Russia Enters The War And Sends Egyptian Su-35 Fighters To Iran To Strike Israel

Iranian media reported that Iran will receive – early next week – the first batch of advanced Sukhoi 35 aircraft from Russia. According to a report by the Israeli Channel 12, the Iranians are expected to receive 24 advanced aircraft, compared to the current situation where the Iranian Air Force relies on very old aircraft such as the Phantom, which Tehran received from the United States of America in the 1970s.

According to the report, the Iranians use F-14, F-5, and F-4 American aircraft, in addition to MiG-29 aircraft, which is a Russian model, but it has become significantly outdated, compared to the Sukhoi 35 aircraft, which changes the balance of air power. The Israeli channel said that the F-35 aircraft that Israel possesses are already more advanced than the Sukhoi 35 aircraft, but this Russian offer certainly changes the current balance of air power.

According to the Hebrew channel, Israel will indeed remain more advanced, but the moment the Iranians operate Sukhoi 35 planes, the gaps between the two sides will not be those gaps in technology that have developed over about 50 years. Last week, The Washington Post reported that Russia is expected to soon supply Tehran with advanced S-400 air defense batteries.

Iran reported last November that it had completed arrangements to purchase Su-35 fighter jets and Russian-made helicopters, as part of consolidating military relations between the two countries. Mehdi Farhi, Iranian Deputy Minister of Defense, told the Iranian Tasnim News Agency that his country has completed the purchase of the Mil-28 attack helicopters, Sukhoi-35 fighters, and Yak-130 training aircraft for inclusion in the Iranian army’s combat units.

The American newspaper “The New York Times” reported in an analytical report that Russian fighters may have already arrived in Iran, and linked this to satellite images that show the stability of fighter planes at an air base inside Iran that Tehran did not possess before.

For his part, the Iranian researcher in military affairs, Muhammad Mehdi Yazdi, describes the talk about his country possessing advanced Russian fighters as “new and old” for years, explaining that the end of the restrictions imposed on Tehran to purchase conventional weapons has accelerated the pace of military cooperation between Iran and Russia.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Yazdi explained that the Iranian Army Air Force seeks to diversify its military equipment from the industries of Western and Eastern powers, in addition to national industries.

He explained that his country had entered into serious negotiations with the Russian side to purchase Sukhoi-30 fighters during the past years, but it found in the advantages of the Sukhoi 35 model that were compatible with its plans to enhance its air capabilities. Yazdi stressed that the Sukhoi-35 has strategic advantages that make the Iranian weapons system integrated to confront potential threats.

#Egypt