Above top to
bottom: This is
the second Su-35
to have been
built, ‘902’, which
first flew back in
October 2008.
Sukhoi
There have been
repeated signs
that the UAE
might purchase
a small number
of Su-35s. This
would be a
welcome new
market for Sukhoi.to 98 on order. The first 10 jets from
this batch arrived at Besovets in
November-December 2016 and four
were immediately dispatched to Syria,
replacing the four Su-35s that were
already deployed. As of December 2017,
the Russian Aerospace Forces had 68
Su-35S fighters in two squadrons at
Dzyomgi and one squadron each at
Tsentralnaya Uglovaya and Besovets, with
the remainder at the evaluation centers in
Akthubinsk and Lipetsk.First blood
Russia deployed four Su-35Ss to Syria
in late January 2016 as it sought to
strengthen its fighter escort assets in the
wake of the shoot-down of a Su-24 by
a Turkish F-16 in November 2015. The
aircrews in Syria rotate in order to afford
combat experience across the Su-35
squadrons.
In addition to R-27 and R-73 air-to-
air missiles (AAMs), the new ‘Flankers’were observed carrying the new R-77-1
medium-range AAM. They were also seen
sporadically carrying 250kg (551lb) iron
bombs, but despite Russian claims of
the Su-35s using guided air-to-ground
weapons, no photographic evidence has
surfaced. The aircraft in Syria typically fly
with Khibiny jamming pods.
The Syrian deployment has certainly
enabled the Su-35 pilots to operate in
complex combat environments, but it
has also served as a useful advertisement
for the fighter — possibly the primary
purpose. Indeed, most missions are
actually serviced by the earlier-generation
attack aircraft and helicopters.
With 10 aircraft planned to be produced
and delivered over the coming three
years, Russia expects to complete
Su-35S deliveries in 2020. At this point it
expects to turn to the Su-57, which is also
manufactured in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
One thing is for certain — plans
could change. Indeed, Combat Aircraftexpects the ‘second-stage’ Su-57 to be
either late or very expensive, possibly
triggering the procurement of more
Su-35s. Komsomolsk-on-Amur needs to
produce at least 20 fighters per year if it is
to survive. If the Su-57 is not ready and if
export orders for the Su-35 are insufficient,
more Russian Su-35s are inevitable.
There’s a close focus on securing export
orders. The first, long-awaited, contract
for 24 Su-35s for China was signed
in November 2015 after a decade of
negotiations. Russia had reportedly said it
was unwilling to sell fewer than 48 aircraft
to China, but the People’s Liberation Army
Air Force (PLAAF) apparently wanted to
receive as few as possible. It is speculated
that perhaps China simply wanted access
to the Su-35’s technology.
The first four Su-35s arrived in the
country in December 2016, followed by
a further 10 in 2017, with the final 10 due
in 2018. The aircraft are delivered in a
baseline configuration and then specifichttp://www.combataircraft.net // February 2018 73
70-77 Su-35 C.indd 73 14/12/2017 11:17