Will Donald Trump Cause the Return of Sukhoi to Iran?

The Russian company Sukhoi, which had effectively been sidelined from the aircraft purchasing process by Iranian companies after negotiations with Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, Bombardier, and Mitsubishi, has once again become one of the main options for transactions in Iran's aviation industry following Donald Trump's election as President of the United States. Before the nuclear agreement, Sukhoi announced negotiations with Iranian parties for the purchase of 100 aircraft, but after the nuclear deal and the lifting of air sanctions, the company was eliminated from the competitive cycle, and Iranian companies sought to purchase from Western companies. However, now, after Trump's election and the potential for the U.S. government to impose stricter regulations on aircraft sales to Iran, it seems that Sukhoi is once again being considered. Following the uncertainties that arose in the aviation industry after Trump's election, the possibility of purchasing aircraft from Russia has been raised once more, and now the Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development considers the negotiations of domestic airlines with Sukhoi officials to be without issues. Ali Abedzadeh, the head of the Civil Aviation Organization, stated in an interview with ISNA about how serious the discussion of purchasing Sukhoi aircraft is: 'The Civil Aviation Organization is not a buyer of aircraft; rather, it is the airlines that enter negotiations with various companies for purchasing aircraft. At the same time, it seems that Sukhoi officials have conducted negotiations for selling aircraft to Iranian companies, and if final agreements are reached, Sukhoi passenger aircraft could be used in Iran. However, the capabilities and quality of aircraft are not equal. After all, each brand has its own demand and price, and these differences in the competitive market determine the conditions and ultimately lead the parties to either conclude or not conclude a contract.' However, if the JCPOA remains in place, how can the U.S. government pressure non-American companies like Airbus, Mitsubishi of Japan, Embraer of Brazil, or Bombardier of Canada to sell aircraft to Iran? Aside from banking and political issues, the key factor lies in the engines of passenger aircraft, as aside from Rolls-Royce, all other engine manufacturers for Western companies are American. In the case of Rolls-Royce, the main components are supplied through American companies. Among the aircraft manufacturers in the world, only three companies—Sukhoi from Russia, COMAC from China, and UAC from Russia—produce aircraft that utilize non-American engines. Among the currently produced models from these companies, only the Sukhoi Superjet 100 has been in production for several years and has passed its tests. The Sukhoi Superjet 100 uses a non-American engine, which allows Iranian airlines to purchase this aircraft without any concerns about potential obstacles from the future U.S. government. Before the production of the Sukhoi 100, the company was primarily known for manufacturing military aircraft. Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union, this company competed with its fierce rival Mikoyan, which manufactured MiG aircraft, and was slightly behind in this regard. The MiGs also had better commercial and operational success. However, from the mid-1980s onward, with the introduction of the Sukhoi 27 series, the story reversed. With this product, the company was able to outpace MiG and even act as a strong competitor to American-made aircraft, particularly the F-15 and F-18. The Sukhoi 27 was upgraded to the Sukhoi 30, 33, and 34 with different operational capabilities. Ultimately, the company was able to design the Sukhoi 35, which is now considered one of the strongest fighter jets in the world in terms of aerodynamics and maneuverability. The Sukhoi 100 still exhibits the high aerodynamic design and maneuverability that is inherent to Sukhoi aircraft. This passenger aircraft has many capabilities in this regard. However, an important point in competing with Western companies is having high flight safety, lower fuel consumption, and low engine pollution, along with low maintenance costs and comfort. In terms of flight control and electronics, however, the Russians have been lagging behind Western companies like Boeing for years. Therefore, the Russians have sought Western companies, especially French and Italian ones, for the design of Sukhoi. The engine of this aircraft, named SaM146, is produced by a joint consortium between the Russian company NPO Saturn and the French company Safran. NPO Saturn is the most capable manufacturer of Russian military aircraft engines and has produced the engines for the Sukhoi 27, 30, 35, and T-50. The French company Safran is also the manufacturer of the advanced Rafale fighter jet engine. This company has also collaborated with General Electric on part of the production of engines for Airbus and Boeing aircraft, the most famous of which is the Airbus 340 engine, where the French company had a 50% share in this project. The design of the Superjet 100's body was done by Sukhoi, but Boeing acted as a design consultant. The wing control system was designed by Liebherr of Germany, and the interior of the aircraft was designed by Pininfarina of Italy, with Alenia of Italy being Sukhoi's strategic partner for the construction of this aircraft. Most of the aircraft's electronic and navigation equipment was also designed and manufactured by Thales of France. The Sukhoi Superjet 100 family has a capacity ranging from 78 to 98 seats in various classes. The Sukhoi aircraft can reach a maximum speed of 0.8 Mach, which is similar to the Boeing 737; however, in terms of flight range, the best model can cover 4,500 kilometers on a single tank of fuel and with a full load, which is 1,000 kilometers less than the Boeing 737 series 600. Nevertheless, this flight range covers all points in Iran and neighboring countries. One of the biggest advantages of Sukhoi compared to its Western counterparts is its lower price. Each Sukhoi 100 costs about $35 million, while the cheapest Boeing 737 model costs $80 million and the Airbus 318 costs $73 million. Currently, Iranian companies are seeking to purchase 46 Boeing 737 aircraft, 80 Mitsubishi MRJ models, and 50 Embraer E models. None of these three models will reach Iran if American companies are sanctioned, and in that case, the Sukhoi Superjet 100 could serve as a replacement for these models for Iranian airlines.