DefenseRussia is producing 16 Su-35 fighters to Iran - report
Russia is secretly building 16 Su-35 fighter jets for Iran, with deliveries scheduled through 2027, according to documents obtained by United24 Media.
The investigative report indicates that multiple Russian defense factories are involved in fulfilling the order. The arrangement is coordinated by Russia’s Ministry of Defense and calls for export-specific configurations.
The outlet reports that Iran completed payments for the aircraft on March 7, July 22, and December 26 of the last year. These transactions clear the way for the manufacturing and phased delivery of the fighters between 2025 and 2027.
The Su-35s are intended to strengthen Iran’s air force with superior air superiority capabilities. “We need the Su-35 fighters [from Russia], but do not know when they will be added to our squadron,” said Brig. Gen. Hamid Vahedi, commander of Iran’s air force.
The supply arrangement comes after Russia initially pledged fighter deliveries to Iran in 2021. The deal’s status remained uncertain following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but new documentation confirms ongoing cooperation.
“What this deal shows, with Russia supplying modern jets to Iran, is a strengthening of that alliance,” said Cormac Smith, former adviser to Ukraine’s foreign minister.
The Su-35 is a multirole fighter that grew out of the Su-27 program in the late 1980s, with the current Su-35S standard entering serial production around 2010.
Designed as a heavily modernized Flanker, it received new avionics, a strengthened airframe, and improved stealth shaping. Its development moved in phases. Early prototypes appeared before the fall of the Soviet Union, a transitional Su-27M series followed in the 1990s, and the definitive version with a digital cockpit and Irbis-E radar reached front line Russian units in the 2010s.
Technical performance is its main selling point. The jet uses two AL-41F1S engines that support supercruise and thrust vectoring, giving it high agility and strong acceleration. It carries up to 8 tons of weapons and has a published range of more than 3,500 kilometers with drop tanks.
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