to report «iusnews»; Iran has finalized arrangements for the delivery of Russian made Sukhoi su-35 fighter jets and Mil Mi-28 attack choppers, Deputy Defense Minister Brigadier General Mehdi Farahi confirmed as Tehran and Moscow forge closer military relations.
Brigadier General Farahi told Tasnim news agency on Tuesday plans have been finalized for Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, Mil Mi-28 attack helicopters and Yak-130 jet trainers to join the combat units of Iran's Army.
The three advanced military aircraft “will definitely arrive in Iran and the process [of their delivery] is currently under way", he added.
The top general stressed that Tehran has the strongest fleet of military helicopters in the region in terms of quantity and has upgraded the capabilities of its choppers after several projects.
“In the field of helicopters, we have good capabilities; that is why we are the best in the region in terms of quantity, but the qualitative improvement of helicopters is on the agenda,” the military official continued.
Back in late May, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani asserted that there is no ban on Iran for buying defense equipment.
The defense minister also stressed that Tehran “has no restriction” on exporting military equipment to other countries, adding that Iran will help any country that remains committed to international peace.
Iran has not acquired any new military aircraft in recent years, excluding a few Russian MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters it bought in the 1990s. Besides the MiG-29, IRIAF mainly uses locally modified F-4 Phantom II, F-14 Tomcat, and F-5E/F Tiger II planes from the 1970s that the toppled US-backed Pahlavi regime received before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran and Russia have embarked on deepening cooperation amid massive Western sanctions. Tehran and Moscow have recently signed major agreements to boost economic, trade, energy and military collaboration.
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri announced in September that Tehran and Moscow were working to draw up a long-term military cooperation agreement in the near future as the world was moving towards an increasingly multipolar order, which stressed the need for enhancement of ties between the two countries.
Baqeri emphasized the need for collaboration in training, exchange of cadets as well as staging joint military exercises.
The Islamic Republic’s military doctrine holds that the country’s armed capability solely serves defensive purposes.
Military officials say the military power of Iran is strong, extraordinary and deterrent despite enemy sanctions and pressures, and hail the country's defense sector for its remarkable developments in the recent decades. They stress the Iranian Armed Forces’ deterrent power dissuades the United States and Israel from implementing its threats against the country.
Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made substantial headway in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in the weaponry sphere.
Iranian officials have repeatedly stressed that the country will not hesitate to boost its military capabilities, including its missile and drone power, which are entirely meant for defense, and that Iran’s defense capabilities will never be subject to negotiation.
