Iran is considering purchasing J-10C fighters from China instead of Russian Su-35 aircraft. According to Ilya Kramnik, a research fellow at the Center for Strategic Planning Studies of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the J-10C can solve the Islamic Republic's task of equipping the Air Force with new aircraft due to its low cost and availability compared to the MiG-35 and Su-35.
Negotiations for the acquisition of the J-10C have been ongoing between the parties for almost two decades, but they could not agree on payment.
Kramnik noted that even with the Russian heavy fighters, Iran still needs an extensive air fleet of up to 400 machines, and the Chinese medium-light J-10CE can fill this gap.
The expensive Su-35 cannot be numerous by definition, and the more affordable J-10C can be purchased in much larger quantities. And, in fact, this is now the only option available to the Iranians: no one will sell them a Western fighter.
In his opinion, the Russian light fighter MiG-35 could be suitable for this role, but it is not currently being mass-produced.
Earlier www1.ru reported that the first shots of the flight of the latest "Geran-2" at a great height have appeared.
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