Iran agrees with Russia to purchase military aircraft, helicopters

This was stated by Iran's Deputy Defense Minister General Mahdi Farahi, Tasnim news agency reports.

He announced the completion of plans to incorporate Su-35 fighters, Mi-28 attack helicopters, and Yak-130 training aircraft into the Iranian Armed Forces' combat units.

According to him, three advanced military aircraft will be definitely at Iran’s disposal and the processes are currently under way.

The Iranian Air Force has only a few dozen strike aircraft, including Russian planes, as well as outdated American models purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

In recent years, Iran has not acquired any new fighter jets, with the exception of a few Russian MiG-29 fighters it bought in the 1990s.

In 2018, Iran announced that it had begun production of a locally developed Kowsar fighter jet for use in its air force. Military experts believe that this aircraft is an exact copy of the F-5, first produced in the United States in the 1960s.

Iran and Russia have signed major military agreements. According to Tasnim, in September, the Iranian Air Force received its first Russian-made Yak-130 training aircraft.

The Yak-130 is a subsonic two-seat jet trainer and light combat aircraft. It is supposed to help Iranian military pilots to be trained to fly new fighters, such as the Su-57.

• Earlier this year, Tehran announced that it had finalized a deal to buy Su-35 fighters from Russia back in March.