Key Points and Summary on Su-35 Super Flanker Fighter from Russia – While Russia’s fifth-generation Su-57 “Felon” program continues to falter, its 4.5-generation Su-35 “Super Flanker” has emerged as Moscow’s most capable and combat-proven fighter jet.
-An advanced derivative of the original Su-27, the Su-35 features powerful thrust-vectoring engines that give it superb maneuverability.
-The fighter has been battle-tested extensively, flying missions in Syria and now serving as the workhorse of the Russian air campaign in Ukraine.
-Due to production delays with its stealthier successor, the Su-35 will likely remain the backbone of Russian air power for the foreseeable future.
Su-35 Super Flanker: Russia’s Best Fighter?
In American football, a flanker is an offensive player – specifically, a wide receiver who typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, just outside the offensive tackles.
In military aviation, “Flanker” has a far deadlier connotation: It is the NATO reporting name for a series of Russian fourth- and 4.5-generation fighter planes designed by the Moscow-headquartered Sukhoi Design Bureau. Some might argue that the latest iteration, the Su-35 (NATO reporting name “Flanker-E/M,” or, “Super Flanker”), is Moscow’s best fighter jet – or at the very least, the Russians’ best non-stealth fighter.
Su-35E Initial History (and Differences from the Su-27)
The original Flanker, the Su-27, made its maiden flight on May 20, 1977 and went operational with the Soviet Air Forces on June 22, 1985. As for the post-Cold War Su-35, it made its maiden flight on Feb. 19, 2008, and entered into official service with the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) in February 2014.
The AeroCorner website provides a detailed description of the differences between the standard Flanker and the so-called Super Flanker:
“The Su-35 has been given some comprehensive modernizing upgrades over its ancestor. It features advanced thrust-vectoring engines for increased maneuverability, an improved avionics suite, and a passive electronically scanned array radar system,” the website writes. “Additionally, the aircraft possesses a drastically reduced infrared signature due to the use of advanced material used in the manufacturing design process compared to its predecessor.”
Flanker-E/M Technical Specs and Vital Stats
Crew: 1 (pilot)
Fuselage Length: 21.9 meters (71.85 feet)
Wingspan: 15.3 meters (50.2 feet)
Height: 5.9 meters (19.36 feet)
Empty Weight: 19,000 kilograms (41,888 pounds)
Max Takeoff Weight: 34,500 kilograms (76,059 pounds)
Powerplant: 2x Saturn AL-41F1S afterburning turbofan generating 32,000 pound-force (142.2 kilonewtons) in emergency power
Ferry Range: 4,445 kilometers (2,400 nautical miles)
Combat Range: 1,600 kilometers (860 nautical miles)
Max Airspeed: 1458 knots (2,700 km/h, Mach 2.18)
Thrust-to-Weight Ratio: 1.3
Service Ceiling: 60,000 feet (18,228 meters)
Armament: Up to 9 surface-to-air missiles and 7 air-to-ground missiles (including the Kh-59 MK2 Ovod cruise missile) simultaneously; 1 × internal 30 mm Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-1 autocannon with 150 rounds
An estimated 158 Super Flanker airframes have been built thus far, of which Russia reportedly possesses 114. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force has 24 in its inventory, with the remainder ordered by the Algerian Air Force.
Operational History
The Su-35 experienced its first combat deployment in January 2016 in the skies over Syria, when four of the warbirds were sent to that war-torn Eastern Mediterranean country. Reportedly, the Flanker-Es participated in the initial stages of air-to-ground strikes against various Western-, Turkish-, and Qatari-backed Islamist insurgent groups. In addition, the planes reportedly performed multiple interceptions of Turkish Air Force and Israeli Air Force fighters.
Su-35s have been used extensively during the seemingly never-ending Russo-Ukrainian War. Russian Su-35 pilots have thus far claimed at least seven air-to-air victories against Ukrainian fixed-wing fighters, plus one additional kill against a Ukrainian Naval Aviation Mi-14 utility helicopter. In exchange, at least five and perhaps as many as eight Su-35s have been lost in the campaign, whether due to friendly fire, mechanical failure, or Ukrainian forces shooting them down.
Future For the Flankers
At least on paper, the Su-35 is superseded in terms of technological capability by another Sukhoi product, namely the fifth-generation Su-57 “Felon” stealth fighter. However, the Felon has been set back by multiple production and procurement delays, with only 32 airframes built as of December 2023. It is worth noting that back in June 2019, the Russian Defense Ministry signed a contract for the production of 76 Su-57 planes by the end of 2027. It is looking highly unlikely that this production goal will be met in a timely fashion.
As for Russia’s other aspirational fifth-generation fighter, the Su-75 “Checkmate,” it is looking less and less likely that this plane will ever get off the ground, in either the figurative or the literal sense. This means that the Su-35 will probably be the Russians’ primary frontline fighter for several more years to come.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU).
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