Key Points and Summary – The Sukhoi Su-35S is Russia’s primary high-end fighter, a heavily modernized 4.5-generation derivative of the Su-27 Flanker.
-Designed as a bridge until the troubled Su-57 is fielded in numbers, the Su-35 features advanced avionics, thrust-vectoring engines for “super maneuverability,” and multi-role capabilities.
Su-35 Fighter. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Su-35 Fighter from Russia. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-Despite Western sanctions and the war in Ukraine, Russia continues to produce and deliver the Su-35S to its air force.
-Clearly, the jet is powerful and offers some clear combat capability, being able to take on in theory many of the best non-stealth Western fighter planes.
-However, its export success has been severely limited, with major potential deals collapsing due to U.S. sanctions, leaving China as its only significant foreign customer.
Su-35: Russia’s Workhorse Fighter
In February 2008, a new Russian fighter jet made its maiden flight: the Sukhoi Su-35S.
The aircraft, built by Russia’s Sukhoi Design Bureau as a twin-engine, single-seat, high-performance air-superiority and multirole fighter, represents Moscow’s efforts to modernize its aging fleet and keep pace with Western air power.
The Su-35 entered service with the Russian Aerospace Forces in the early 2010s and has since taken on air-defense, escort, and strike-support roles.
With the West watching closely, the Su-35 matters because it remains Russia’s most numerous high-end fighter today, bridging the gap until its stealth successor arrives and forms part of a new military-industrial effort that has significant strategic implications – assuming, of course, Russia is capable of fielding a new generation of fighters in the near future.
The war in Ukraine and the sanctions that arrived post-2014 have had a significant impact on Russia’s aerospace sector – and as the Su-35 is Russia’s most numerous high-end fighter today, that’s likely to remain true for some time.
Why the Su-35 Was Built
The Su-35 is a product of the early Sukhoi Su-27 “Flanker” program – a heavyweight Soviet design from the late Cold War era that was introduced to compete with the U.S. F-15 Eagle.
During the early 1980s, Sukhoi began work on an upgraded version of the Su-27, internally designated the T-10M, which was intended to add more agility, advanced avionics, and multi-role capability.
After the 1991 Soviet collapse, Russia’s aerospace industry ran into funding and export setbacks.
The Su-27M project then stalled, but Sukhoi rebranded and reworked elements of it in the 2000s as the Su-35.
In essence, the Su-35 was developed to serve as a 4.5-generation fighter stronger than older Flankers, while a true fifth-generation stealth fighter – the Su-57 – was still in the design phase.
Su-35. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Su-35. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Design and Capabilities
Visually, the Su-35 retains the large airframe of the Su-27 family. It is a twin-engine design with a broad fuselage and twin tail. Internally, however, the aircraft has been dramatically modernized, featuring new composite materials, improved aerodynamics, and engines with thrust-vectorizing nozzles that provide “super maneuverability.” In layman’s terms, that means the capability to sustain 9 G and high angles of attack.
The production version of the aircraft for Russia is the Su-35S, which uses Saturn AL-41F1S engines – known internally as the izdeliye 117S – and omits the large canards seen on earlier Su-27M prototypes.
Regarding avionics and weapons, the Su-35 features the N035 Irbis-E radar, which Russian sources claim can detect large targets at 350km or more distances. Its avionics suite also enables air-to-surface and anti-radar missions.
In terms of its role, in Russian service the SU-35 is intended as a premium “air-superiority” fighter capable of long-range escort, high-altitude patrols, and standoff strike missions. It also plugs a capacity gap while Su-57 numbers increase.
Latest Developments
The Russian air force continues to receive new Su-35S aircraft under multi-year state armament programs, and the aircraft has seen action in Syria and Ukraine in a variety of support and escort roles. United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and Rostec have repeatedly announced new Su-35S deliveries to front-line units, most recently in 2025, as production at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant remains active despite sanctions and wartime supply pressures.
In export terms, China became the first foreign customer for the Su-35, signing a $2.5 billion contract 2015 for 24 aircraft. Deliveries were completed between 2016 and 2019, giving the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) a small contingent of advanced Russian Flankers with extended range.
The sale was widely seen as a milestone in Sino-Russian defense cooperation and provided Beijing access to technologies later developed domestically for its J-16 and J-20 programs.
Exports efforts since then, however, have faltered. Indonesia signed a preliminary agreement in 2018 to purchase 11 Su-35s.
Still, the deal collapsed under U.S. pressure related to the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which threatened penalties for countries buying major Russian weapons systems.
Egypt’s planned acquisition of more than 20 Su-35s also stalled after Washington warned Cairo that the move could trigger sanctions and jeopardize U.S. military aid. Reports from 2024 and 2025 also suggest that the aircraft built initially for Egypt have since been redirected toward Algeria and possibly Iran.
For Russia, the SU-35 remains the backbone of its modern air fleet – and not necessarily an export success. It is a 4.5-generation fighter that fills the gap until the Su-57 can be fielded in much greater numbers. And despite sanctions and attrition, United Aircraft Corporation continues deliveries.
Su-57 Felon Fighter Russian Ministry of Defense Photo
For the West, the Su-35 represents an enduring challenge; its continued production and deployment show that Russia’s military-industrial engine keeps running even under strain.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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