The Sukhoi Su-35 (NATO reporting name: Flanker-E) Also known as Super Flanker, is a designation for two separate, heavily upgraded derivatives of the Su-27 'Flanker'. They are single-seat, twin-engine, supermaneuverable multirole fighters, designed by Sukhoi and built by Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association (KnAAPO).

The first variant was designed during the 1980s, when Sukhoi was seeking to upgrade its high-performance Su-27, and was initially known as the Su-27M. Later re-designated Su-35, this derivative incorporated aerodynamic refinements to increase maneuverability, enhanced avionics, longer range, and more powerful engines. The first Su-35 prototype, converted from a Su-27, made its maiden flight in June 1988. More than a dozen of these were built, some of which were used by the Russian Knights aerobatic demonstration team. The first Su-35 design was later modified into the Su-37, which possessed thrust vectoring engines and was used as a technology demonstrator. A sole Su-35UB two-seat trainer was built in the late 1990s that strongly resembled the Su-30MK family.

In 2003, Sukhoi embarked on a second modernization of the Su-27 to produce what the company calls a 4++ generation fighter that would bridge the gap between legacy fighters and the upcoming fifth generation Sukhoi PAK FA. This derivative, while omitting the canards and air brake, incorporates a reinforced airframe, improved avionics and radar, thrust-vectoring engines, and a reduced frontal radar signature. In 2008 the revamped variant, erroneously named the Su-35BM in the media, began its flight test program that would involve four prototypes, one of which was lost in 2009. The Russian Air Force has ordered 48 production units, designated Su-35S, of the newly revamped Su-35. Both Su-35 models marketed to many countries, including Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, and South Korea, but so far have not attracted any export orders. Sukhoi originally projected that it would export more than 160 units of the second modernized Su-35 worldwide.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a Russian Sukhoi Su-35S "Flanker-E" multirole fighter that was deployed to Khmeimim Air Base, at Latakia, Syria, and participated in the Syrian Civil War during the 2010s. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 8-inches
Length: 12-inches

Release Date: August 2024

The three newly built Su-35S jets departed the Sukhoi factory airfield, or KnAAPO, in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the Russian Far East on September 9th. The next day, following three stopovers, they touched down at Privolzhsky in the Astrakhan region of southern Russia, after covering a distance of around 3,850 miles.

The United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), the parent organization responsible for Sukhoi, officially announced the delivery of three aircraft to the Russian Ministry of Defense, stating that it "completes the implementation of the third contract" for these fighters. Before the end of this year "the plant will also deliver the first Su-35S jets to the ministry of defense under the next, fourth contract," UAC added.

Privolzhsky Air Base near the city of Astrakhan is the home base of the 185th Combat Training and Combat Application Center of the Aerospace Forces. This is the only formation of its kind in Russia, and it's tasked with replicating combat conditions, to provide realistic training in combat tactics for fighters and other air defense units. The center's air component is the 116th Combat Application Training Center of Fighter Aviation, sometimes referred to as the Russian 'aggressor squadron.'