Irbis-E passive electronically scanned
array radar and digital y-by-wire
control system with TVC engines. A
minor external di erence can be found
in the deletion of the middle navigation
antenna from the trailing edge of the
right vertical stabilizer. The Su-35s
have also been seen carrying the new
L265M10-2 Khibiny-M export-standard
electronic countermeasures pods on the
wingtips instead of air-to-air missiles. To
date they have only been seen without
AAMs but the deal is thought to have
included medium-range R-77-1 missiles.
The PLAAF o cially acknowledged its
Su-35s on February 7, announcing that
‘the deployment [to the South China
Sea] is part of the Air Force’s e orts to
carry out military training under combatconditions,’ and adding that the ‘Su-35
ghter jets participating in such training
are expected to enhance the Air Force’s
combat capability under long-distance
or high-sea conditions.’
It was an interesting move by the
Chinese authorities that exerc ise very
tight control over information ow —
especially when it comes to the most
modern assets. This is usually observed
through a subtle mixture of controlled
leakage and absolute silence. Indeed,
it wasn’t to end there. Two days later
on February 9, a spokesman o cially
con rmed the entry into service of the
J-20A in a combat unit assigned to the
Eastern Theater Command. The ghter
community is never standing still when
it comes to the PLAAF.Until the
recent
exercise, it appeared
that the PLAAF was
keen to keep a lid on
details of its newest
fi ghters. There was
an overall air of
mystery around the
entire deal
This image: The
South China Sea
deployment saw
the jets fi ring
80mmm rockets
from under
each wing.
Below: A fl ight
of Su-35s all
equipped with the
new L265M10-2
Khibiny-M
export-standard
electronic
countermeasures
pods on the
wingtips.EYE ON THE EAST // CHINESE SU-35
26 June 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
24-26 Eye on the East C.indd 26 20/04/2018 15:23