Iran's strategic change. Acquiring Su‑35 in exchange for Shahid drones

The export of Russian weapons is becoming increasingly difficult. The war in Ukraine has exposed weaknesses in Russian equipment, as well as the questionable reliability of Russian companies as suppliers of spare parts and consumables.

Thus, every foreign customer is currently worth its weight in gold to Russia—both as a source of cash and as a means of refurbishing the image of the world's formerly leading arms exporter.

For Iran, however, the transaction serves a completely different purpose: the new Russian fighters are Tehran's payment for drones from the Shahid family, which Russia uses to attack Ukraine.

Iran's acquisition of the Su-35 is shrouded in uncertainty and misinformation. In March 2023, Iran initially confirmed its interest in acquiring Russian planes. By mid-2023, it strongly denied such possibilities, only to reaffirm its interest in Russian equipment by autumn.

Furthermore, some local sources suggest that the regime in Tehran has already received Russian planes. According to sources, including the Khabar Online service, these are already in Iran but are inoperable due to the absence of essential parts. Russia reportedly suspended their deliveries due to strong opposition from Israel, but the Kremlin's stance was said to have changed recently.

The Su-35 is the epitome of the modernization of the Su-27 fighter. The aircraft has slightly larger wings, redesigned air intakes for the engines, and movable engine nozzles, enhancing manoeuvrability through thrust vectoring.

The significant updates include avionics—the aircraft comes equipped with the modern Irbis-E radar station, which enables engagement of up to eight air targets simultaneously, and the IRST sensor OLS-35, which allows for passive detection of aircraft (heat sources) at distances of several tens of miles.

The aircraft also boasts an increased weapons payload of about 8.8 tons and features an upgraded digital cockpit.