Russia struggles with loss of Su-35 fighter deals
The future of Su-35 exports is under pressure as three major nations pull out of acquisition deals. (Photo: Russian MoD)
Three nations, Algeria, Egypt and Indonesia, are reported to have pulled out of Su-35 fighter jet deals with Russia.
The governments of Algeria, Egypt and Indonesia have rejected the acquisition of Russian Su-35 fighters amid economic sanctions against Russia, as first reported by Defence Blog.
The economic sanctions have targeted Russia’s oil industry, defence, dual-use goods and sensitive technologies imports from the USA, Europe and Israel.
This has caused a block on the import of modern components required to manufacture the Su-35 fighters; in particular, there has been a failure to replace scanned array radar and avionics.
There have been multiple reports of Algerian plans to acquire the Su-35; however, it now appears the nation plans to upgrade its Su-30MKAs with Su-35 technologies while waiting to acquire the more advanced Su-57.
The Egyptian Air Force was set to become the first customer for the Su-35 in the Middle East area; however, concerns have been raised regarding the capabilities of the Su-35’s Irbis-E radar.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Air Force Air Chief Marshal, Fadjar Prasetyo, confirmed that the nation planned to abandon the Su-35 deal. The nation is supposedly now considering the Dassault Rafale and the Boeing F-15EX Eagle II.
It is important to note that government officials from Egypt and Algeria have not yet confirmed their position.
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