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Why Iran Is Desperate For Russia’s Su-35 Fighter

Su-35 Fighter from Russia.
Su-35 Fighter from Russia.

Key Points and Summary: Iran’s Air Force, long reliant on aging U.S.-made jets like the F-14 and F-4, is transitioning to Russian Su-35 fighters amid growing defense ties with Moscow.

-With an initial batch reportedly delivered as kits, these “screwdriver airplanes” will be assembled at Iran’s Isfahan facility, potentially paving the way for local production.

-However, the Su-35 program faces hurdles, including sanctions on Russian electronic components and reported technical issues.

-If successful, this deal could signal a shift in regional power dynamics and solidify Iran-Russia military cooperation, though questions remain about the Su-35’s long-term reliability and effectiveness.

Su-35 for Iran: A Strategic Move or a Desperate Purchase?

Ever since the fall of the regime under Iran’s Shahanshah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the dream of Russian leaders has been for Iran to become another military partner.

It is an ambition that may finally be close to realization, but the question is if it is borne out of necessity and convenience or a genuine desire to be one of Moscow’s client states.

The Shah was a steadfast ally of the United States and, as such, made his major military purchases from Washington.

Throughout his rule, Iran acquired more than 200 McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom fighters, more than 125 Northrop F-5 models, and 79 of the Grumann F-14 Tomcat. Iran was the only nation ever to receive an export version of the aircraft, a fact that was made famous by the 1986 film Top Gun.

At the time of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran was in the process of purchasing 160 of the then-General Dynamics F-16s—showing the depth of the Shah’s commitment to a long-term relationship with the US. The sale was never completed due to the fall of Pahlavi’s regime.

Iran then found itself isolated, operating hundreds of US-made combat aircraft but with no way to service and support them due to sanctions.

We Still Love the American Jets

In 2002, Iran held its first-ever international air show, giving the community of aerospace and defense writers the first chance to peer into how the now Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) was managing to keep its fleet of American combat systems flying.

Time had taken its toll on the US-made kit. More than two decades after Washington and Teheran officially severed relations, the number of F-14s still operational with the IRIAF was reduced to roughly 25. The fleet of F-4s and F-5s were still flying—also in decreasing numbers.

The sole “indigenous” aircraft developed in Iran was a twin-tailed, reverse-engineered copy of the F-5, designated the صاعقه (Sâ’eğe), or Thunderbolt, and built at Iran’s Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA).

Su-35 Fighter from Russia.

Su-35 Fighter from Russia. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The aircraft featured a mix of commercially available and Russian-made onboard systems, but unlike the Northrop aircraft, it was powered by an Iranian-developed version of the GE J-85 jet engine, designated the “Owj.” Iranian sources claim that the engine’s thrust has been upgraded using design features from the F-14’s Pratt & Whitney TF30.

At the first air show in 2002, the question was why Iran was still copying American designs. Moscow would have been glad to sell them any top-line Mikoyan and Sukhoi fighter jets at the time. However, the Iranian industry preferred to stick with the US technology they were so familiar with—even if it was getting very old at this point.

Proposed New Additions

When I asked one of the leading engineers from the Iranian industry which aircraft he would most like to see his country acquire, his answer was unequivocal. “The F-15,” he said without hesitating or offering any other alternative preference.

A decade or so later, the IRIAF finally indicated it might be ready to retire its aging US aircraft. Rumors were that Tehran was interested in acquiring a large number of the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30SM models, but the sale never materialized.

Former Mikoyan officials who spoke to 19FortyFive in the early 2000s said there had also been earlier negotiations with the Iranians on establishing a production line for the MiG-29 in Iran. However, this deal was contingent on a parallel program for Tehran, which also agreed to become the launch customer for the Tupolev Tu-334 commuter airliner.

The two sides failed to come to terms. The two squadrons of MiG-29s purchased directly from the MAPO plant in Moscow by Iran in 1990 in the waning days of the Soviet Union became the only acquisition of this model by the Islamic Republic.

Su-35. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Su-35. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

“Russia’s aerospace industry and the foreign arms sales company, Rosoboronexport, have long dreamed about bringing Iran into Moscow’s sphere of interest – and to do so by selling the Islamic Republic a large number of new fighters,” said a former Mikoyan executive.

