This move is considered unprecedented for a superpower to buy its drones from Iran.
Why is it unprecedented... don't western countries like the US use Israeli drones, Russia has already bought Israeli drones why not buy Iranian drones?
The buy seems to be about bigger long endurance drones, not small tactical ones like the Orlan 10 which Russia mass produces itself. Writes Magnier:
The Russian purchase of Forpost from Israel didn't stop them making their own drones, in fact it probably raised the bar in several areas which Russian drone makers improved their standards... especially in cameras and datalink equipment.
Anything above that, an operational-tactical drone that can stay up for a whole day and night and continuously cover the front of one or more brigades is something that Russia has not had so far.
They have half a dozen such systems being developed... just none entered service yet...
Getting some Iranian drones might fill a gap and some Iranian parts might fill gaps delaying Russian drones from production and service.
Equally I am sure the Russian MIC might have a range of equipment and systems that might improve Iranian drones... the Russians seem to have invested in a range of specialised weapons for their new drones and Russian means they will be affordable and effective...
I am sure though that Iran will take several years to deliver 1,000 of those. But that may not matter. A few dozen will be sufficient enough for now to continuously cover the whole 2,000 kilometer frontline in Ukraine at the necessary depths.
Those thousand drones will be split into the four Russian military regions, so 250 sets per military region, and it will likely take years to deliver and test and train and develop proper tactics before they are fully integrated into Russian forces.... they may need modifications of their datalinks and equipment and systems, but as mentioned you would not send thousands into a war zone like this... they would be used in smaller numbers, and should prove rather useful... a question would be who would use them... spetsnaz might use them to check areas in enemy territory were their groups are operating... fake 100kg bombs can deliver food or ammo or specialist equipment... real ones can deal with specific enemy threats the spets group might have located. Equally an Iskander battery could use them to look for enemy artillery which they could engage using cluster bomb munition warheads... or with SPA it might track it to the shelter it hides in and take out that building with a 500kg warhead...
Or the ground forces might use it to watch the enemy positions looking for firing positions that are active... or that are not active....
Plenty of uses really. Vann will be spinning in his gravy...
It is unusual for Russia to buy weapons from other states without any other compensation. I therefore suspect that this is not a one sided deal but that Iran has promised to buy some significant Russian systems in exchange.
Russia will pay for the drones I am sure... what are you suggesting Israel got for those Forpost drones other than money for local production?
An order of several dozen of the most modern version of the Suchoi Su-35 air superiority fighter would make sense. They would finally allow Iran to get rid of the way too old U.S. made F-4 Phantoms and Grumman F-14 that it has been flying (and crashing) for ages.
I would agree, though perhaps their experience might lead them to wanting Su-30s with Su-35 upgrades to export standard with perhaps the RVV-BD long range missile as well.
Russia is unifying the Su-30 as essentially a two seater Su-35 with engines and radar and other equipment upgrading the two seater and I suspect the export Su-35 components put into an Su-30 for export would be the equivalent two seater Su-35.
They could also buy some simpler Su-30s to replace their F-4s in the fighter bomber role as a numbers aircraft.
Iran and Russia may want to wait for the outcome of the still ongoing nuclear agreement negotiations before any official deal will be announced. It simply would be unwise to disturb that process now and to give hawks in the U.S. more arguments to let the deal fail.
I can't see the US living up to its agreements anyway, and when Trump is president all bets are off...
The US walked away from the deal... if they don't want to drop all their sanctions and other BS there is nothing to talk about... Iran will return to compliance when the US returns to compliance and so does Europe.
Rotax is an Austrian company (owned by a Canadian company). I am not sure if Iran or turkey are able to produce the engine independently, but I do not believe so.
Anyway, apparently the deal is also about the more recent Stealth drone Shahed Saegheh (sometimes called shahel 191).
Maybe part of the deal is that Russia is developing new engines the Iranians can use in their drones without fear of sanctions and in return the Russians are buying some of their drones that fill gaps they currently have... not that they are instant solutions, but in the longer term a good reliable tested drone is always useful... even as a disposable tool for some difficult or dangerous missions.
Possibly a part of the deal involves Russia supplying piston engines for Iranian drones, making Iranian industry independent from the west.
And then you say that... well we agree..
It would certainly make sense.
I doubt these drones are safe from modern AD so using them before now would have come at a high cost of shot down drones... they are starting to become more relevant I suspect.
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