Despite persistent reports that Russia may arm Iran with cutting-edge weapons, including Su-35 fighter jets, the Sputnik news agency reported that the delivery date and number of Flanker-E fighters will be kept secret.
According to Sputnik, citing Iran’s UN mission in New York, after the end of the Iran-Iraq war in 1988, Iran expressed an interest in purchasing combat aircraft, and Russia was a willing partner.
“The mission added that the Su-35 combat aircraft are technically acceptable to Iran, so after October 2020, and the end of Iranian restrictions on conventional weapon purchases (UN Resolution No. 2231), Iran completed the acquisition procedures,” the Russian news agency reported.
Because “no details will be published because they are confidential,” the Iranian mission to the United Nations did not specify when the deal would be completed or how many aircraft Iran would receive from Russia.
Earlier, a video surfaced showing Iran’s Khordad-3 and Mersad air defense systems emerging from what appears to be an underground tunnel. Surprisingly, the latest video surfaced just days after Iran revealed its brand-new underground air base in southern Hormozgan Province.
The Khordad-3, also known as the Sevom Khordad air defense system, is said to resemble the Russian-made Buk M2EK air defense missile system, as both systems have a similar layout, with the exception that the Iranian system uses three missiles rather than the Buk M2EK’s four.
The Khordad-3 is outfitted with an active phased array radar that is said to be capable of detecting 100 targets at once, engaging four targets at once, and guiding two missiles on each target.
According to reports, the system can engage targets at a range of 105 kilometers and an altitude of up to 30 kilometers.
The Kordad-3 is famous for successfully shooting down an American RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle over the Strait of Hormuz in 2019, marking the first time an Iranian-made air defense system shot down a hostile target.
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While the Mersad missile system is designed for medium-range and medium-altitude air defense, it employs Shahin (Falcon) missiles, which are domestically upgraded reverse-engineered versions of American MIM-23 Hawk surface-to-air missiles.
According to Iranian media, the Morsad system’s radar can detect a target at a distance of 150 kilometers, acquire a lock on it at a distance of 80 kilometers, and engage it at a maximum distance of 45 kilometers.
Furthermore, Iranian media outlets claim that the radar was designed to detect low-observable threats from 110 kilometers away with a radar cross section (RCS) of around 0.5 square meters.
As previously stated, the latest video comes shortly after Iran revealed an underground air force base known as ‘Eagle 44’ in the country’s southern part. This facility is said to be Iran’s first underground air force installation.
Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, stated that the site would be among those used to respond to any potential Israeli strikes.
“Any attack on Iran by our enemies, including Israel, will be met with a response from our many air force bases, including Eagle 44,” Iran’s armed forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri said at the time, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
The tactical airbase is intended to house and prepare a wide range of missions, including fighter jets, bombers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The air base, according to IRNA, would house fighter jets armed with long-range cruise missiles.
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