Su-35

Sukhoi’s Su-35 is a single-seat, twin-engine 4.5-generation air-superiority fighter developed from the Su-27 by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. Two distinct derivatives share the designation; the Russian Aerospace Forces’ current production version, the Su-35S, entered serial service in 2014 and is the backbone of its heavy-fighter fleet pending wider Su-57 introduction.

The airframe is a reworked Flanker with reinforced structures, two AL-41F1S turbofans fitted with three-dimensional thrust-vectoring nozzles, and the Irbis-E passive electronically scanned array radar built by Tikhomirov NIIP. The radar’s advertised detection range against large targets is among the longest claimed for a non-AESA set, though independent verification is limited. The cockpit uses two colour multi-function displays and a wide-angle head-up display, and the aircraft keeps the Flanker’s canard-free layout while adding structural changes for higher internal fuel. Armament is carried on twelve hardpoints and includes R-77 and R-73 air-to-air missiles alongside Kh-31 and Kh-59 stand-off munitions and precision-guided bombs. Mission computing, data-link and self-protection software are state-furnished and little documented in open sources, and teardown material on the type is thin compared with the Russian drone fleet.

Operationally, Russia uses the Su-35S for air-superiority, escort and standoff-strike roles. Russian state media said Su-35S pairs escorted Tu-22M3 bombers on a four-hour patrol over neutral Baltic waters in October 2026, with foreign fighters intercepting on part of the route. Attrition during the war in Ukraine is harder to tally. Ukrainian channels and the Crimean Wind monitoring group reported satellite imagery showing damage to Su-35, Su-34, Su-30 and Mi-8 airframes at the Khanskaya airbase in Adygea after an SBU drone strike on 4 October 2026; the Russian Ministry of Defence’s overnight statement listed drones downed without naming the base, so the claim remains Ukrainian for now.

Exports have moved in late 2026. Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed said in October 2026 that his country had received twelve Su-35s and four S-400 batteries from Russia, a year ahead of schedule, and Russian coverage followed with images of the first Ethiopian-marked aircraft at Zhukovsky. An Iranian army spokesperson subsequently claimed Tehran had also bought the Su-35, with deliveries expected after the current conflict with the United States ends; separate Ukrainian reporting citing leaked KTRV contract documentation describes parallel Russian-Iranian deals for Kh-39 LMUR launchers, Mi-28 helicopters and Yak-130 trainers. Both the Ethiopian delivery figure and the Iranian purchase remain claims by the receiving governments rather than independently verified transfers.