Daily Times - Iran looking to Russia and China to help modernise air force
Chinese made Chengdu J-10 multi purpose fighter plane
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Iran looking to Russia and China to help modernize air force
Iran, seeking to bolster its air defenses amid rising tensions over its nuclear program, is likely to turn to Russia and China for the warplanes needed to replace its obsolete US jets, analysts say. Both Moscow and Beijing refuse to comment on reports in the Israeli and Russian media, along with Western aviation publications, that Iran aims to order Russian Sukhoi Su-30 and Chinese Chengdu J-10 combat aircraft. But analysts note that Tehran is already committed to a sweeping modernizing program for the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) and that Tehran cannot obtain top-of-the-line jets from any other source due to a Western arms embargo. They also say that all three nations are very secretive when it comes to defense sales.
Iran has tried to develop its own indigenous manufacturing capability. The Saegeh (Thunderbolt) light fighter, which appears based on the old American F-5, has just come off the production line. Although the exact size and composition of the air force remains unknown, experts agree that the bulk is still made up of Vietnam War-era F-14s, F-4 Phantoms and F-5s. While the planes are still able to provide a credible air defence and could in theory reach major US military bases in Iraq or elsewhere in the region, they do not have the range to strike at Israel.
Labels: China, Fighter Aircraft sales, Iran, Russia
