Russia may get combat drones from Iran in exchange for fighter jets

Iran could supply the first batch of combat unmanned aerial vehicles to Russia, the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank said with reference to intelligence data from open sources.

It also became known that Tehran sent pilots and maintenance personnel to be trained to work with Russian Su-35 fighter aircraft. Such actions may be part of the agreement signed by the parties at the end of July: Iran receives fighter jets in exchange for drones.

In addition, Tehran plans to use the agreement to increase the number of passenger flights between the countries to purchase Russian combat aircraft, ISW believes.

On July 26, Iran's Civil Aviation Administration spokesman Mirakbar Razavi said that the country signed an agreement to export parts and aircraft equipment to Russia. A memorandum of understanding was also signed, according to which the number of flights between the countries would be increased to 35 per week.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan earlier confirmed Tehran's intention to supply several hundreds of drones to Moscow. According to the official, some of the models in the batch are capable of carrying weapons.