On July 22, a number of photos showing five Su-35 fighter jets out of 24 ordered by Egypt emerged on social media.
The five fighter jets, numbered 9210, 9211, 9212, 9213 and 9214, were spotted flying in the Russian city of Novosibirsk, where the Sukhoi Aircraft Company is located.
Some sources claimed that the five Su-35s were on a test-flight before being delivered to the Egyptian Air Force (EAF). This is yet to be verified.
2/2 pic.twitter.com/eisRdEaCgY
— SwankyStas (@StasSwanky) July 22, 2020
Reports on an Egyptian deal to acquire Su-35 warplanes have been flown around since late 2018. In March of 2019, Russia’s Kommersant newspaper reported that Cairo indeed signed a contract for 24 warplanes of this type. Delivery is supposed to take place between 2020 and 2021.
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The reports of the Egyptian-Russian deal provoked much pressure from the U.S. Washington threatened Cairo with sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Despite the conformation of the deal, the U.S. has yet taken no measures against Egypt. Washington is likely avoiding harming its relations with Cairo.
The Su-35, which is armed with the latest technology, will boost the offensive capabilities of the EAF, which is facing increasing challenges. Su-35 will likely be put into service side by side with the Mig-29M which has been in service of the EAF since 2017.
