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

<p >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 <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/most-new-su35s-going-to-egypt" >produced for Egypt </a>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 <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/iran-confirms-order-finalised-su35-fighters" >placed orders for Su-35s</a>, 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.</p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/03/14/article_67d38161936844_07159555.jpeg" title="Su-30 (top) and Su-35"></p><p >Algeria was <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/algerian-su35-reports-interpret">previously not expected</a> to acquire Su-35s, with the next fighter class expected to be introduced into its fleet being the more advanced <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/facilities-expanded-su57-fighter-production">fifth generation Su-57 Felon</a>. It was <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/algeria-confirmed-first-foreign-client-russia-su57-how-many" target="_blank">confirmed</a> 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 <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-s-su-37-terminator-next-generation-fighter-marks-25-years-since-first-flight">Su-37 air superiority fighters</a> 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.</p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/03/14/article_67d381a3aa6dc1_98232645.jpg" title="Algerian Air Force Su-30MKA"></p><p >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 <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russian-su-35s-claims-three-air-to-air-kills-over-donetsk-one-mig-29-and-two-su-25s-reports" >air to air kills </a>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  <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/four-su-27-flankers-shot-down-over-western-ukraine-in-march-5-battle-which-russian-asset-could-have-done-it" >major air battles</a>. Such clashes have frequently resulted in <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/su-27-flanker-sees-first-ever-losses-in-air-to-air-combat-four-shot-down-in-massive-battle-over-zhytomir" >overwhelming victories</a> 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. </p>

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