A senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has stated that Iran has purchased Russian Sukhoi-35 fighter jets to enhance its military capabilities.
“Whenever necessary, we make military purchases to strengthen our air, ground, and naval forces,” Brigadier General Ali Shadmani, coordinating deputy of the Khatam ol-Anbia General Headquarters of the IRGC, said on January 27, according to Iran’s Entekhab news website.
Shadmani did not specify the number of aircraft purchased or whether the jets had already been delivered to Iran, but he mentioned, “The production of military equipment has accelerated, and outdated systems are being retired and replaced with modern, updated ones.”
Referring to Iran’s regional adversary, Israel, he warned, “If the enemy acts foolishly, it will taste the bitter consequences of being struck by our missiles, and none of its interests in the occupied territories will remain safe.”
This announcement follows the signing of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between Iran and Russia on January 17. While the agreement did not mention arms transfers, it called for the two countries to strengthen their “military-technical cooperation.”
Tehran aims to modernize its military, especially its aging air fleet, with Russian technology. In March 2023, Iran confirmed that it had struck a deal with Russia to import Su-35 jets, and six months later, Tehran received several Russian-built Yak-130 training fighter jets.
In November 2023, Iranian First Deputy Defence Minister Mehdi Farahi stated that a deal with Russia to import Mi-28 attack helicopters, Su-35 fighter jets, and Yak-130 training aircraft had been “finalized,” and the process of importing the aircraft was “underway.”
The first two Sukhoi Su-35SE fighter jets were officially handed over to the Iranian Air Force in November 2024, during a private ceremony at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant (KnAAPO), according to the German aviation industry magazine Flug Revue.
Originally, the order was for 25 Su-35SE aircraft to replace the IRIAF’s aging US-made Grumman F-14A Tomcats stationed in Isfahan. However, the order was later expanded to 50 units, also to replace F-4E Phantom II aircraft based in Hamadan.
Iran currently operates a number of Russian warplanes, including Su-24 MK and MiG-29A models, as well as outdated US-built fighter jets, including the F-4 and F-5E, which were acquired before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Su-35, introduced in 2014, is a single-seat “primarily air superiority fighter, but with a secondary air-to-ground capability,” according to a US Army database.
Iran has reportedly supplied hundreds of drones to Russia, which have been used to target Ukraine’s military and civilian infrastructure. Moscow, however, denies that its forces use Iranian-built drones in Ukraine, despite many being shot down there.
In November 2023, satellite imagery revealed the construction of a plant in Russia to mass-produce Iranian-designed Shahed-136 drones, according to the Institute for Science and International Security. The Yelabuga drone factory opened in July 2023.
Iran has also expressed interest in acquiring other advanced military technology from Russia, such as the S-400, a mobile surface-to-air missile system. Last October, Israeli airstrikes reportedly knocked out Iran’s last three Russian-provided S-300 air defense missile systems. Iran acquired the four S-300 battalions from Russia in 2016.