“They also have seen Iran as this decade’s get-rich ‘klondike’ of export contracts. The big spenders like China and India are not going to be the cash cows they once were,” he explained. “Iran is one of the few places left in the world that might be that next big customer they are looking for.”

In the meantime, the Iranian industry made numerous efforts to keep operating the US aircraft in the IRIAF inventory by integrating new weapons. Photographs and other data show the Russian-made Vympel R-27 (AA-10) air-to-air missile (AAM) being carried on the F-14. Other reports show a reversed-engineered and supposedly improved copy of the F-14’s famous Hughes AIM-54 Phoenix (AAM) designated Fakour-90.

Su-35: Super Flanker

2025 may finally be the year that a major fighter aircraft sale is made in Iran. The Islamic Republic has reportedly already taken delivery of an initial number of Sukhoi Su-35 Super Flanker fighters.

The aircraft were delivered in knock-down kits, an option Russia has often used with export customers receiving a new model for the first time.

These modularized kits are then mated together using standard assembly-line hand tools, giving rise to the nickname “screwdriver airplanes.” The IRIAF and its industry partners also operate a large factory and maintenance base at Isfahan, where the F-4 and F-14 aircraft are overhauled. It is most likely that this facility would be the site where the Su-35s would be maintained and serviced—and it would eventually house a licensed production line for the aircraft.

Su-35

Su-35. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Since the beginning of the Ukraine war, defense industrial relations between Russia and Iran have steadily grown, and the two nations’ militaries are conducting joint exercises for the first time. Deciding to take the plunge and acquire a large number of Su-35s is consistent with this increasing cooperation. Still, it also comes conveniently at a time when the US aircraft being flown by Iran are on their proverbial last legs.

What remains to be seen, said defense industry sources in Ukraine, is how smoothly the sale of these Su-35s, which are rumored to total up to 72 aircraft, will turn out to be.

“As of today, the Komsomolsk-an-Amure plant that produces the Su-35 has trouble replacing aircraft that have been lost in the Ukraine war.  Like other Russian weapon systems, this aircraft requires a large number of imported electronic components for its manufacture that are now denied to Moscow due to sanctions,” said one Ukraine defense company senior executive.

Other sources in Ukraine state that the initial batches of the Su-35s were originally to have been sold to Egypt, but the Arab nation later reversed its decision due to technical problems with the aircraft. This may be due to defects in the missile systems sold with the aircraft and the inability of the Russian industry to produce enough of the NIIP N035 Irbis-E PESA radars per year to support the program.

Su-35

Artist rendering of a Russian Su-35 fighter. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Whether the Su-35 turns out to be the answer to Russia’s long-time dream of a major arms sale to Iran remains to be seen.  In the meantime, Moscow will have an increasingly difficult struggle to sustain its war effort in Ukraine and support its export customers at the same time.

About the Author: Reuben F. Johnson 

Reuben F. Johnson is a survivor of the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and is now an Expert on Foreign Military Affairs with the Fundacja im. Kazimierza Pułaskiego in Warsaw and has been a consultant to the Pentagon, several NATO governments and the Australian government in the fields of defence technology and weapon systems design.  Over the past 30 years he has resided in and reported from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Brazil, the People’s Republic of China and Australia.

Written By

Reuben F. Johnson is a survivor of the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and is now an Expert on Foreign Military Affairs with the Fundacja im. Kazimierza Pułaskiego in Warsaw and has been a consultant to the Pentagon, several NATO governments and the Australian government in the fields of defence technology and weapon systems design. Over the past 30 years he has resided at one time or another in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Brazil, the People’s Republic of China and Australia.

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. Sito

    January 19, 2025 at 1:51 am

    West news 😂😂😂

  2. Onesmus kioko, school teacher

    January 21, 2025 at 1:11 pm

    What do you mean by screw driver su 35 jets?

  3. Givi

    January 21, 2025 at 2:30 pm

    This is an arrogant and condescending piece of journalism or reporting. If we don’t sell the fighter plane to Iran, they will look to other countries, as simple as that, nothing to cry about!

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