Su-35 Flanker E for Iran

Following the Scramble Magazine news item of 5 January 2022, it has now been confirmed by the Iranian minister of Defence that Iran will indeed receive the Su-35SE Flanker-E.

The original order of 24 Su-35SE for the al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya Il Misriya (EAF, Egyptian Air Force) will now be diverted to the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF). The exact number of aircraft that is going to be delivered is not officially confirmed but looking at the state of the IRIAF and the vastness of the country to defend, it needs far more than 24 new fighter aircraft to really bolster the capabilities.

The question of training also remains unanswered. Training Iranian Su-35SE pilots is apparently already taking place in Russia but for future crews, the IRIAF needs to be able to train their own crews. Scramble Magazine assesses that a follow-on order for advanced training aircraft will be announced on short notice.

Photo (just illustrative) by Ivan Zubov - AviMedia (via russianplanes.net)