Tel Aviv: The first Russian made Sukhoi-35 (Su-35) fighter aircraft were delivered to Iran in November, 2024.
As Tehran and Moscow continue military cooperation, Iran has acquired advanced Sukhoi-35 fighter jets from Russia to bolster its military capabilities, Iran’s state-affiliated Student News Network reported on January 27.
According to a report in Iran International, the website operated from London by the opposition to the regime in Tehran, Ali Shadmani, the deputy coordinator of IRGC’s Khatam-ol-Anbia Central Headquarters said, “Whenever necessary, we make military purchases to strengthen our air, land, and naval forces. […] The production of military equipment has also accelerated.”
Shadmani did not specify whether the jets have already been delivered to Iran.
In November 2023, Iran’s state media said Tehran had finalised arrangements to buy Russian fighter jets.
The negotiations for advanced Russian fighter jets date back to 2007 when Iran explored acquiring Su-30MKs. However, United Nations sanctions and Russian hesitation halted the potential deal. Renewed discussions in 2015 for Su-30SM jets, including a request for domestic production rights, were also unsuccessful.
According to German aviation industry magazine Flug Revue, the first two Sukhoi Su-35SE fighter jets were officially handed over to the Iranian Air Force on November 18, during a private ceremony at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant (KnAAPO), the German media outlet said.
The two aircraft were transported disassembled on an Antonov An-124-100 cargo plane to Mehrabad Airport in Tehran. After arrival, they were moved to the 3rd Tactical Air Force Base near Hamadan for assembly.
Initially, the order was for 25 Su-35SE aircraft to replace the IRIAF’s aging US-made Grumman F-14A Tomcats stationed in Isfahan, but it was later expanded to 50 units to also replace F-4E Phantom II aircraft based in Hamadan.
The Russian Air Force has also suffered losses in combat during its invasion of Ukraine and has not been able to establish air superiority against a much smaller enemy air force.
Faced with a technologically outdated air force comprised of a few dozen strike aircraft, some dating back to the pre-1979 revolution era, Iran has prioritised the development of drones and missiles.
Iran has supplied hundreds of drones to Russia that have been used to target Ukraine’s military and civilian infrastructure, according to the United States. Moscow denies that its forces use Iranian-built drones in Ukraine, although many have been shot down and recovered there.
In November 2023, satellite imagery showed the construction of a plant in Russia to mass produce Iranian-designed Shahed-136 drones, according to the Institute for Science and International Security. The Yelabuga drone factory opened in July 2023.
Iran has also expressed interest in acquiring other advanced military technology from Russia, such as the S-400, a mobile surface-to-air missile system.
In October, Israeli air strikes knocked out Iran’s last three Russian-provided S-300 air defence missile systems. The surface-to-air S-300s were the last in the Islamic Republic’s arsenal after one was destroyed in an attack in April also carried out by Israel.
Iran had acquired the four S-300 battalions from Russia in 2016.
Earlier this month, Iran and Russia signed a comprehensive strategic partnership which did not mention arms transfers but said the two will develop their military-technical cooperation.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
