Iran begins test flights of its first cargo plane

The Iranian-made plane Simorgh has officially started its test flights as the aircraft prepares to join Iran’s cargo fleet.

Simorgh’s test flights began in an airfield in the city of Shahin Shahr in central Iran after a ceremony attended by deputy heads of Iran’s ministries of defense and transportation, Mehr reported.

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 Iran's Civil Aviation Organization.

CAA chief Hossein Pourfarzaneh said 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, Press TV reported.

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.

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