Tel Aviv. A number of new photos were circulated this week on social media, showing what was said to be the new Egyptian Sukhoi-35 aircraft made in Russia.
Social media activists said the photos were taken at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur plant, where Egyptian Su-35 planes are being inspected before being handed over to the Egyptian Air Force.
Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the Russian Far East is the largest aircraft-manufacturing company in Russia.
Pictures of the first five fighter jets, the Su-35m, appeared when the planes made a test flight in the European part of Russia, and the pictures showed that the fighter jets carried numbers between 9210 and 9214
The fourth generation + Su-35 aircraft is considered one of the most advanced aircraft in the Russian military arsenal, as this is the upgrade to the previous Su-27 aircraft.
Also, the possession of the Su-35 aircraft by the Egyptian army will not only make their air force one of the strongest in the region but also in the world.
The Egyptian Ministry of Defense has not yet commented on whether these images actually show planes that are supposed to be delivered to the Egyptian Air Force, although there is already extensive sharing on.
Cairo makes big efforts to diversify its arms sources for national security purposes. As part of these efforts, it has purchased systems from countries like Germany, France, China and Spain, an indication that it is not solely looking to Russia.
Egypt began pursuing the recent Russian deal as well as for French Rafale aircraft after Washington declined Cairo to sell F-35 fighter jets.
Last November, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark T Esper warned Egypt against concluding the purchase of Russia’s Sukhoi Su-35.
However, Cairo did not cancel the deal and proceeded with the negotiations until the delivery dates were concluded.
-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
