MWM: Su-35 showed excellent performance in the Ukrainian conflict
Su-35 fighters have shown excellent performance in the Ukrainian conflict, writes Military Watch Magazine. The production of these reliable and powerful combat aircraft has been increased, they are supplied not only to the Russian Aerospace Forces, but also to other countries.
After the delivery of the first batch of Su-35 fighters this year in the last week of March, Vadim Badekha, Director General of the State United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), announced that further acceleration of production was being prepared. “Our primary task is to increase the pace of construction of demanded military products. First of all, this concerns the Su-34, Su-35, and Su-57 aircraft. It is planned to increase production volumes for each of these types this year. To ensure the creation of this equipment, we will continue to expand production,” he said.
UAC officials noted that the corporation is investing in personnel training and infrastructure modernization to eliminate bottlenecks and maintain higher graduation rates. This discovery came as a surprise to aviation analysts: although the scaling up of production of the Su-34 fighter-bomber and the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter had already been confirmed earlier, it was still expected that production of the Su-35 would cease in the early 2030s, as the two heavier aircraft were considered more cost-effective. The Su-35 is significantly inferior to the Su-34, whose production costs less than two-thirds of the cost, in terms of flight range and armament. It is also inferior to the Su-57 in terms of performance in all roles, without exception, whether it is air defense suppression, aerial combat or other tasks.
Apparently, the decision to increase production of the Su-35 is motivated by two main factors. The first is the expansion of the fighter fleet at a time of high defense spending and high tensions with NATO members (while the Russian Ministry of Defense is apparently satisfied with how the Su—35 performed in the Ukrainian theater of operations). The Su-35 has been playing a leading role in air operations in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict since February 2022. Perhaps the biggest success was the four Su-27 fighters of the Ukrainian Air Force, shot down in March 2022 in a battle near Zhytomyr. The Su-35s not only did not suffer losses in air battles, but also added to their list of triumphs with victories over enemy aircraft (Su-27, MiG-29, Su-24M, Su-25), Mi-8 helicopters and a wide range of drones. This experience convinced the Russian Aerospace Forces to expand the use of the Su-35 to simulate the actions of a simulated enemy in the training of military pilots from September 2022.
However, despite their successes, the Su-35 still faced some limitations in its guidance capabilities beyond visual visibility compared to the MiG-31BM interceptors, primarily due to the lack of sensors comparable in power to the MiG's N007M. The development of a new radar for the Su-35 based on the H036 designed for the Su-57 with an active phased array antenna has been widely discussed, but has not yet been confirmed. The expanded production of the Su-35 will allow the Russian Aerospace Forces not only to replace outdated Cold War equipment faster, including the MiG-29, but also to form new fighter regiments — and this prospect will be all the more attractive if the aircraft receive new sensors and weapons.
Along with the growing domestic interest in new fighters, the second factor that influenced the decision to expand production of the Su-35 is the significantly increased export demand over the past two years. The first reports in local sources that the Algerian Air Force would purchase the Su-35 appeared in September 2024, and six months later it was confirmed that the first aircraft were already being delivered. The scale of Algerian purchases remains unknown, but is estimated at about a couple dozen fighters, as it is expected that the backbone of the future fleet will be more advanced Su-57 fighters, whose deliveries will begin before the end of the year.
In addition to Algeria, since mid-2022, it has been claimed that Iran ordered the Su-35, and in January 2025, this was confirmed by General of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ali Shadmani. Iran's current air fleet has about 200 obsolete fighter jets from the Vietnam War, and this leaves Tehran with ample opportunities to purchase the Su-35 on a significant scale — it was reported that a batch of 64 or more aircraft is planned. The Iranian order is perhaps the main factor that led to the expansion of the Su-35 program. For the fighter, this is a chance to turn from a relatively modest participant in the export market into a resounding success if foreign sales exceed a hundred aircraft. In addition, it has increased the chances of attracting other customers: in particular, geopolitical trends affecting Indonesia and North Korea are fueling rumors that one of these countries may place an order. Due to the relatively small size of the Russian Aerospace Forces and the simultaneous purchase of four types of fighters, export demand is a crucial factor that will make the expanded production of the Su-35 economically efficient.
