Filenews 8 August 2022
By Paul Iddon
The latest speculation about the future of Russian-Iranian defence relations wants Tehran to procure Russian Su-35 Flanker fighter jets and send drones – domestically built – to Moscow.
On August 2, a Twitter account cited unofficial sources who reported that "Iran sent the first batch of UAVs to Russia for field testing." "Iranian pilots and technicians also went to train in the Su-35," the tweet added.
Although this news was not verified by an independent source, the think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted that it is "consistent with recent reports that Tehran and Moscow are seeking closer cooperation with regard to their Air Forces in order to circumvent the international sanctions imposed against both countries and at the same time support Russian military operations in Ukraine."
"If the latest reports are true, then Iran can pick up Russian Su-35s and send drones to Russia, in an exchange that may be included in the bilateral agreement signed by Moscow and Tehran on July 26," ISW added.
"Iran can use this agreement to acquire Russian fighters," he concluded.
In mid-July, the White House reported that Russian officials visited Kashan Airport in central Iran to see the armed Shahed-129 and Shahed-191 drones manufactured in Iran. The White House claims that Russia is procuring "hundreds" of Iranian drones.
In December 2021, information indicated that Russia and Iran would sign a €10 billion 20-year defence agreement in January 2022. Russia would supply Iran with two dozen Su-35s and S-400s under this agreement. Nothing has been heard about this 'agreement' since then. That is why we should be wary of what is heard.
Nevertheless, an exchange of fighters for drones would make sense. Iran has the ability to build drones, but since the early 90s it has not acquired a single new fighter aircraft. On the other hand, Russia has developed some advanced fighters, such as the Su-35 and the Su-34 Fullback attack aircraft, but it has been slow to prioritize the production of its own drones.
Recently Tehran shows a preference for exchange instead of cash trading. For example, in 2021, he allegedly requested 36 advanced Chengdu J-10C fighters from China and offered to pay for them with oil or gas, which Beijing did not accept.
Therefore, Tehran may well be willing to exchange its drones – possibly even provide know-how and training on the tactics that Iran itself and its "representatives" have applied on the Battlefields of the Middle East – for modern Russian fighters.
The situation could also be simpler than the exchange theory. Tehran could simply send advisors to train the Russians in the handling of Iranian drones, and at the same time pilots and technicians to familiarize themselves with the Su-35 before it even procures them. Moscow may have invited Iranian military echelons to assess the capabilities of Russian fighters closely.
Be that as it may, if Iran acquires new fighters for the first time in 30 years and Russia a fleet of Iranian drones also for the first time, then cooperation in the "skies" – has started dynamically.
Iran definitely needs new fighters. On August 3, an aging Soviet-made Iranian Su-22 Fitter crashed at an air base in Shiraz after a "technical failure". It was preceded – on June 18 – by the crash of one of the iconic F-14A Tomcats – made in the USA – and a series of similar incidents in the previous months.
At the moment, the procurement of Russian aircraft carries risks, if we take into account the long-term supply chain disruptions that Moscow will probably face in the coming years and which will undoubtedly significantly affect the supply of spare parts and the provision of technical services to foreign pilots of Russian military equipment.
However, this parameter may not be of much concern to Tehran, if it can conclude a favourable agreement on the new fighters. After all, it kept operational for decades much of its air force procured from the US, despite the subsequent US arms embargo aimed at "cutting off its wings".
Source: Forbes
