Russia has completed delivery of two of their much-talked-about Su-35SE fourth-generation+ warplanes to the Islamic Republic of Iran. It could not have come at a more opportune time for Iran, as they are faced with a region that has completely imploded and the Iranian security situation is bleaker than it has ever been. 

Of course, being labeled the world’s leading state-sponsor of terrorism doesn’t help Iran’s security situation. But I digress. 

Back to the planes, which represent a significant enhancement, albeit limited, given that there were only two birds delivered to Iran, for Iran’s Air Force.

While the arrival of the Su-35SEs does not fundamentally alter the balance of power in Iran’s favor, they do help to tip the scales more in their direction. It is widely acknowledged that this shipment is but the first of many between Russia and Iran, two besieged nations that have grown closer together over the last handful of years. 

Russia relies on Iran to provide it with drones and other armaments for its war in Ukraine while the Iranians need Russian diplomatic support on the world stage and, as the arrival of the Russian planes suggests, advanced Russian military equipment. 

An Evolution in Capabilities 

Interestingly, these two Russian-supplied Su-35SE planes come on top of an additional twenty-four Su-35SE birds that were ordered from Egypt, the first Middle Eastern consumer of the Su-35 from Russia.

Of course, if the reports are true, and the Israeli air strikes on Iran obliterated the Russian-built air defense systems that ringed strategic locations in Iran. Thus, the Iranians are being made to lay in the supine position, thanks to those decisive Israeli airstrikes, as the region falls deeper into a war that will most certainly threaten Iranian territorial integrity. 

So, the presence of a small, but growing, fleet of fourth-generation+ warplanes will help to restore Iran’s defenses. 

 However, given the technical supremacy of Israeli F-35I “Adir” and F-16I “Sufa” warplanes, along with American warplanes, the probability that Su-35SEs will turn the tide of any war that Iran finds itself in is very unlikely.

Nevertheless, the Egyptians have discovered that their Su-35SEs have the powerful Russian Irbis-E radar that, when tested against another powerful, older warplane, the Dassault Rafale’s Electronic Countermeasures Suite (ECM), the Su-35SE easily overpowers the legendary French warplane, which is found in the air forces of multiple countries of the region, many of which are rivals of Iran. 

By possessing eventually twenty-six Su-35SEs, Iran understandably thinks it will be able to dominate most of its regional challengers. 

Again, though, that does not include Israel, which retains some of the most potent American-provided fourth-and-fifth-generation warplanes. Then again, the Iranians are believed to have successfully damaged Nevatim Air Base, where the Israeli F-35I fleet is located, in one of their recent missile and drone fusillades against Israel. 

The Su-35SE pair was loaded into a Russian Antonov An-124-100 transport at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur (KnAAPO) aircraft manufacturing plant in small pieces and transported to Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport. 

These chopped-up Su-35SEs were then shipped to an Iranian military airbase in Hamadan. Iran’s new Russian-built fourth-generation-plus warplanes will be run through a battery of tests after they are reassembled. 

What’s more, Iranian Air Force pilots will undergo rigorous training in how to fly these planes while ground crews are educated on the proper maintenance protocols for such complex warplanes.

This is a key point. 

Iran Wants to Balance Against Israel 

Because, until now, the Iranians have maintained an aging and decrepit air force with most of its jets belonging to the third-generation warplane family that had been part of Iran’s Air Force when the Shāh ruled the country. 

Hence, why Iran still operates a handful of F-4 Phantom IIs that haven’t served in the U.S. military for decades. The Iranians are procuring the Su-35SEs to replace their old F-14 Tomcats. Yes, the plane of Maverick in the original Top Gun film, that was retired from the United States Navy way back in 2006, is still a primary fighter for the Iranian Air Force!

While some steps over the last thirty years were taken to modernize the Iranian Air Force fleet, such as purchasing MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters in the 1990s from Russia, no serious move has been made by Tehran to make their air force a truly modern one.

Until now.

Adopting the Su-35SE means that Iran is rapidly evolving its air combat capabilities to better balance those of its regional rivals. Having a fourth-generation-plus capacity puts the Iranians on a more even footing. But just because they now possess a small, and growing, advanced air warfare capability does not mean that they will be masters of these systems. 

To do that, one needs many years of training and trial and error.

Iran is trying to enhance its conventional military as the region breaks down, largely because of its bad behavior. 

Whether it is two or twenty-four Su-35SEs, though, that will be an insufficient number to counter the kind of whirlwind that the Americans and Israelis could unleash upon the Islamic Republic, if they so wished. But the Su-35 is a decent plane and will elevate Iran’s capabilities. Their enemies should take stock of this and prepare effective countermeasures for these systems. 

Brandon J. Weichert, a National Interest national security analyst, is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, the Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is available for purchase wherever books are sold. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

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