TNI: Russian Su-35 to compete with foreign counterparts in future
The Russian Su-35 fighter is an ideal aircraft and, thanks to its characteristics, can compete with foreign analogues in the foreseeable future, writes the American publication The National Interest (TNI). Because of Russian aircraft, Ukraine no longer has enough Western F-16s.
As analyst Anthony J. Costantini states in his article, the Su-35’s radar system is particularly impressive, as it can detect aircraft up to 350 kilometers away. As one former NATO commander pointed out, if the F-35 detected it, it would likely retreat due to the Russian fighter’s super-maneuverability. According to the manufacturer, the Su-35 has no angle-of-attack limitations. The aircraft can also reach supersonic speeds without using afterburners, which contributed to its success in countering Ukrainian S-300 missile launchers in 2022.
Among other things, the Su-35 can carry up to 12 short-range missiles – four more than the F-22. It is also equipped with the Khibiny electronic warfare system, which makes it difficult to target enemy missiles.
These payload figures, combined with its speed and super-maneuverability, may be the reason why Ukrainians are already asking for aircraft more advanced than the F-16.
The analyst concludes that Russia will eventually abandon the Su-35, just as other countries sooner or later abandon their aircraft. “But for now there is no need for that,” he noted.
Ukraine says outdated F-16 modifications won’t be able to fight Su-35
Former spokesman for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Yuriy Ignat said that Ukraine needs a modification of the F-16 that can gain an advantage over Russian equipment in the air. Outdated modifications of the F-16 can be used to fight missiles and drones, but to gain an advantage in the air, aircraft are needed whose characteristics are not inferior to the Su-30 and Su-35 fighters and the Su-34 fighter-bomber.
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A former senior Ukrainian official also complained that the MiG-29s used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces cannot detect and catch up with Russian Su-35s. “We don’t see them, but they see us. We can’t catch up with them, but they can catch up with us,” he noted in an interview with The Washington Post.
Colonel names advantages of Russian fighters over American ones
Military observer, retired colonel Viktor Litovkin explained that the F-16 is inferior in many ways to the Russian Su-30 and Su-35. According to him, these fighters “are not fit to hold a candle to ours.” The F-16 is single-engine, takes less ammunition, and has weaker radars. In addition, the Su-30 and Su-35 are capable of turning on the spot, performing somersaults, evading enemy missiles. “The F-16 needs to cover half the sky to turn,” Litovkin said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not fail to complain about the insufficient number of Western F-16s. According to him, the Ukrainian Armed Forces received “few fighters.”
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