Following affirmation on Might 26 that the Russian Aerospace Forces had obtained a brand new batch of Su-35S fighters from the state run United Plane Company, vital questions have been raised concerning the capabilities of those plane to offer an efficient defence towards the F-35 stealth fighters fielded by the nation’s NATO adversaries. The F-35 is the one fifth era fighter kind in manufacturing within the Western world, and has more and more fashioned the spine of NATO’s air energy, successful each tender by which it has competed towards different Western fighter varieties, and quickly proliferating throughout NATO, in addition to throughout Russia’s jap border to Japa. As a ‘4++ era’ fighter developed by a state with a way more restricted scale of analysis and improvement, the Su-35 is considerably much less refined than the F-35, missing comparably superior avionics, stealth capabilities, or weaponry. The Russian fight jet however retains plenty of essential benefits that might probably show pivotal in a significant battle.
The place the F-35 was developed below the Joint Strike Fighter program primarily for air defence suppression and air-to-ground strike operations, below a program which centered on lowering prices to offer a lighter and cheaper counterpart to the bigger twin engine Superior Tactical Fighter, the Su-35 was in contrast developed with a powerful deal with air-to-air capabilities to function Russia’s premier fighter kind. In consequence, the Su-35 is a considerably bigger plane that integrates a radar shut to a few occasions as massive and over twice as highly effective because the F-35’s AN/APG-81, produces considerably extra thrust and energy for onboard methods, and might carry a a lot bigger armaments suite. These benefits will not be thought of ample to compensate for the F-35’s stealth capabilities, which the Su-35 virtually completely lacks, or for its innovative information sharing capabilities which optimise it for community centric operations, however they do give Russian defence planners some areas of power to plan operations round.
The F-35’s radar evading capabilities and superior network-centric capabilities are complemented by its considerably superior passive digital intelligence gathering capabilities, that are optimum for finding ground-based air defence methods such because the S-400 that the Su-35 was designed to function alongside. A main shortcoming of the F-35 stays its very restricted weapons payload and number of armaments, which is an space the place the Su-35 has a very distinct edge. The F-35 can at the moment carry solely 4 air-to-air missiles when configured for stealth, though this may improve to 6 on the F-35A and F-35C variants as soon as they’re belatedly introduced as much as the Block 4 normal across the yr 2030. The Su-35, in contrast, can carry as much as 14 air-to-air missiles with out considerably compromising its flight efficiency, reflecting not solely its means to hold missiles externally in normal configuration, but additionally its a lot bigger measurement and better engine energy.
The F-35 for over a decade held a major benefit over the Su-35 as a result of its integration of superior AIM-120D air-to-air missiles, which have ranges roughly 60-70 % longer than that of the Su-35’s personal main air-to-air missile the R-77-1. This modified in 2025 when the Su-35 in 2025 was confirmed to have built-in the R-77M missile, which has an estimated vary of near 200 kilometres and APAA terminal steerage capabilities optimum for homing in on stealth or excessive manoeuvrable targets. The F-35 is anticipated to regain its benefit with the mixing of the a lot delayed AIM-260 missile, a successor to the AIM-120, though the intense value of those weapons has raised questions concerning whether or not a major quantity could be allotted to the European theatre. The combination of the R-77M has ended one of many Su-35’s main disadvantages in its air-to-air efficiency, though whether or not this may final stays extremely unsure contemplating the far bigger scale of funding in air-to-air missile improvement being made within the U.S..
One of many Su-35’s most vital benefits stays its vary, which is roughly 180 % that of the F-35A and over double that of the F-35B, permitting it to patrol Russia’s huge territory, whereas escorting bombers and pursuing hostile targets removed from the nation’s borders with a fight radius approaching 1000 kilometres. The plane also can cruise at supersonic speeds with out utilizing afterburners, which the F-35 is the one fifth era fighter that can’t do. This gives a major diploma of operational flexibility. The Su-35 also can slim the hole in air-to-air missile vary by launching its missiles from a lot increased speeds and altitudes than the F-35 can. Its most pace is roughly 60 % increased, permitting the plane to extra quickly redeploy to answer contingencies.
Complementing the Su-35’s benefits in vary and weapons carrying capability, the fighter has an air-to-air engagement vary estimated at near double that of the F-35, with its R-37M missiles being designed to have interaction targets over 350 kilometres away, the place the AIM-120D’s vary is proscribed to 160-180 kilometre ranges. The missile is perfect for partaking excessive worth help plane corresponding to E-7 AEW&Cs, that are relied on to compensate for the F-35’s comparatively small radar measurement, and KC-135 tankers, that are relied on to increase its in any other case comparatively brief vary. The R-37 permits the Su-35 to focus on these plane far past the retaliatory vary of escorting fighters. The truth that Su-35s had been designed to function from makeshift runways, the place the F-35A and C particularly require pristine airfields, additional will increase the latter’s reliance on tanker help by constraining its choices for refuelling on the bottom.
The Su-35’s most distinct benefit could also be in its visible vary fight capabilities. The F-35’s AIM-9X Block II infrared guided missile can interact targets at a lot increased off boresight angles than the Su-35’s R-74, with the stealth fighter’s distributed aperture methods guaranteeing far better consciousness of potential threats and permit pilots to ‘look by means of’ their plane utilizing their superior helmets. Though the AIM-9X’s superiority is anticipated to closely compensate for the Su-35’s superior flight efficiency, the F-35 can not accommodate it or any equal missile in its inside weapons bays, that means that until configured in a means that negates the benefits of its stealth capabilities, will probably be extremely constrained in its visible vary fight capabilities. Ought to the Su-35 be capable to successfully use digital warfare and different measures to evade focusing on, it could retain a major benefit in an in depth vary battle with a stealth configured F-35.
An extra main benefit of the Su-35 is that it may combine a variety of air-to-ground and anti-ship missiles, the place the F-35’s solely at the moment appropriate missiles are air-to-air missiles. This makes the Russian fighter considerably extra versatile, and in an engagement permits it to probably goal bases and warships internet hosting F-35s in methods F-35s might battle to do towards Russian bases. The shortage of anti-radiation missiles stays a specific shortcoming for the F-35, which was designed particularly for air defence suppression missions however isn’t appropriate with the first U.S. missile kind constructed for the function the AGM-88, largely as a result of main delays bringing it as much as the Block 4 normal. Whereas the Su-35 is a much less refined fighter, which displays the decline within the standing of Russia’s defence sector since the us’s disintegration, it retains plenty of essential benefits that if successfully exploited might enable it to significantly problem a NATO air assault spearheaded by F-35s.
