According to an Iranian parliamentarian, Iran will start receiving Russian Su-35 fighter jets by March. Shahriar Heidari, a member of the parliament’s National Security Committee, told Tasnim News Agency that the jets will arrive in Iran in the coming Iranian year, which begins March 21.
According to MP, Tehran has also ordered a number of other military equipment from Russia, including air defense systems, missile systems, and helicopters, most of which will arrive soon.
According to media reports, Iran will receive 24 twin-engine, highly maneuverable fourth-generation fighter jets that will be used primarily for air superiority missions.
Some of the fighters are expected to be based at the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) Tactical Air Base (TAB) 8, located in the city of Isfahan in central Iran.
Iran has not acquired any new combat aircraft in recent years, except some Russian MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters it purchased in the 1990s.
Related Article: Su-35 vs MiG-35: Differences Between Russian Sukhoi Su-35 and Mikoyan MiG-35 Fighter Jets
Iran and Russia have signed important agreements in recent months to strengthen their economic, trade, energy, and military cooperation.
Last September, Iranian Air Force Commander Hamid Vahedi stated that the purchase of Su-30 fighters was not on his country’s agenda.
Single seater, without canards, the Su-35S “Flanker E” is the 4++ generation variant of the Su-27 Flanker aircraft.
The multirole aircraft features thrust-vectoring, radar-absorbent paint, Irbis-E passive electronically scanned array radar, IRST (Infra-Red Search and Track), the Khibiny radar jamming system along with the ability to use some interesting weapons, including the ultra-long range R-37M air-to-air missile that could target HVAA (High-Value Air Assets) such as AWACS and tanker aircraft.
