in Tripoli in 2007 and 2009, and 2016’s Wonsan Air Festival in North Korea, in terms of significance. Previous biennial Kish shows have promised much but delivered little in terms of operational Iranian hardware. From the outset, 2018 was far more impressive. A small static display included an IRIAF F-14A Tomcat, F-5F Saeghe (locally modified F-5), Pilatus PC-7, EMB-312 Tucano and C-130E Hercules, plus an Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN) SH-3D Sea King and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Force (IRGCAF) Mi-171 and Y-12. Aircraft assembled for the flying display included a further two F-5E Saeghes, three Tucanos, and a PC-7.
Various booths showcased local reverse-engineering skills and flight simulators, as well as a …
