Why did the Iranians put the nose of the fighter on the keel fairing of the Tu-154M? (7 photos)

Once upon a time there was one Soviet Tu-154M, flew himself, transported passengers. And this continued until the beginning of the zero years, until it bought by an Iranian company.

In the mid-2000s, Iran had this with passenger planes itself, and therefore it is not surprising that the Tu-154 was chosen for such experiments.

So, this plane differs from other "Carcasses" in that instead of a keel fairing, it has something incomprehensible.





On closer examination, it was found that the passenger plane was slightly retrofitted with an unusual keel fairing with glass lantern.



If you look at the usual keel fairing of the Tu-154M, then of course it is not so big and, moreover, pointed.

The Iranians, on the other hand, decided that the regular one was no good, and having sawed off the factory one, they put more.





And as it turned out, instead of a regular fairing, the company Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial secured the front end from fighter.

But why was it necessary to do so? Who could even come up with such an idea - to put a person there.



At first, there was a version that this is nothing more than a VIP place. for especially wealthy passengers who are willing to overpay in order not to to fly on an airplane in a common cabin with other passengers.

However, this version was not confirmed. Too bad, it was a good guess.



So, judging by the archival footage, the Iranian Air Force secured there the front of the fighter to make a flying laboratory for testing ejection seats.

But why use a whole passenger plane for this if they already have a ready-made flying fighter?



And as it turned out, the F-5 fighter has its own keel. Moreover, he is alone, he is located in the center, and if suddenly the catapult of the chair the pilot does not work correctly, then he has every chance of getting straight on ... the back with this keel.

And in order to minimize the risks, it was necessary to find carrier aircraft, which would allow you to install a piece of a fighter in the highest point where there are no plumage elements. And how can you see in the photo, even if the catapult somehow doesn’t work like that, then the pilot and his chair will not collide with the keel.