Su-35S

Russia’s most advanced operational 4++ generation air-superiority fighter, combining thrust-vectoring engines, a powerful PESA radar, and heavy weapons payload in a combat-proven Flanker derivative.

Overview

The Sukhoi Su-35S (NATO reporting name Flanker-E) is a single-seat, twin-engine, 4++ generation multirole fighter and the latest operational evolution of the storied Su-27 Flanker lineage. Developed as a bridge to the fifth-generation Su-57 while remaining a capable heavyweight fighter in its own right, the Su-35S integrates three-dimensional thrust-vectoring engines, a large-aperture Irbis-E passive electronically scanned array (PESA) radar, and a versatile weapons suite on 12 hardpoints. Russia fields the type as its primary air-superiority asset, and it has been exported to China and, most recently, Iran.

Development

The Su-35S traces its roots to the Su-27M/Su-35 demonstrators of the late Soviet period, but the current “BM” (Bolshaya Modernizatsiya) effort began in the mid-2000s. The prototype first flew on 19 February 2008 and the type formally entered Russian Aerospace Forces service around 2014, according to Army Recognition. The design aimed to incorporate many technologies destined for the Su-57 — new engines, an advanced radar, a glass cockpit, and a reinforced airframe — while remaining derived from the proven Flanker structure to keep development risk manageable.

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