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Russia and Iran ‘bake’ an exchange of Su-35 fighters with drones

By Paul Iddon

The latest speculation about the future of Russia-Iran defense relations has Tehran procuring Russian Su-35 Flanker fighter jets and sending home-made drones to Moscow.

On August 2, a Twitter account cited unofficial sources as saying that “Iran has sent the first batch of UAVs to Russia for field testing.” “Iranian pilots and technicians also flew in to train on the Su-35,” the tweet added.

Although this news has not been independently verified, the think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted that it is “consistent with recent reports that Tehran and Moscow are seeking closer cooperation on their Air Forces in order to circumvent international sanctions that have been imposed at the expense of both countries and at the same time to support Russian military operations in Ukraine”.

“If the latest reports are true, then Iran may receive Russian Su-35s and send drones to Russia, in an exchange that may be included in the bilateral agreement signed by Moscow and Tehran on July 26,” ISW added.

“Iran can use this deal to get Russian fighters,” he concluded.

In mid-July, the White House reported that Russian officials visited the Kasan airport in central Iran to view the Shahed-129 and Shahed-191 armed drones manufactured in Iran. The White House claims Russia is procuring “hundreds” of Iranian drones.

In December 2021, it was reported that Russia and Iran would sign a $10 billion, 20-year defense deal in January 2022. Russia would supply Iran with two dozen Su-35s and S-400s under this deal. Nothing has been heard of this “deal” since. That is why we should be wary of what is heard.

Still, an exchange of fighters for drones would make sense. Iran has the ability to build drones, but has not acquired a single new fighter jet since the early 1990s. On the other hand, Russia has developed some advanced fighters, such as the Su-35 and the Su-34 Fullback attack aircraft, but has been slow to prioritize the production of its own drones.

Lately Tehran has been showing a preference for barter over cash transactions. For example, in 2021, it reportedly requested 36 Chengdu J-10C advanced fighter jets from China and offered to pay for them with oil or natural gas, which Beijing did not accept.

Thus, Tehran may well be willing to trade its drones – possibly providing expertise and training in tactics that Iran itself and its “proxies” have employed on Middle Eastern battlefields – for modern Russian fighters.

The situation could be even simpler than ISW’s exchange theory. Tehran could simply send advisers to train the Russians in handling Iranian drones, and pilots and technicians to familiarize themselves with the Su-35s before they are even procured. Moscow may even have invited Iranian military echelons to closely assess the capabilities of Russian fighters.

Be that as it may, if Iran acquires new fighters for the first time in 30 years, and Russia acquires a fleet of Iranian drones for the first time as well, then cooperation in the “airwaves” – of which ISW spoke – is off to a strong start. .

Iran definitely needs new fighters. On August 3, an aging – Soviet-built – Iranian Su-22 Fitter crashed at an airbase in Shiraz after a “technical failure”. It was preceded – on June 18 – by the crash of one of the iconic F-14A Tomcats – made in USA – and a series of similar events in the previous months.

The procurement of Russian aircraft is currently at risk, given the long-term supply chain disruptions that Moscow is likely to face in the coming years, which will undoubtedly significantly affect the supply of spare parts and the provision of technical services to foreign operators of Russian military equipment.

However, this parameter may not be of much concern to Tehran if it can conclude a favorable agreement on the new fighters. Moreover, it kept much of its US-supplied air force operational for decades, despite the subsequent US arms embargo aimed at “clipping its wings”.

Source: Capital

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