Iran Plans to Buy Chinese J-10C Instead of Russian Su-35
Iran has intensified negotiations with China on the purchase of Chengdu J-10C light multipurpose fighters to replace the Russian Su-35.
This was reported by The Moscow Times with reference to Khorasan.
According to the newspaper, Iran intends to modernize its Air Force as soon as possible, and Chinese aircraft are seen as an affordable and cheap alternative to the Russian Su-35.
Iran has been interested in J-10C for about two decades. In 2015, preparations began to sign a contract for the supply of 150 fighters, but the deal stalled. China insisted on payment in foreign currency, while Tehran, due to a shortage, offered barter payments in oil and gas. The UN arms embargo on the Islamic Republic also hindered the deal.
In 2020, these restrictions were lifted and negotiations resumed. The scope of the deal dropped to 36 aircraft, but the parties again failed to agree on payment. However, after the US allowed China to officially buy oil from Iran on June 24 without the threat of sanctions, the situation changed.
Although as of early 2025, the Iranian Air Force formally had about 150 fighters in service, they were mostly outdated American-made models that the country had received before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Among them are the F-4 Phantom II (64 units), F-5E/F Tiger II (35) and F-14A Tomcat (41). There are also 18 MiG-29A/UBs in service, delivered in the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, these aircraft are not only outdated, but most of them are in an unserviceable condition.
In particular, it is known that by the 2010s, the Iranian military had carried out a number of modernizations and maintained about 15-20 F-14A Tomcats in service. In 2022-2024, a few F-14s were still seen in the sky, but there were also reports of accidents.
With an outdated fleet of aircraft, Iran has relied heavily on indigenously produced anti-aircraft missile systems as the basis of its air defense. However, as the events of the “Twelve Day War” showed, Israel managed to completely suppress Iranian air defense and reign supreme in the sky.
Therefore, Iran’s urgent desire to upgrade its aircraft fleet is natural, but simply purchasing a limited number of aircraft, even those equipped with long-range PL-15 missiles, will not solve the air defense issue.
Iran’s plans to purchase Russian Su-35s were announced in September 2022, and in January an Iranian official confirmed the purchase of Su-35s from Russia. According to the plan, they were supposed to start arriving in the country in the spring of 2023, but no aircraft were ever delivered.
In March 2025, it became known that Algeria received Su-35 fighters that were to be delivered to Iran.
