A photo of a Su-34 flying over Novosibirsk in desert camouflage recently surfaced on social media, suggesting a likely export destination for the aircraft. Some commentators went further, speculating that the aircraft may be bound not for iran — a close russian partner in the Middle East with a known interest in acquiring russian fighters — but for Algeria.
The assumption isn’t without foundation: Algeria received its first Su-35 from russia in April 2025 and, back in 2021, reportedly planned to acquire as many as 40 Su-34s, including an initial batch of 14. At first glance, this context seems to support the theory. But several visual inconsistencies complicate the picture.
يبدو انها الصور الاولى للمقاتلة القاذفة سو-34 الجزائرية في طلعات اختبارية في روسيا pic.twitter.com/LQUrCnPy3o— Arab-Military (@ashrafnsier) May 16, 2025
To start with, when russia delivered Su-35s to Algeria, it didn’t repaint them with new camouflage. The aircraft retained their original paint schemes, with only Algerian Air Force insignia added.
Some might argue that repainting was unnecessary: these Su-35s were originally manufactured for Egypt under a now-canceled contract and were already prime for delivery. Yet the desert camouflage on the Su-34 in the recent photo does not match the scheme used on those Su-35s — that's the first inconsistency.
There’s also the issue of industrial capacity. Even if the Algeria deal calls for just 14 aircraft, fulfilling such an order could stretch over several years. Even after having shifted to a war economy and industrial mobilization mode, russia currently produces only six to ten Su-34s annually, barely able to meet its own military needs.
Perhaps most uncertain of all is whether any formal agreement between russia and Algeria on Su-34 deliveries exists in the first place — and if so, under what terms. While it’s true that about 85% of Algeria’s military hardware is of Soviet or russian origin, the country has been slowly pivoting away from russian defense cooperation and seeking closer partnership with China. This trend is exemplified by its recent acquisition of Chinese Type 056 corvettes.
Given these dynamics, it is yet unclear what the appearance of a desert-camouflaged Su-34 in russia could actually mean. After all, it's crucial to understand where the genuine production capabilities of the russian defense industry end and where the Kremlin's efforts to project influence through misinformation begin.
