Selling the Su-35 fighters is a way for the Kremlin to maintain good relations with its Iranian counterparts.
While rumors surrounding a potential Russian delivery of Su-35 fighters to Iran have swirled for years, reports recently suggest this transaction could already be underway. According to United 24 Media, Moscow has begun covertly constructing Flanker-E jets for its Middle East ally. Documents alleging that the airframes are currently being manufactured by Russian aviation factories, including Yuri Gagarin Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant, Zvezda Research and Production Enterprise, and the Yakovlev Corporation, have been published by the outlet. This news follows other leaked internal documents from Russia’s state defense conglomerate Rostec that circulated in October, which outlined a massive $6.5 billion arms deal for Iran to procure four dozen Su-35s in the near future.
In 2023, Iranian Air Force commander Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi directly mentioned such a potential acquisition, noting that “Regarding the purchase of Su-35 fighter jets [from Russia]—we need them. But we do not know when they will be added to our squadron. This is related to the decision of [Iran’s] high-ranking officials.”
About the Su-35 Flanker-E
- Year Introduced: 2007
- Number Built: >151
- Length: 21.9 m
- Wingspan: 15.3 m
- Weight: 34,500 kg
- Engines: 2x Saturn AL-41F1S afterburning turbofan engines
- Top Speed: Mach 2.25 (at high altitude), 1,400 km/h (at low altitude)
- Range: 1,580 km (at low altitude), 3,600 km (at high altitude)
- Service Ceiling: 18,000 m
- Loadout: 30mm GSh-30-1 cannon with 150 rounds; R-27, R-77, and R-73 air-to-air missiles; Kh-29, Kh-31, and Kh-59 air-to-surface missiles; and guided and unguided bombs
- Aircrew: One
Considering Tehran’s current fleet of rapidly aging fighters, this potential influx of Su-35 jets would undoubtedly elevate its aerial prowess. As detailed by The Asia Times, Ukrainian hackers were the first to publicize the leaks, which allegedly outline the Iranian-Russian Flanker-E deal. The leaks reportedly included more than 300 Rostec files displaying a customer code connected to Iran, which specified delivery of aircraft over the next two years. “Each jet is to be equipped with Khibiny-M electronic-warfare pods and Irbis-E radar, with assembly possibly occurring at Iran’s Shahid Babayi Air Base near Isfahan under local supervision,” the leaks added.
Why Russia Might Sell the Su-35 Flanker-E to Iran
Russian-Iranian defense ties have been warming for years, especially in light of the ongoing Ukraine invasion and the fallout from the United States’ withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal. Since both nations have been largely isolated from the international community, especially economically due to these events, the Kremlin and the Iranian regime have turned toward each other to fulfill their respective military needs. Notably, Moscow’s litany of drone barrages targeting Ukraine has been fueled by Tehran. Since early on in the Ukraine war, Moscow has received multiple shipments of Iranian-designed Shahed drones. Due to these drone transfers, military analysts and industry experts have long speculated that Russia would imminently ship Su-35 Flanker-E airframes to Iran.
During the 12-day flare-up in violence between Israel and Iran this summer, Russia failed to assist its Middle East ally. Perhaps pushing ahead with its shipment of Su-35 fighters is a way for the Kremlin to maintain good relations with its Iranian counterparts.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, national security writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues. Carlin has bylines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.
Image: Shutterstock.com / Viacheslav Lopatin
