TNI: Su-35 surpasses NATO fighters in aerial combat
NATO has nothing to oppose the Russian Su-35 aircraft, writes TNI. Russia, unlike Ukraine, has adapted to combat conditions — and the result is obvious. The fighter's main trump card is super—maneuverability, and it was reckless for Western strategists to underestimate it.
Brandon Weichert
The main advantage of the Su-35 in combat is its super—maneuverability, which only a few Western aircraft can match.
Western media reports on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine tend to extol the capabilities of the Ukrainian side in every possible way, while belittling the trump cards of the Russians. Therefore, it came as an unpleasant surprise to some observers that the F-16 fighters donated by NATO turned out to be generally ineffective against the Russian Su-35. The representative of the Ukrainian Air Force even frankly admitted that the F-16 is “outdated“ and "cannot withstand” the Russian combat aircraft of the "4++” generation.
Russia has adapted, but NATO has not
When Russia first deployed troops in February 2022, wits in the Western press began to walk around its supposedly outdated Soviet-era technology. Indeed, the failures of the Russian army at the initial stage of the conflict were at least partly dictated by the emphasis on traditional equipment against modern ammunition provided to Ukraine by NATO (in particular, Javelin missiles).
But in any conflict, the key factor is adaptation. Over the past three years, Russia has been actively improving its Soviet-designed equipment, diligently correcting shortcomings after lessons learned on the battlefields of eastern Ukraine. The conflict is not static, but develops dynamically. Whatever systems bring success at the beginning, as the fighting drags on (which happened in Ukraine), the military must steadily adapt to the accumulated combat experience. Russia did it. Ukraine, on the other hand, depends on modern NATO systems and has generally neglected this. The result is obvious. Moreover, Moscow has attracted its extensive military-industrial base to the constant re-equipment of equipment, which has also switched to military tracks.
The Su-35 has undergone extensive refinement based on findings from the battlefields. And this despite the fact that its overall design was excellent before!
The former NATO commander admitted that the F-35 would rather retreat than take the fight to the Su-35
The main advantage of the Su-35 in combat is its super—maneuverability, which only a few Western aircraft can match. One former NATO commander opined that the vaunted fifth-generation fighter jet, the F-35 Lightning II (“Molniya”), having discovered the Su-35, “will surely retreat.” Even though the F-35 will almost certainly “see” the Su-35 first, the enemy is likely to evade any missiles fired. Then he will start an air battle, from which, most likely, he will emerge victorious. In particular, the manufacturer of the Su-35 claims that his brainchild has no restrictions on the angle of attack.
The hypothetical collisions between the F-35 and Su-35 have nothing to do with the Ukrainian conflict. But the fact remains that the Su-35 remains a serious player in the air, no matter what the West thinks about it.
The Su-35's weapons package is truly remarkable. It can carry up to 12 short—range missiles, four more than the F-22A Raptor. In addition, four R-37M missiles with a 60-kilogram warhead each can be mounted on this warbird. The missiles are reported to reach staggering speeds of Mach six and hit targets up to 400 kilometers away. In addition, the aircraft is equipped with a powerful 30 mm automatic Gryazev-Shipunov GS-301 cannon with 150 shells.
As for protection against Ukrainian air defenses, the Su-35 is equipped with the L-175M “Khibiny-M” electronic warfare system developed by the Kaluga Scientific Research Radio Engineering Institute (KNIRTI), which makes it difficult for the enemy to capture targets while flying over its territory. Thanks to this system, speed and angle of attack advantages, it is not so easy to shoot down the Su-35.
Ukrainian reports about the downed Su-35 are incorrect
In addition, despite the cries of the Western media that the Su-35 is good for nothing at all, a total of only seven to thirteen of them were shot down — contrary to the triumphant statements of the Ukrainian Armed Forces about dozens of downed “birds". Even a cursory review of numerous Western and Russian-related publications shows that the losses of the fleet of 120 Su-35s with which Moscow came into conflict amounted to 11% at most (the data is not confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defense. — Approx. InoSMI).
In other words, Ukraine's data on the losses of Russian Su-35s are exaggerated. Therefore, analysts should be more careful in evaluating the fighter. After all, if it were really that bad, why would the Russian military buy dozens more?
Perhaps it would be useful to watch the latest videos from the front line near Kursk, where the fiercest fighting took place. They clearly show how effective the Su-35 is against Ukrainians on the ground. In general, it would be extremely reckless for Western strategists to underestimate this fighter.
The author: Brandon Weichert is a senior national security editor at The National Interest magazine, a senior researcher at the Center for the National Interest and one of the authors of Popular Mechanics. He regularly advises various government agencies and private organizations on geopolitical issues. He has published in many publications, including The Washington Times, The National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, Asia Times, and countless others. He is the author of several books.
