According to analysts from Military Watch Magazine, Russian-made MiG-29 fighters could serve as an effective defense for Iran against Israeli F-15 and F-16 attacks.

The analysts highlighted reports from Iranian media, which state that Tehran has received its first MiG-29 from Moscow in over 30 years. The report pointed out that Iran chose the Russian-made fighter over the Chinese J-10, which was another option on the table.

The experts believe that Iran will likely be able to procure a significant number of upgraded MiG-29s without depleting its foreign currency reserves. This is expected to be possible due to the significant volume of arms exports from Iran to Russia, which may allow Iran to exchange its own defense products for these aircraft.

The analysts also speculated that Russia could have provided Iran with MiG-29s originally built during the Soviet era. The responsibility for upgrading these aircraft would fall on Iran. Additionally, Russia has the capacity to supply Iran with MiG-29s in the necessary quantities and on a regular basis. Given that Iran already operates MiG-29s in its Air Force, the integration of new aircraft into its fleet would not present any major maintenance challenges.

Military Watch Magazine further suggests that after undergoing modernization, the MiG-29 could be equipped with the Zhuk radar system and the R-77M air-to-air missiles, effectively transforming it into a «four-plus» generation aircraft.