The war in Ukraine, which is heading into its 10th month, brought among its reflexes a strengthening of the military partnership between Iran and Russia. Moscow bought a series of weapons from Tehran and in return, Iranian pilots flew and trained in one of the most advanced Russian fighters, the Sukhoi Su-35.
According to information from Pentagon representatives, Russia is providing an “unprecedented level” of military and technical to Iran. That's why the country turned to its Persian partner to acquire suicide drones and even ballistic missiles to attack Ukraine.
Even before the Russian invasion on 24/02, Kiev received a immense from the United States e NATO, catalyzed by the outbreak of fighting. Russia, which entered the conflict alone, saw its arsenal rapidly diminish, seeking in the purchase of Shahed 136 drones from Iran, using them to target mainly Ukrainian cities and infrastructure networks.
As part of this renewed partnership, Russia is expected to supply advanced weapons to Iran, whose armed forces still have a range of obsolete materials.
This is the case with Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF), or just Iranian Air Force, whose most advanced fighters are the F-14 Tomcat, the MiG-29 and the Mirage F-1.
This, however, could change from next year. The Pentagon says Iranian pilots have undergone training on the Su-35 fighter, which could indicate that the country could receive them in 2023, signaling a full military partnership between the two countries.
"This partnership poses a threat not only to Ukraine, but also to Iran's neighbors in the region," said a senior government official. “We share this information with partners in the Middle East and around the world.”
The US Department of Defense statements also reinforce September reports that the IRIAF had interest in acquiring a batch of 24 Su-35 fighters, possibly the same ones that were originally destined for Egypt.
As mentioned earlier, the Su-35 is among the most modern models of the Russian Air Force (VKS). The Su-35S is the newest variant of the so-called “Flanker Family”, which began with the Sukhoi Su-27 in the 1970s. It is a 4.5 (or 4++) Generation fighter, equipped with a pair of Lyulka Saturn AL-41F1S turbofan with movable nozzles (thrust vectoring), making it super maneuverable.
The jet has 12 hard points to carry various weapons such as air-to-air, air-to-ground and anti-radar missiles, guided bombs, rockets and others, in addition to carrying a 30mm GSh-1-30 cannon, with 150 rounds of ammunition. Its two main sensors are the ive electronically scanned array (PESA) radar IRBIS-E and the IRST (Infrared Search and Track) OLS-35.
Offered to a number of countries (including Brazil), the Su-35 is operated only by Russia and China: 110 aircraft for VKS and 24 for Beijing. The model is also being widely used in the Ukrainian War, where at least one such plane was shot down in April.
With information NBC
