Egypt's interest in acquiring the RAC MiG-35 has developed into negotiations with Russia to purchase 46 fighters in a deal which could be worth up to $2.2 billion.

According to Russian media reports, RAC MiG chief executive Sergei Korotkov says the company is ready to supply MiG-35s to Cairo. The model is the Russian air force's latest-generation fighter, and is a successor to earlier versions of the MiG-29 series.

The Egyptian air force currently operates a mixed fleet of Chengdu F-7s, Dassault Mirage 2000s and recently-transferred Rafale trainers, Lockheed Martin F-16s, and MiG-21s. Deliveries from the USA had been halted during a period of political instability, but were recently resumed.
According to Tal Inbar, a senior researcher at the Fisher Institute for Air & Space in Israel, the proposed deal with Russia is "a sign to Washington that Egypt has more than one source for advanced weapon systems".