The Russian Defense Ministry has published footage of combat sorties of Su-30SM and Su-35 fighters during a special military operation in Ukraine. In a short comment to the story, it is said that the planes were used to destroy the air defense means of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The video captures the start of the fighters. Then follow the shots of objective control - one of the "dry" launches an air-to-surface missile. The pilot with the call sign "seventh" reports that he has completed the work. In the final shot, a fighter with a brake parachute already released rolls along the runway.
"The crews of the fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces performed the detection, capture and defeat of the radar station and the Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system during the flight tasks," the Russian Defense Ministry accompanied these shots with such an explanation.
Earlier, the agency repeatedly told and showed the combat work of the Su-30SM and Su-35 in the skies of Ukraine. The peculiarity of their use during a special military operation lies in the fact that fighters designed to gain air supremacy are mainly used to launch airstrikes against ground targets of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and nationalists. Enemy planes, once on the radar of the Su-35, prefer to get away.
The Sukhoi go on a combat mission with a standard set of weapons. On the sides - air-to-ground missiles to destroy air defense systems and complexes. There are also air-to-air missiles to combat enemy aircraft. Flights take place at various altitudes. The Su-30SM multi-purpose fighters are coming first. The supermaneuverable Su-35s take to the sky a little later. The "hunt" for enemy air defense systems begins. Sometimes you have to go down to a dangerous echelon. There is a chance to get hit by a rocket of a portable anti-aircraft complex. But our guys learned to bypass the same American "Stingers" even during a business trip in Syria - many participants in the special operation had their first combat sorties there.
Help "RG"
The Su-30SM multi-purpose fighters are designed to gain air supremacy, block enemy airfields, and destroy its air, land and sea targets. The letters "C" and "M" in the name of the aircraft mean that it is mass-produced in an upgraded version. Two forced turbojet engines with a controlled thrust vector and a front horizontal tail provide the Su-30SM with high maneuverability. A modern radar with a phased array antenna provides the fighter with reliable navigation, communication and unique target recognition capabilities. The combat radius of its action of the Su-30SM is 1500 km, the duration of the flight without refueling is 3.5 hours. The fighter is capable of using modern and promising high-precision weapons of the air-to-air and air-to-surface classes.
The Su-35 supermaneuverable multipurpose fighter belongs to the 4++ generation. In terms of its flight and combat characteristics, it is very close to the fifth generation. The Su-35S reaches speeds of up to 2400 km/h and flies non-stop at a distance of up to 3600 km. Its combat load reaches 8 tons. On an external suspension, this machine can carry all types of aviation weapons, which are capable of hitting air, ground and surface targets.
The Irbis radar system installed on the S-35 is, according to experts, the most powerful in the world. It sees at a range of 400 km, makes it possible to accompany up to thirty at the same time, and to fire at up to eight targets.
In addition, the Su-35S was equipped with a modern navigation system that autonomously determines the location of the aircraft and the parameters of its movement in the absence of satellite navigation and communication with ground services. And the Su-35S also has engines of increased power with a rotary thrust vector.
Yuri Gavrilov
