The Impact of the Sukhoi 35 Fighter Jets on Aviation

 Russian Sukhoi 35 fighter jets that could make Israeli operations against Iran difficult

Description of the article

Author, Pavel Aksonov

Designation, Defense Correspondent, BBC Russian Service

Military and technical cooperation between Tehran and Moscow has continued since the war in Ukraine, which began with the Russian invasion in 2022, and is now being linked to Iran's attacks on Israel.

Iran has previously provided combat drones to Russia and the Russian military is using them to attack Ukraine. In addition, Iran has sent other small shipments of weapons to Russia.

But this military and technical cooperation can be extended to a higher level.

For example, Russia may sell some Sukhoi 35 (Flanker) fighter jets to Iran. The aircraft was originally intended for sale to Egypt, but the agreement between the two countries was never implemented. Iran has expressed its interest in buying these fighter jets.

If Iran gets these fighter jets, any country's air operations against Iran will become more difficult. Currently, the Iranian Air Force has only a few dozen fighter jets, most of which are old Russian and American models dating back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The Sukhoi Su-35 is one of the most advanced aircraft of the Russian Air Force, a supersonic fighter jet that is over 70 feet long. The Sukhoi Su-35 can weigh up to 35 tons when airborne.

The aircraft has two engines, each of which can deliver up to 31,000 pounds of thrust.

Russian President Putin and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

In the spring of 2023, Iranian radio reported, citing an unidentified member of Iran's delegation to the United Nations, that a contract for fighter jets had been reached, but since then there have been no reports of Iran supplying the jets. Not released.

Currently, more than 20 fighters of this type are stationed at the airfield of the Komsomolsk-on-Amur aircraft factory. These fighter jets can also be seen on Google Maps.

Russia to Iran Short-Range Missile System Pantesir. It can also provide air defense systems like the S-One. These systems will help protect long-range defense systems and other important targets from Israeli missile attacks.

According to classified US documents, in 2023, the Russian mercenary Wagner Group planned to transfer the system to Hezbollah or Iran.

At the time, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby announced that the United States "is prepared to impose anti-terrorist sanctions against Russian individuals and entities" in the event of such an action.

No report on the implementation of the project has been published so far.

Iran, on the other hand, could send operational tactical or short-range ballistic missiles to Russia. The addition of such missiles to the Russian military arsenal will significantly affect the current state of the war in Ukraine.

In case of war with Israel, Iran, which is about 1000 km away from this country, will need medium-range missiles. Russia, on the other hand, needs tactical or short-range missiles with a range of less than 500 km. Therefore, the transfer of such equipment to Russia will not affect Iran's ability to attack Israel.

The issue is so serious that it has created further diplomatic tensions between Moscow and Washington. In early September last month, US President Joe Biden considered allowing Ukraine to use US missiles against targets on Russian soil.

At that time, the United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom officially accused Iran of supplying ballistic missiles to Russia. According to reports published in the media, these missiles had already reached Russia.

Although Kiev has not received permission to use Western weapons to strike targets inside Russia, Moscow has also denied using Iranian missiles in Ukraine.

Iran has officially denied sending these missiles to Russia.

The possible sale of fighter jets and ballistic missiles are among the biggest arms deals that have been leaked to the media, but nothing can be said with certainty yet.

But the possibility of such an equation shows the high potential of military and technological cooperation between Iran and Russia that affects the situation in the region.

Iran's First Vice President welcomes the Russian Prime Minister (left) during his recent visit to Tehran

At the same time, this cooperation affects Israel's interests. Although Russia's relations with Israel are not as low and strained as their relations with other Western countries, they are not as close either.

On the other hand, despite repeated requests from Ukraine, Israel has not delivered lethal weapons to Ukraine. At least not publicly.

Ukraine is particularly interested in Israel's effective air defense systems such as Iron Dome.

Although it seems likely that Israel will send these systems to Ukraine from its active military forces, these systems are also designed for export and currently have two units in the United States that could be sent to Ukraine if Israel agreed. can be sent.

So far, Israel has not provided significant military aid to Ukraine and has limited itself to sending humanitarian aid.

In February 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he might consider providing military aid to Ukraine, but did not specify the type of aid. However, it seems that no decision has been taken in this regard yet.

Tensions are rising in the Middle East with each passing day

Relations between Israel and Russia have been further complicated by the simultaneous operations of the two countries' air forces in Syria.

Their planes often fly close to each other, and they need to constantly coordinate to avoid incidents like the downing of a Russian spy plane in 2018.

In this incident, although Syrian air defenses shot down the plane by mistake, Russia claimed that Israeli fighters were nearby and were the real target of Syrian air defenses.

International relations in the Middle East are so complex and interconnected that any significant intervention could lead to a new chain of problems with other countries.

However, Moscow and Tehran seem to have tried to negotiate all the details before escalating any conflict in the region.

On September 30, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited Tehran. According to the Russian newspaper 'Vedo Mosti', the purpose of the visit was to review the full scope of cooperation between Russia and Iran, with a special focus on major joint projects in the fields of transport, energy, industry and agriculture.

It is not yet clear whether the trip will also include discussions on military technology.

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#Ukraine #Ukraine_Russia_conflict #Iran #The_Middle_East #Dron_strikes #Russia #Israel #war