Russia’s Great Su-35 Fighter Nightmare: Its Top Fighter Keeps Getting Shot Down

National Security Journal ^ | 7/24/2025 | Brent M. Eastwood

[whyilovetexas111]

Russia’s Su-35 “Super Flanker” is touted as the pinnacle of its 4th-generation fighters, a highly maneuverable jet meant to rival the best in the West. However, the aircraft is based on a Cold War design and suffers from a fatal flaw: its outdated radar system is comparable to 1980s U.S. tech and lacks key modern features.

[piytar]

It’s called “adaptive camouflage.” That’s just for starters.

[SaveFerris]

[A plane can be spotted from above as it flies above the ground. The ground color varies, but the plane underbelly color can’t.]

What? I think you meant the top of the aircraft - the dorsal part of the fuselage

[Brian Griffin]

“destroying all the air defense and early warning system along the route”

A phased array system can put on a truck. A very thick concrete shelter can protect it most of the time. At somewhat random times the truck can drive out and let the system have a peek before it gets driven under cover again.

Trees might get cut down and dozens of tree walls might get built. Each tree wall might take five manhours to build. The radar truck can rotate among them. Other trucks with system dummies can also drive around in similar fashion.

[SaveFerris]

[“adaptive camouflage.”]

Is that a reality yet? In WWII they used lights on the forward wing portion of some aircraft to mask an it approaching a submarine for attack

[Brian Griffin]

“underbelly”

I blew that one.

Maybe I should stop blogging for a few hours.

[SaveFerris]

It happens .....

[Uncle Miltie]

Russia is non-strategic.

They are a local stupid kleptocracy.

Ignore them and focus on China (communism) and islam.

[Brian Griffin]

“It’s called ‘adaptive camouflage.’ That’s just for starters.”

Missiles might be launched into the sky above the front-line carrying cameras that would drift down slowly by parachute.

The cameras would be in different positions and the plane might be able to hide from camera 1 but not camera 2.

[montag813]

Then they shoot Vlad in the head and blame it all on him... His strange fascination with recreating the iron curtain has been a costly endeavor for Russia in terms of blood and money.

It's such a waste of time and resources. Russia could be a very successful modern industrial and tech state. And work with Western Europe to remove the Islamic menace.

[piytar]

Hey it’s not perfect. But it’s good. Also you could chew through a lot of missiles that way — mostly shooting at empty air.

[OldGoatCPO]

All true, but not a single Israeli jet shot down. The system did nothing to stop bombing runs round the clock. I find it unlikely Iran sacrificed its senior officials, military sites and airports to save their early warning system. Israel took out the system one way or the other.

[Brian Griffin]

Russia is now fighting the war by blasting Ukrainian front lines.

Once Ukrainians are spotted, artillery shells can rain down on them.

Really tough structures can be taken out by glide bombs.

The natural gas the EU isn’t buying (and may never buy because it is phasing out hydrocarbon use) can be used to make explosives.

I don’t see how Ukrainian forces can withstand all that.

[Brian Griffin]

“you could chew through a lot of missiles that way — mostly shooting at empty air.”

They might be sent up only after a drone sound is heard.

[piytar]

Fair enough, but again it’s better than nothing. Not perfect. But pretty dang amazing.

[Stingray51]

There is no evidence that Syria had any kind of functioning air defense network prior to the strikes on Iran. As for Iran itself, whatever system had clearly stunk and there is debate over whether Israeli aircraft did much flying over Iran itself.

What I am talking about is an absence of evidence as to how our manned aircraft would do against a sophisticated network such as Russian air defenses in the Ukraine vicinity or against China’s in a future conflict. Perhaps US aircraft would dominate these systems but we the people who pay for all this stuff cannot really know for sure.

[OldGoatCPO]

Syria under Assad had Russian built anti-aircraft systems around government buildings and airports. Israel took out those systems in order to strike Iranian and Hezbollah weapons shipments. Those systems were taken out before Israel went into Lebanon to diminish Hezbollah's ability to resupply. By the time Assad fell there was nothing left to stop Israeli fourth generation aircraft from hitting Syrian targets. The F-35 took out those sites. During the bombing of ex-Assad assets, the IDF began building its corridor. On day one of the Iranian air strikes, the F-35s went in in advance taking out early warning and anti-aircraft systems followed by fourth generation aircraft. Until the ceasefire the Iranians were not able to reconstitute their air defense systems.

[Tom Tetroxide]

This means the Ukraine is winning!

[catnipman]

“At some point Russia is going to run out of aircraft, drones, Chechens and North Koreans.” ... and boats ...

[catnipman]

so then what? Flinging the cheap, unlimited explosives at enemies with trebuchets?

[catnipman]

“Russia is non-strategic. ... They are a local stupid kleptocracy. ... Ignore them and focus on China (communism) and islam.”

indeed ... Under Putin’s leadership, Russia is regressing industrially and scientifically into a 3rd world country with nukes ...