The Sudanese Defence Ministry is reportedly holding talks with Russia for the procurement of Su-30 and Su-35 fighters, which are expected to be provided in exchange for the rights to construct a major naval facility on the Red Sea. Sudanese sources previously widely reported plans to procure Su-35s in late 2017, following a visit by the President Omar Al Bashir to Moscow. The overthrow of the Sudanese government following riots and a Western-backed coup in early 2019, however, was considered a major factor preventing these plans from materialising. Sudan and at the time also procured Chinese JL-9 trainers, and was reportedly the first client for the Chinese J-10C fighter before procurement plans were cancelled due to instability and post-coup economic decline. The country has been in a state of war since April 2023, after the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, supported by mercenaries from Ukraine, Colombia and across Central Africa, began to wage war against the central government with arms and backing from the United Arab Emirates and much of the Western world.
Russian MiG-29 fighters procured in the 2000s, and ex-Belarusian Air Force Su-24M strike fighters acquired early the following decade, currently form the backbone of the Sudanese fixed wing combat fleet. The MiGs have played a significant role in the country’s ongoing war effort in both air-to-air and air-to-ground operations. Procuring the Su-35 and Su-30 would allow both of these older types to be phased out, and provide a significantly greater combat capability including far more powerful sensors, ranges, and weaponry. The cost effectiveness of these new Russian fighter types has nevertheless repeatedly been brought to question, as both are very large heavyweight aircraft with high maintenance needs and operational costs, which the Sudanese Air Force may struggle to maintain at high availability rates. Not only are they far more costly both to procure and to sustain than the competing Chinese J-10C, but their weaponry and avionics are also considered far less sophisticated.
The Su-35 has gained growing international sales in 2025, with fighters having begun deliveries to Algeria near the beginning of the year, while leaked documents in October confirmed sales to Iran and Ethiopia. The fighter type was previously considered the most capable on the African continent, until surpassed by the Su-57 fifth generation fighters which Algeria was confirmed to have received in November. Sudan’s northern neighbour Egypt previously placed orders for Su-35s in 2018, but was forced to cancel procurement plans due to its significant vulnerability to Western economic and political pressure. The Su-35’s less complex counterpart the Su-30 has proven significantly more successful on export markets, and in Africa forms the backbone of the Algerian fleet, while less advanced variants are also fielded by Ethiopia, Angola and Uganda.