Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries Corporation
Iranian aircraft manufacturer founded in 1976, subject to sanctions.
Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) is an Iranian aircraft production company established in 1976. It belongs to the Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO) and is located at Shahin Shahr, Isfahan province. The company is notable for producing a range of jet-propelled aircraft, propeller aircraft, rotorcraft, and UAVs, and has been subject to international sanctions.
Quick Facts
- Founded
- 1977
- Hq Location
- Isfahan province, Iran
- Key People
- Gen. Hojjatulah Qureshi / (Chairman)
- Industry
- Aerospace
- Products
- Commercial airliners, civil & military aircraft, civil aviation
- Parent
- Iran Aviation Industries Organization
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The original factory was built by the US Textron company to produce Bell 214 helicopters in Iran under a deal involving several hundred helicopters and technology transfers. The contract was reportedly so large that a new Textron division had to be founded, with Delk M. Oden as president. Work ended due to the Iranian Revolution and subsequent sanctions against Iran. HESA has been subject to American sanctions since 2008, with the Council of the European Union sanctioning it on 26 July 2010, and HM Treasury on 27 July 2010. On 30 January 2023, the European Union imposed additional sanctions on HESA for providing Russia with UAVs used in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The company has thousands of square meters of available grounds, and 250,000 square metres of shops and hangars allocated to aircraft part manufacturing, assembling, laboratories, flight test facilities, and shops of preparation for production.
Reader's Guide
HESA is significant as a key Iranian aerospace manufacturer that began with a large-scale helicopter production deal with US Textron, which was halted by the Iranian Revolution. The company has since developed a range of aircraft, including reverse-engineered versions of the Northrop F-5 fighter jet (such as the Azarakhsh, Saeqeh, and Kowsar), the IrAn-140 passenger plane based on the Antonov An-140, and various rotorcraft like the Shahed 278 and 285. It also produces multiple UAVs, including the Shahed 131, Shahed 136 loitering munition, and Shahed 129. The company's legacy is shaped by its role in Iran's domestic defense industry and its repeated targeting by international sanctions, most recently for supplying UAVs used in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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