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 swap deal continues between the two countries, since Iranian drones play an active role for the Russian military in Ukraine, are cheap and have proven more difficult to deal with by air defense systems than ballistic or cruise missiles.
Information that Russia wants to buy up to 2,400 Iranian drones including the suicide and reconnaissance versions first appeared at the end of September 2022, and at the beginning of October 2022, the Iranian-made Shahed-136 and Mohajer-6 were spotted in the ongoing combat operations in Ukraine.
Iranian drones have helped Russia overcome its weaknesses as its domestic Orlan-10 failed to prove its capabilities and Orion or Altius-RU drones did not complete tests.
More specifically, Iran’s low-cost UAVs and their large numbers, despite their relatively simple design and many flaws, are overburdening the Ukrainian air defense system, and are said to have become a “game-changing weapon”.
But in the current situation, it is very difficult for Russia to obtain sufficient funds to pay such a large number of attack vehicles to Iran, especially when both countries are cut off from the global payment system, and the most feasible solution is an arms barter deal between the two sides.
Analysts believe that Moscow sold at a very low price regarding 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 very 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 the newer S-500 “Prometheus” missile defense complex designed to shoot down satellites in low Earth orbit.
Russia has not officially commented on providing combat aircraft or anti-aircraft missiles to Iran to receive a large number of drones, but according to US intelligence, all evidence points to the implementation of the deal.
The sale (donation) of Su-35 multi-role fighters and S-400 air defense missiles to Iran also helps Russia to “eliminate” the large amount of these weapons in the Russian stockpile, following many of their clients had to cancel contracts due to fear of US sanctions. Under the CAATSA Act.
Russian weapons are losing their attractiveness on the international market
Another big problem that Russia has to solve is that the weapons it produces are no longer proving attractive in the international market, especially following they did so poorly in Ukraine.
Many Russian Su-35 fighters, Su-34 front-line bombers, and Ka-52 armed helicopters have been shot down using only simple shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, not advanced complexes like NASAMS or IRIS-T.
The same applies to the S-400, as this long-range air defense system has an almost “absent” role in protecting Syrian airspace from attacks by Israeli warplanes.
In Ukraine, no interception of the S-400 has been recorded, despite its deployment on all fronts, and no Ukrainian warplane, helicopter or ballistic missile has 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.
