“The pride of the Russian aerospace industry.” Iran is on the cusp of a major Sukhoi fighter deal
Arab Defense Website – October 8, 2025: Iran is trying to benefit from the lessons of the recent “Twelve Day War” with Israel, seeking to address its weakest military point, which is the limited capabilities of its air force.
In this context, the American New York Times revealed the possibility of Tehran purchasing dozens of Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighters, noting that their number may reach 48 aircraft, according to documents leaked from a Russian defense company.
If the deal is actually concluded, it will bring about a qualitative shift in the Iranian air force, which showed clear weakness during the recent confrontation with Israel. However, the question that arises is: What distinguishes this Russian fighter that is likely to join Iran’s air fleet?
The Sukhoi Su-35 is one of the most prominent modern Russian fighters, and forms the backbone of the Russian Air Force. It is also considered one of Moscow’s most important exports in the field of military aviation. This aircraft was specifically designed to compete with its fourth-generation Western counterparts, such as the American F-15 Eagle fighter and the European Eurofighter Typhoon. It is a multi-mission aircraft powered by twin engines and has high reconnaissance and tracking capabilities thanks to its advanced Irbis-E radar, which is capable of monitoring multiple targets simultaneously. It can also carry up to eight tons of missiles and bombs of various types.
While Iran is looking to obtain 48 aircraft of this type, Israel, in return, has about 70 F-15 fighters, the direct competitor to the Su-35. Although the F-15 is older than its Russian counterpart – it entered service in 1976, while the Su-35 first appeared in 1980 – the American fighter, which has undergone development on more than one occasion, still maintains superiority in speed and altitude. Its maximum speed reaches more than 2,600 km/h, compared to about 2,400 km/h for the Sukhoi, and its maximum height is 20 km, compared to approximately 18 km for the Russian plane.
In this context, military experts confirm that both fighters are considered to be of the “Air Dominance” category, but actual superiority on the modern battlefield is not measured only by the aircraft’s structure or speed, but rather is determined by the quality of the radars, sensor systems, electronics, and smart armament that each fighter carries, and these are the factors that tip the balance in favor of one aircraft over another in confrontations. Contemporary weather.
As for the leaks about the “Sukhoi 35” deal, experts believe that it may be part of a media campaign aimed at raising the level of regional tension, noting at the same time that Tehran’s efforts to acquire these aircraft are not new, as their beginning dates back more than two years, that is, to the period following the outbreak of war in Ukraine. According to the same sources, Iran has expressed its desire to obtain the aircraft that were allocated to Egypt after Cairo canceled its deal with Moscow for political and technical reasons.
However, Russia directed most of its production capacity towards meeting its internal military needs as a result of the pressures of the war, which led to a significant decline in its defense exports. Therefore, experts believe that the implementation of any deal of this kind will not take place for at least two years, because operating these aircraft requires extensive training for Iranian pilots, in addition to the need to modernize the infrastructure and airports capable of accommodating them.
Analysts add that Moscow has always avoided supplying Tehran with highly advanced weapons, for fear of harming its relations with both Israel and the United States.
Experts believe that the balance of deterrence between Iran and Israel will not witness a radical change even with the Su-35 fighters entering active service with Tehran, because technical superiority remains in favor of the Israeli F-35 fifth generation fighters, which are superior to the Russian model in most operational and technological aspects, according to their assessment.
The article “The Pride of the Russian Aerospace Industries”… Iran is on the cusp of a major Sukhoi fighter deal appeared first on the Arab Defense website.
