Is Russia Pitching its Top Stealth Fighter to Iran? Su-57 Lands at Bandar Abbas

Satellite footage and images on the ground have confirmed that a Russian Su-57 fifth generation fighter has deployed to the Iranian airbase in Bandar Abbas in the country’s southeast for several days. The fighter stopped in Iran to refuel on its return to Russia after performing at Aero India 2025 aerospace exhibition, where it had its first encounter with the rival American F-35. While at the exhibition, it was confirmed that the Su-57 would see its first exports begin in 2025, namely to the Algerian Air Force, and that Russia and India were discussing a major license production deal to deliver the aircraft to the Indian Air Force. This has provided room for speculation that, capitalising on momentum from these two sales, the fighter may be pitched to Iran. Tehran has faced an increasingly unfavourable security situation after Turkish, Western and Israeli backed Islamist paramilitaries overthrew the government of its primary regional strategic partner, the Syrian Arab Republic, in December 2024. The capabilities of Iran manned fighter fleet remain limited, and despite fielding a large fleet of over 17 squadrons the large majority of aircraft are ageing Vietnam War era F-4s and F-5s. Two squadrons of Soviet MiG-29s ordered in 1989 currently form the elite of the fleet.

The Iranian Air Force is currently expected to receive Su-35 ‘4+ generation’ fighters, the orders for which were first reported in 2022 before being fully confirmed by officials in January 2025. While Iran was previously reported to be considering ordering as many as 64 Su-35s, possible efforts by Russia to pitch the Su-57 could potentially lead the Iranian Defence Ministry to end plans for followup orders of the older aircraft, and instead plan the future of its fleet around fifth generation fighters. While the Su-35 has 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, the Su-57 has also benefitted from entirely unique level of combat testing for an aircraft of its generation including air defence suppression, air to air combat, and operations in heavily defended enemy airspace.

Although its procurement costs are reported to be over 50 percent higher than those of the Su-35, the Su-57’s operational costs, which form the large majority of the lifetime costs of any fighter class, are similarly low. This has made the newer aircraft appear significantly more cost effective when considering the major advances in capabilities which it introduces. The expected greater availability of the Su-57 is reported to have been a primary factor leading countries once considered possible clients for the Su-35, such as Algeria, India and Indonesia, not to procure the aircraft. A significant possibility remains that Iran, like India, will seek to reach a major license production deal for the aircraft should it select it, with the Iranian Air Force’s particularly high number of obsolete fighter units allowing its fleet to accommodate a large number of new aircraft to replace them.