Image: Flickr/Navneet Yadav.
Posted on 01/20/2016 10:08:45 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) will start receiving its first Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E fighters from Russia later this year.
"Supplies of fighter jets will start in the 4th quarter of this year. For now, everything goes according to plan," a Russian military-diplomatic source told the TASS late last week.
Russia signed a contract to deliver twenty-four Su-35 fighters worth more than $2 billion to China late last year. The contract will be filled within three years according to TASS’s source. Production of a modernized S-108 communications system—which was part of Beijing’s requirements—has already started.
While the addition of the Su-35 will boost Chinese capabilities while the PLAAF waits for its fifth-generation J-20 to enter service. The Su-35S is the most potent version of the Flanker built to date. The powerful twin-engine fighter is high flying, fast and carries an enormous payload. Combined with its advanced suite of avionics, that makes the Su-35 an extremely dangerous foe to any Western fighter with the sole exception of the stealthy Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.
“It’s a great airplane and very dangerous, especially if they make a lot of them,†one senior U.S. military official with extensive experience on fifth-generation fighters told me some time ago. “I think even an AESA [active electronically scanned array-radar equipped F-15C] Eagle and [Boeing F/A-18E/F] Super Hornet would both have their hands full.â€
One Air Force official with experience on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has told me that the Su-35 would also pose a serious challenge for the stealthy new American jet. The F-35 was built primarily as a strike fighter and does not have the sheer speed or altitude capability of the Su-35 or F-22. “The Su's ability to go high and fast is a big concern, including for F-35,†the Air Force official explained me.
The sale of the Su-35 to China is in many ways a reflection of Russia’s weakened bargaining position. The Russians had initially insisted that the Chinese buy a minimum of forty-eight jets because of fears that Beijing simply wanted to harvest the Su-35 for its technology—particularly, the radar, electronic warfare systems and engines.
The new deal does not allow for China to license build the Su-35—but that shouldn't stop Beijing from mining the Su-35 for its technology. With access to a working aircraft, Chinese engineers will be able to learn more about the jet’s AL-41F1S engine, Ibris-E radar and electronic warfare suite. While in recent years China has have made huge technological advances of its own, Russian military technology—particularly for jet engines—is light-years ahead. Once the Su-35 is delivered, the jets are almost certainly to be reverse engineered and copied. One can initially expect advanced derivatives of the J-11 Flanker clone, but an entirely new Su-35 clone might follow as well.
Dave Majumdar is the defense editor for the National Interest. You can follow him on Twitter: @davemajumdar.
Image: Flickr/Navneet Yadav.
Ah, but they must think in Russian....
Magog/Kings of the East it’s taking shape Indeed.
Ping
“The new deal does not allow for China to license build the Su-35...”
No problemo.
There have been rumors and announcements and deals regarding this for years.
At this point, I will n believe it until I see it...particularly coming from any Russian sources.
The Chinese, quite frankly, at this point simply do not need the Russian aircraft. They are building vey decent aircraft of their own.
J-20
J-15
J-16
J-11B
J-10B
etc.
They do need to boost their engine technology...so, if they do get 25 of these, while they are excellent aircraft, the Chinese will be doing so to get the engines.
Just the same, I will believe it when the aircraft start landing in China.
“China to Get Russia’s Lethal Su-35 Fighter This Year”
Lethal compared to what, the Nerf model ?
I am in full agreement, with you.
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