At a time when news agencies around the world are trying to analyze whether the attack attributed to Israel in the Isfahan area yesterday (Friday) resulted in damage, the Iranian state news agency SNN reports that as early as next week, Iran will receive the first delivery of advanced Sukhoi 35 fighter jets from Russia.
According to the report, the Iranians are expected to receive 24 aircraft from the plane that is considered to be generation 4.5, compared to the current situation where the air force of the Ayatollah regime is based on very outdated aircraft such as the Phantom, which the Shah received from the USA in the 1970s. At the same time, the Iranians use F-14 aircraft, American F-5, F-4, as well as MiG 29 aircraft. This is indeed a Russian model, but it is significantly outdated compared to the Sukhoi 35 aircraft, which change the balance of air power.
The F-35s are indeed more advanced than the Sukhoi 35s, but this Russian supply certainly changes the current balance of air power. Israel will indeed remain more advanced, but the moment the Iranians operate Sukhoi 35 jets – the differences between the parties will cease to be those of a technology that has progressed over the course of about 50 years.
Moreover, according to foreign publications, Israel hit, among other things, a Russian S-300 air defense battery, which forms part of the defense system for the Natanz nuclear facility. Last week it was reported in the Washington Post that Russia is even expected to soon supply Tehran with advanced S-400 air defense batteries. This system made global headlines when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted on purchasing it, and “paid” for it by withdrawing America from the F-35 project.
The “Defense Security Asia” website recently reported that Russia hosted an Iranian delegation so that it could observe the production chains of the S-400 systems. The delegation, which included 17 senior Iranian officials, was hosted at the Start NPP plant in the city of Yekaterinburg. The S-400 systems are expected to be another layer in the worrisome military cooperation between Iran and Russia for Israel, after Tehran has already for about two years been playing the role of President Vladimir Putin’s main UAV supplier for the war in Ukraine.
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