Satellite imagery from Google Earth taken last month shows first Egyptian Air Force Su-35 fighter jets at the Gagarin Aircraft Plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia.

Images have emerged by KAD-GHANI on its Twitter account showing at least four new advanced Su-35 fighter jets that were produced under a contract with Egypt.

“First photos of the Su-35 with Egyptian camouflage in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia,” he said on Twitter.

Russia’s news agency, TASS, quoting a military-diplomatic source, early reported that was launched the production of SU-35 fighters, intended to be delivered to the Egyptian Air Force under the contract signed in 2018.

Egypt had decided to purchase several Russian-made Su-35 fighter jets for about $2 billion. The signing of the deal has never been confirmed by official sources.

The Su-35 is a heavily upgraded generation 4++ supermaneuverable multipurpose fighter jet developed on the basis of fifth-generation technologies. The Su-35 is distinguished by its new avionics suite based on the information control system, the new radar, plasma ignition engines of the increased capacity and thrust vectoring. These engines meet the requirements for the powerplant of fifth-generation fighters as they allow developing supersonic speed without using an afterburner.

China has become the first foreign country to buy Su-35 when it signed a $2.5-billion deal with Russia for 24 aircraft. The deal also envisaged supplies of ground equipment and spare engines. The delivery of the aircraft to China was completed in 2019.