Russia will provide S-400 air defense missiles and Su-35 fighters in exchange for thousands of Iranian drones, and this is an arms exchange that benefits both sides.
The arms exchange deal continues between the two countries, as Iranian drones play an active role for the Russian military in Ukraine, are cheap and have proven more difficult to operate with air defense systems than missiles ballistic or cruise.
Information that Russia wants to buy up to 2,400 Iranian drones, including suicide and reconnaissance versions, first appeared in late September 2022, and in early October 2022, the Shahed-136 and the Mohajer- 6 made in Iran have been identified during combat operations in Ukraine.
Iranian drones have helped Russia overcome its weaknesses as its domestic Orlan-10 failed to demonstrate its capabilities and the Orion or Altius-RU drones failed to complete testing.
More specifically, Iran’s low-cost UAVs and their large numbers, despite their relatively simple design and many flaws, are overloading Ukraine’s air defense system and are said to have become a “revolutionary weapon”.
But in the current situation, it is very difficult for Russia to get enough funds to pay for such a large number of attack vehicles on Iran, especially when both countries are cut off from the global payment system and the most feasible solution is bartering. of arms agreement between the two sides.
Analysts believe that Moscow has cheaply sold about 60 Su-35 Flanker-F fighters in exchange for thousands of Iranian drones. Also, Tehran is in dire need of fighter jets because its air force is so underdeveloped.
In addition to advanced fighters, Iran also needs an air defense system. The international press has repeatedly written that Tehran aspires not only to the Russian S-400 “Triumph” system but also to the more recent S-500 “Prometheus” missile defense complex designed to shoot down satellites in low Earth orbit.
Russia has not officially commented on the supply of fighter jets or anti-aircraft missiles to Iran to receive a large number of drones, but according to US intelligence, all the evidence points to the implementation of the agreement.
The sale (donation) of Su-35 multi-role fighters and S-400 air defense missiles to Iran also helps Russia “eliminate” the large amount of these weapons in Russian stockpiles, after many of their customers had to cancel their contracts due to fear of US sanctions, under the CAATSA Act.
Russian weapons are losing their attractiveness on the international market
Another big problem Russia needs to solve is that the weapons it produces are no longer proving attractive on the international market, especially after they did so poorly in Ukraine.
Many Russian Su-35 fighters, Su-34 front-line bombers and Ka-52 armed helicopters were shot down using only simple shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, not advanced complexes like NASAMS or IRIS-T.
The same is true for the S-400, as this long-range air defense system has an almost “absent” role in protecting Syrian airspace from attacks by Israeli warplanes.
No interceptions of the S-400 have been recorded in Ukraine, despite its deployment on all fronts, and no Ukrainian warplanes, helicopters or ballistic missiles have been shot down.
Therefore, if the aforementioned arms deal is implemented, both Russia and Iran will benefit from receiving combat vehicles that meet their tactical requirements, in a very short time.
