An Iranian Air Force F-5 fighter jet crashed on a training mission in the southwestern Khuzestan Province. The pilot was killed, while the co-pilot survived and was hospitalized.

The jet was flying a training mission when it crashed while trying to land on a runway at Dezful Air Base in the southwestern Khuzestan Province on Sunday, Iranian media reports.

Iranian F5 fighter jet crashes in Dezful https://t.co/T5MVgwKtYG — Mehr News Agency (@MehrnewsCom) August 26, 2018

The pilot, an Iranian colonel, died in the crash, the commander of Dezful’s police told Fars News Agency.

The co-pilot survived the incident, and was rushed to the hospital.

The spokesperson for the air base said that the jet suffered a “technical malfunction” while in flight, and commended the crew for managing to bring the plane to the runway, avoiding greater destruction.

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The authorities have launched a probe into the cause of the crash.

The crash happened a week after Iran officially unveiled its first domestically-made fighter plane, the Kowsar. Due to striking similarities to the twin-seat F-5s, some observers suspect that the warplane is actually a remodeled version of the US-made jet.

Iran began buying F-5s in the mid-1960s, and ultimately received over 100 jets from Washington before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The planes were later actively used during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988).

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