Algerian Air Force Receives First Su-35 Fighters: Why Did it Place Orders?

The Algerian Air Force on March 13 was confirmed to have become the third service in the world to field the Su-35 ‘4+ generation’ fighter, after the first of the aircraft were seen operating from Oum Bouaghi Air Base. Algerian sources have indicated that the Su-35s procured were previously produced for Egypt to meet an order placed in 2018, with Cairo’s withdrawal from the agreement having left Russia with a surplus of export configured fighters. The aircraft were previously expected to be supplied to Iran, which is confirmed to have placed orders for Su-35s, with overlapping orders from both countries indicating that a greater proportion of Su-35 production will be allocated to meeting foreign orders. The supply of the fighters to Algeria raises the possibility that Iran may have requested a customised variant of the Su-35, which has long been speculated. The place the Su-35 will taken in the Algerian Air Force remains uncertain, with a possibility having emerged that the fighters are intended to expand the country’s fleet rather than replace older fighters in pre-existing units.

Algeria was previously not expected to acquire Su-35s, with the next fighter class expected to be introduced into its fleet being the more advanced fifth generation Su-57 Felon. It was confirmed in February 2025 that Algeria has ordered the Su-57, and that the first of the aircraft would arrive before the end of the year. The backbone of the Algerian fighter fleet was already formed by a fighter closely related to the Su-35, the Su-30MKA, which is another heavily enhanced ‘4+ generation’ derivative of the Soviet Su-27 Flanker fourth generation fighter. Over 70 Su-30MKAs are currently in service, and integrate technologies from the cancelled Su-27M and Su-37 air superiority fighters including thrust vectoring engines for extreme manoeuvrability and a N011M phased array radar. While the Su-35 is more capable than the Su-30MKA, most notably due to its superior engines and radar and secondary wing root AESA radars, Russia has offered Su-30 clients the option to enhance their aircraft with the same AL-41F-1S engines and Irbis-E radar from the Su-35 for several years. Introducing a small number of Su-35s alongside the Su-30MKA was considered unlikely due to its complication of maintenance, while failing to introduce revolutionary new capabilities.

Procurement of the Su-35 has raised the possibility is that the Algerian Air Force is intending to modernise its Su-30 fleet with AL-41F-1S engines, which would reduce operational costs and improve range and flight performance, with this providing commonality with the Su-35’s own powerplants. It remains uncertain on what scale Algeria will procure the Su-35, with some sources having speculated that the fighters may have been leased to the country to compensate for delays in supplying the Su-57, as the newer fighter is considered significantly more capable and cost effective to operate. The Su-35 provides Algeria with a longer ranged fighter with superior situational awareness and electronic warfare capabilities than the Su-30MKA, and is thought to have gained far more air to air kills than any other post Cold War fighter class in the world, primarily due to the central role it has played in operations in Ukraine. These operations have included participation in major air battles. Such clashes have frequently resulted in overwhelming victories for Su-35 units, while no losses to Ukrainian aircraft are known to have occurred. The fighter’s introduction could lead the Algerian Air Force to also operationalise the R-37M and R-77M air to air missiles, which would provide a particularly significant improvement over the R-77-1 previously deployed.