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IRGC cmdr. announces purchase of Sukhoi 35 fighter jets from Russia
Ali Shadmani stopped short of specifying how many jets had been bought and whether they had already been delivered to Iran.
“Whenever necessary, we make military purchases to strengthen our air, land, and naval forces. ... The production of military equipment has also accelerated,” the deputy coordinator of the Khatam-ul-Anbia central headquarters said, according to the Iranian Students News Agency.
“If the enemy acts foolishly, it will taste the bitter taste of being hit by our missiles, and none of its interests in the occupied territories will remain safe,” Shadmani warned.
This is the first time an Iranian official has confirmed the purchase of Su-35 jets. However, Russia has yet to comment on the issue.
In November 2023, Iran’s Tasnim news agency said Tehran had finalized arrangements to buy Russian fighter jets.
The remarks by the IRGC commander came after Iran and Russia signed a 20-year comprehensive strategic partnership earlier this month to further expand their cooperation in various fields including defense area.
The Sukhoi-35 is a multipurpose fighter jet that is manned by a single pilot. The latest version of the aircraft has a maximum altitude of 20,000 meters (65,600 feet) and has a maximum speed of 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) per hour, according to Russia’s official TASS news agency.
Iran’s current fleet of fighter aircraft mostly consists of American planes acquired before the 1979 Iranian Revolution when Iran and the United States had diplomatic ties, as well as Soviet planes from the 1970s and 1980s.