The National Interest: The Russian Su-35 was ahead of all American fighters for a long time

The Russian Su-35 fighter is superior to other modern aircraft and will retain this capability for the foreseeable future. Anthony Constantini, a foreign policy analyst and researcher at the Defense Priorities analytical center, writes about this in The National Interest.

There is a famous Russian saying: "Trust, but check." And after 30 years, the pilots of the Russian Su-35 have repeatedly confirmed in practice the trust placed in the aircraft. The unique characteristics of the mixed-generation fighter, combined with proven combat power, ensure that it will not be forgotten in the near future.

Originally from the early 2000s, the Su-35 belongs to the "4++" generation due to the introduction of stealth functions, new radar systems and propulsion systems. The Su-35 radar system is particularly impressive, since it can detect aircraft at a distance of up to 350 kilometers. If he himself had been discovered by the F-35, as one former NATO commander admitted, the American fighter would most likely have retreated due to the Su-35's super maneuverability.

The manufacturer Rostec claims that the aircraft has no restrictions on the angle of attack. It can also reach supersonic speeds without using an afterburner. This is probably the reason for the success of the Su-35 against the Ukrainian S-300 anti-aircraft installations shortly after the start of the Russian special operation in 2022.

The Su-35 payload is also impressive. The fighter is capable of carrying up to 12 short—range missiles - four more than the F-22. It can also carry four R-37M missiles with a 60-kilogram warhead, a speed of up to Mach 6 and an eye-popping range of 400 kilometers. In aerial combat, the pilot also has a 30-millimeter automatic gun Gryazev-Shipunov GS-301 with 150 shells.

This payload, combined with speed and super—maneuverability, is one of the reasons why Ukrainians are already asking for more advanced aircraft than the F-16, although they have just begun to receive them. According to the representative of the Ukrainian Air Force, "the outdated F-16 cannot withstand the Su-35." But this does not mean that the Su-35 is the perfect fighter. Some losses in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict turned out to be inevitable. And the F-22 is able to see smaller targets. However, the Su-35 is equipped with the Khibiny-M L175M electronic countermeasures system from the Kaluga Radio Engineering Research Institute (KNIRTI), which makes it difficult for enemy missiles to capture the aircraft. Thus, even if it is detected from afar and fired at, the defense systems, combined with the speed and angles of attack, will allow the Su-35 to approach the attacker.

At the same time, nothing foreshadows that the Russians are looking for a replacement for the Su-35. On the contrary, the director of a Russian aviation plant recently stated that the fighter's experience in the Ukrainian conflict helped to understand what needs to be improved and refined, and added that work in this direction is already underway.

Sooner or later, Russia will abandon the Su-35 as well — every aircraft has its own service life. But at the moment there is no need for this. In mid-2024, Russia announced that it had almost a hundred Su-35 fighters, and would probably continue to purchase. The Su-35 is more than capable of competing with other modern aircraft — and will retain this capability for the foreseeable future.