US admits Russia has best fighter aircraft

Russia's Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet is an ideal aircraft that can make serious competition to foreign analogues in the foreseeable future, The National Interest said.

Photo: flickr.com by Артем Катранжи, CC BY-SA 2.0

The Su-35's radar system is particularly impressive as it can detect aircraft at distances of up to 350 kilometers. If a Su-35 detects an F-35 during a mission, the latter will most likely retreat due to the super-maneuverability of the Russian fighter.

According to the manufacturer, the Su-35 has no limitations on the angle of attack. The aircraft can also reach supersonic speeds without afterburners, which made it advantageous to 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. The aircraft also features 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 the Ukrainians ask for more advanced aircraft than the F-16, TNI's Anthony J. Costantini concludes.

Ukraine says outdated F-16 modifications will not be able to fight the Su-35

Former spokesman for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ignat said that Ukraine needed a modification of the F-16 fighter aircraft that could gain an advantage over Russian aircraft in the air. F-16s can be used to combat missiles and drones, but to gain an advantage in the air, one needs aircraft that are on par with Su-30, Su-35 fighters and Su-34 fighter-bomber.

The MiG-29s used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine cannot compete with Russia's Su-35s.

Military observer and retired colonel Viktor Litovkin believes that F-16s are inferior in many ways to Russian Su-30s and Su-35s. F-16s are single-engine jets, they carry less ammunition, and have weaker radars. In addition, Su-30s and Su-35s are capable of turning on the spot and evading enemy missiles in a variety of ways.

"The F-16 needs to cover half of the sky to make a U-turn," Litovkin said.

Details

 
The Sukhoi Su-35, NATO reporting name: Flanker-E/M, is the designation for two improved derivatives of the Su-27 air-defence fighter. They are single-seat, twin-engine, supermaneuverable air superiority fighters, designed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau and built by Sukhoi. The type was originally developed by the Soviet Union from the Su-27 and was known as the Su-27M. It incorporated canards and a multi-function radar giving it multi-role capabilities. The first prototype made its maiden flight in June 1988. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union Sukhoi re-designated it as the Su-35 to attract export orders. Fourteen aircraft were produced and used for tests and demonstrations; one example had thrust-vectoring engines and was in turn redesignated the Su-37. A sole Su-35UB two-seat trainer was also built in the late 1990s that resembled the Su-30MK family

 
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft with over 4,600 built since 1976. Although no longer purchased by the U.S. Air Force, improved versions are being built for export. In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation, which became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta. The F-16's key features include a frameless bubble canopy for enhanced cockpit visibility, a side-mounted control stick to ease control while maneuvering, an ejection seat reclined 30 degrees from vertical to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot, and the first use of a relaxed static stability/fly-by-wire flight control system that helps to make it an agile aircraft. The fighter has a single turbofan engine with an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and 11 hardpoints. Although officially named "Fighting Falcon", the aircraft is more commonly known by the nickname "Viper".