Posted on 10/13/2010 9:56:02 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Sukhoi says it will deliver the first Su-35S multirole fighter to the Russian air force by the end of the year.
Last year the Russian military ordered a batch of 48 fighters with the deliveries to be completed by 2015. On Oct. 11, Sukhoi reported that the first production Su-35S is already in final assembly at the KnAAPO facility in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, with preparations underway for flight testing.
The single-seat Su-35S is a mid-life upgrade of the Su-27 Flanker. It combines the proven Flanker airframe with more powerful 117S engines equipped with thrust vector control. The electronics also have been overhauled and will include equipment developed for Russia’s next-generation fighter, the T-50, also being developed by Sukhoi to meet the air force’s fifth-generation fighter requirements.
The Su-35’s radar signature was reduced by several times compared to other fighters through the use of energy-conducting coating on the canopy and radar-absorbing material on the airframe, as well as by eliminating some protruding sensors.
According to Sukhoi, the Su-35’s service life is 6,000 flight hours; the operational life-cycle is 30 years. The assigned service life of NPO Saturn’s 117S engines is advertised as 4,000 hr.
(Excerpt) Read more at aviationweek.com ...
I would like to know what the RCS really is for this a/c. The MiG 29’s I’ve seen have looked like they were knocked together by the losing team on “ Junkyard Wars.”.
Sukhoi had to get a $100 million loan to finance the Su-35 production investment
The Su-35’s radar signature was reduced by several times compared to other fighters through the use of energy-conducting coating on the canopy and radar-absorbing material on the airframe, as well as by eliminating some protruding sensors.
Thanks, President Clinton! We couldn't have done it without you! That F-117 you exposed to enemy fire in Serbia is paying more dividends every day.
Ping
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.