MWM: Su-35SM fighter uses Su-57 technologyThe Su-35 will be upgraded to the Su-35SM standard, MWM reports.
It is noted that it uses a number of technologies and solutions used in the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter. Special attention is drawn to the radar station and the missiles that the aircraft will receive.
The Su-35S heavy fighter of gaining air supremacy plays a pivotal role in the plans of the Russian Air Force to modernize the fleet of tactical combat aircraft: since 2014, more than 100 aircraft have entered service, and about 50 more have been exported. The successor of the Su-27S (NATO classification: Flanker or "Flanker") of the Cold War era, the Su-35 was conceived back in the Soviet Union as its successor with more advanced air combat capabilities. Initially, it was planned that the aircraft would enter service in the mid or late 1990s. However, the almost complete collapse of the Russian economy and the lack of export orders (including due to Western pressure on potential customers) led to the fact that the Superflanker went into mass production almost 15 years late.
The Russian Air Force switched to the Su-35 largely as a result of the disruption of the advanced program of the fifth-generation MiG 1.42 fighter in the 1990s, as well as delays in the commissioning of its successor Su-57 — without the Su-35, Russia could be left with an outdated fleet of gaining air superiority. Among the main improvements compared to the Su-27, we should mention a high-strength composite airframe, more durable and lightweight than its predecessor, a reduced radar cross section, more powerful engines and a new Irbis-E radar with a fivefold longer air–to-air detection range. And in terms of avionics and data transmission channels, cockpit displays and electronic warfare systems, the Su-35 is technologically decades ahead of the original version.
Despite the high combat capability, the strong dependence of the Russian Air Force on the Su-35 against an increasingly sophisticated and much more numerous NATO fleet created an incentive not only to accelerate work on its successor, the Su-57, but also to include a number of its developments in the current design. And if the fifth-generation F-35 fleet deployed by NATO and its allies near the borders of Russia is still far from being ready for intensive combat operations, then after further development of the program and with the introduction of sixth-generation fighters around 2030, the capabilities of the Su-35 will begin to become obsolete. As a result, a program of modernization of the structure to the Su-35SM standard is already underway. It is expected that not only the future Su-35s in production, but also the existing ones will be significantly improved. Below we will look at a number of key features of the new update package.
R-37M and R-77M as standard weaponsOne of the weaknesses of the Su-35 was its out-of-sight combat weapon.
R-77-1 missiles with active radar homing and a range of 110 km were used as the main armament. They were supplemented by older R-27ER/ET with an extended range (130 km), but without active radar guidance. They were not only slower at launch, but also more dependent on the Su-35's own sensors. These two missiles, although formidable for the 2000s, are not impressive in comparison with the new generations of NATO and China's AIM-120D, Meteor and PL-15 weapons with ranges of 160-180 km, 200-200 km and 200-300 km, respectively. It is expected that the Su-35SM will receive a new R-77M missile, which was developed for the Su-57 fighter as the main air–to-air weapon. The missile has a range of 200 km and uses a radar with an active phased array antenna, which greatly complicates the evasion capabilities.
It is also expected that the Su-35SM units will make greater use of the much larger R-37M missile, which is currently listed as the main armament of the MiG-31 interceptors. The missile has a range of 400 km, a very high speed of Mach 6 and a massive 60-kilogram warhead. At the same time, the Su-35 is much lighter than the MiG-31 and therefore can carry only four missiles. The R-37M is particularly valued for its ability to combat large priority targets — bombers and long—range radar detection aircraft - but it is also extremely effective against fighters. However, due to the limited flight characteristics of the Su-35, it will not be able to launch missiles as efficiently or with the same range as the MiG-31 can do.
Radar with AFARThe multifunctional X-band Irbis-E radar in the nose of the Su-35S is considered one of the most powerful in the world.
It has a passive antenna array with electronic scanning, an unsurpassed maximum beam deflection angle of 120°, a detection range of 400 km, the ability to track 30 targets and target eight aircraft simultaneously. As the combat aircraft of Russia's rivals increasingly use electronically scanned active array radars with a smaller signature, which are more difficult to suppress and which provide greater electronic warfare capabilities, it is expected that future versions of the Su-35 will follow suit. Although the USSR was 20 years ahead of the world in developing an electronically scanned radar for aerial combat, the Su-57 is the only serial Russian fighter with an AFAR radar in the nose. Installing a radar with an AFAR based on the Su-57 to replace the Irbis-E with the Su-35SM is quite possible.
