Are Days Numbered for Russia’s Su-35 Fighter Jet?

“The upgrade will boost the fighter’s combat capabilities: it will increase the range of detecting and identifying air targets and furnish the plane with new precision weapons to hit air, ground and sea targets at a range of several hundred kilometres,” Russian state media reported.

The Su-30SM upgrade is touted to boost the fighter’s combat capabilities by increasing the range of detection and identification of aerial targets. According to the Russian media, the upgrade will furnish the plane with new precision weapons to hit air, ground and sea targets at a range of several hundred kilometres.

On the other hand, Russia’s most advanced fighter till date, the Su-57 fifth-generation stealth fighter is powered by two engines: AL-41F-1 and the Izdelie 30. The former produces 144.5kN (14,734 kgf) while the latter produces 189kN (19,272 kgf) of afterburning thrust. The main avionics systems are the Sh121 Multifunctional Integrated Radio Electronic System (MIRES) and the 101KS Atoll Electro-Optical System.

The Sh121 MIRES consists of the N036 Byelka radar and the L402 Himalayas electronic counter-measures systems. The N036 Byelka radar features five AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Arrays) systems, three X-band and two L-band, and it’s also the first AESA radar used on a Russian aircraft. 

The Su-57 entered serial-production of the jets this July, and the first of the 76 ordered jets will be delivered to the Russian forces by the end of the year. An export version of the jet, the Su-57E, could be offered to prospective customers in the Middle East and Asia at the Dubai Air show in November this year. According to the reports, an aircraft carrier version of the fighter is also in the cards.

Defenseworld.net has compiled the features of the two fighters for comparison:

Potential Markets:

Till date, over 600 Su-30 fighters have been built. Multiple variants of the jet are currently in use with military forces across the world, like India, China, Malaysia, Venezuela, Algeria, and more. The other countries eyeing to acquire the aircraft include Iran, and India, which seeks to buy 18 additional Su-30s to supplement its depleting fleet of fighters.

Sales and prospects for the Su-35 have not gone beyond a firm sale of 24 jets to China and 11 jets to Indonesia. United Arab Emirates (UAE) is said to be negotiating with Russia for 24 Su-35s, and it was reported in March 2019 that Egypt would procure over a two dozen of these Sukhoi jets.

China has 24 Su-35 jets, deliveries of which were completed in November 2018. In June 2019, Russia offered China a second batch of Su-35 fighters for which the Chinese are not known to have responded positively so far. Russia has also offered these fighters to Turkey after it was expelled from the F-35 programme this July and Ankara too has not spoken out positively about any Su-35 purchase.

The Su-30 modernization program could hamper the sales prospect for the Su-35s by bringing the capabilities of Su-30 and Su-35 fighters closer. Prices of the Su-30 and Su-35 jets are pegged at $38 million (in 2012) and $85 million (in 2015) respectively. The Su-57 advanced stealth jet on the other hand, is expected to cost $50 million per unit (likely price in 2014, the final price could be revealed when the aircraft is offered for foreign sales).