Electronic warfare KitAlthough the design of the Su-57 airframe provides it with significant performance advantages compared to the Su-35, the latter will be able to largely fill this gap thanks to the introduction of its successor's avionics.
Currently, the Su-35S uses the L175M "Khibiny-M" electronic warfare system, which provides the fighter with a kind of electronic "protective hood" from missile attacks — a digital cloud that makes it much more difficult for radars to detect it. The system is able not only to protect the fighter itself, but also to accompany sentry and strike groups. It is believed that it was she who contributed to the extremely low losses of fighters in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
The Su-35SM may receive some kind of derivative of the Himalaya electronic warfare system from the Su-57, whose tests began in 2014. The system is not concentrated in one place on the fuselage, but is scattered throughout the body, including on the wings — this knocks down the enemy's guidance systems more and provides protection from attacks from all sides. It is reported that it has a very long range, exceeding the radius of effective use of Western AIM–120D air-to-air missiles, and this allows the Su-57 to more effectively neutralize attacks by non-kinetic methods. If the Su-35SM gets a similar system, it will significantly increase its survivability. Improved electronic warfare capabilities are also more important because the design of the airframe of the fourth generation aircraft is devoid of stealth. Auxiliary means will reduce its vulnerability on future battlefields.
Data transmission channelsAs the role of network-centric capabilities, as well as data collection and generalization in the combat operations of the XXI century is increasing, it is expected that the Su-35SM will try to at least partially reduce the gap from competitors, such as the American F-35 and the Chinese J-20, in this area of avionics.
In September 2019, details of the new combined communication, data exchange, navigation and identification system of the Su-57 (OSNOD) were made public, thanks to which the fighter will be able to work as part of a larger combat network. The system provides enhanced encryption protection and anti-interference protection. Alexey Ratner, head of the research and production center "Flight" of the Russian Electronics holding, stressed that it would provide "permanent cryptographic protection of communications", making data interception fruitless.
Two years later, at the International Aviation and Space salon MAKS-2021, the state technological company Roselectronics presented the S-111 communication system. "The equipment provides telephone radio communication and data exchange of the aircraft with other aircraft for various purposes, as well as with ground, air and surface control points. The equipment uses the latest technology of high—speed information transmission and uses advanced network solutions," the company said, anticipating a significant expansion of the network-centric combat capabilities of the Su-57. All these technologies can potentially be implemented on future versions of the Su-35.
Cruise missilesAlthough the Su-35 was developed as a multi-purpose fighter capable of striking and performing anti-ship and bomber missions, as well as aviation support functions, its main area of application has always been gaining air supremacy, whereas the Su-57 and older Su-30SM were better balanced for all types of operations.
The Su-57 has received a number of new air–to-ground guided weapons that can be installed on future versions of the Su-35.
Among the striking examples should be mentioned the PBK-500U "Drill" planning bomb with cluster submunitions and the "shot and forget" function, as well as the X-59MK2 cruise missile. The missile has passed combat tests in Syria and Ukraine, becoming the only one of its kind used in combat by an invisible fighter. It was developed as the main armament of the Su-57 air–to-ground class and is placed in internal weapon compartments. It is optimized to neutralize small-sized fortified targets at maximum ranges over 300 km. The X-59MK2 can significantly improve the Su-35's strike capabilities, although it may be excluded from the planned modernization package in order to reduce costs due to the aircraft's emphasis on air superiority.
Laser protectionIn addition to the advanced electronic warfare systems, the Su-35SM can receive some kind of derivative from the Su-57 system of controlled counteraction to IR means.
If electronic warfare means can neutralize the attacks of radar-guided missiles, then this system "blinds" approaching infrared-guided missiles with laser beams. This is especially useful in visible-range air combat, as well as when working at low altitudes against ground-based air defense systems, including widely used portable systems like the Soviet Needle and the American Stinger. The systems of controlled counteraction to IR means are a unique feature of the Su-57 and are installed both behind the cockpit of the fighter and below it.
