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 In the coming several years, the Russian Air Force shall field almost 50 cutting-edge Sukhoi Su-35S supermanoeuvrable multirole fighters in production by the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant, a subsidiary of the Sukhoi company. Two years ago, the first production-standard aircraft of the type were delivered to the Russian Defence Ministry for the official trials, and in 2012, the first stage of the trials resulted in a preliminary acceptance report clearing the type's full-rate production and fielding with combat units. To date, the Air Force has taken delivery of as many as 10 production-standard Su-35S fighters that are due to the Training and Operational Evaluation Centre in the city of Lipetsk in the near future. A bit later, Su-35S aircraft are to be welcomed in Kubinka AFB in the Moscow Region, where they are to replace the Su-27s flown by the legendary aerobatics team, the Russian Knights. In addition, a preliminary decision has been taken on the feasibility of selling a batch of Su-35 fighters to the People's Republic of China. Talks with other potential buyers are under way.
The unique supermanoeuvrable aerobatic on a Su-35 flown by Sukhoi's test pilot Hero of Russia Sergei Bogdan is familiar to the attendees of recent MAKS air shows in Zhukovsky. Now, one can see the unique flying capabilities of the advanced Russian fighter for himself in Europe as well: the global debut of the Su-35, which has never been shown abroad, is timed to the current jubilee Le Bourget air show. A production-standard Su-35S fighter delivered to the Russian Air Force late last year shall be demonstrated at the Paris air show this time.
The contract for 48 Sukhoi Su-35S fighters to be delivered to RusAF until 2015 was signed at the MAKS 2009 air show in August 2009.
The first aircraft under the contract, the Su-35S-1, was flight-tested by Sukhoi design bureau test pilot Sergei Bogdan in Komsomolsk-on-Amur on 3 May 2011 and flew three weeks later to the Russian Defence Ministry's State Flight Test Centre (GLITs) in Akhtubinsk for the official trials. According to Sukhoi's official news release, flights under the official test programme in Akhtubinsk commenced on 15 August 2011, in fact, using the Su-35-1 and Su-35-2 prototypes (built in an export version in 2008) that were joined by the first "Russianised" version, the Su-35S-1.
The second aircraft ordered by the Defence Ministry, the Su-35S-2, took off on its maiden flight on 2 December 2011 with Sergei Bogdan at the controls and flew to Akhtubinsk in January 2012. There are as many as four Su-35S fighters based in Akhtubinsk by last spring (all of them are painted in a blue camouflage pattern and bear new RusAF insignia and side numbers 01, 02, 03 an 04).
The third production Su-35S conducted its first flight in Komsomolsk-on-Amur on 17 January 2012, while the fourth one – on 19 February 2012 with Taras Artsebarsky at the controls of both aircraft.
In February 2012, Komsomolsk-on-Amur hosted a conference on Russian defence industry development, attended by Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Rogozin, vice-premier supervising defence industry matters. While giving Vladimir Putin a tour of KnAAPO shops, UAC's president Mikhail Pogosyan told him that eight Su-35S were slated for production in 2012, according to the Interfax-AVN news agency. 2013 and 2014 each are supposed to see 12 aircraft of the type made, with the final 14 under the contract to be constructed in 2015. The deliveries of Su-35S fighters are likely to continue after 2015 as well. A new long-term contract is expected to be made, with its volume hardly to be less than that of the current contract.
However, Su-35s deliveries to RusAF line units should be preceded by the completion of the official test programme, under which hundreds of test sorties are due to test the sophisticated avionics and weapons suites.
To speed the trials up, six new production-standard fighters joined them after their acceptance report had been signed in Komsomolsk-on-Amur on 28 December 2012. The fighters feature the dark-gray paintjob under the new Russian Air Force standard. On 28 January 2013, the first three aircraft of the batch (side numbers 06, 07 and 08) were ferried to Akhtubinsk. The other three (side numbers 09, 11 and 12) left the manufacturing plant on 9 February 2013. A Su-35S of this six is displayed at the current air show in Le Bourget.
According to Sukhoi's official statements, the Su-35 fighter's features setting it radically apart from other aircraft of the Su-27 family are its drastically novel avionics suite based on a digital information management system and the cutting-edge Tikhomirov-NIIP Irbis phased array radar boasting the unique target acquisition range (400 km) and enhanced multiple-target tracking and engagement capabilities (tracking 30 aerial targets and engaging eight of them or tracking four ground targets and attacking two of them).
Tikhomirov-NIIP Director General Yuri Bely told the Takeoff that three Irbis prototypes have been undergoing flight tests for several years on board the first two Su-35 prototypes and Su-30MK2 flying testbed. The Su-35S fighters being built under the 2009 contract awarded by the Russian Defence Ministry are fitted with the full Irbis radar set series-produced by the Ryazan State Instrument-making Enterprise. Flight tests have proven all basic characteristics of the advanced phased array radar, and most of its operating modes have been tested in flight too. In particular, test sorties have proven the unique capabilities of the Irbis in terms of its ability to acquire aerial threats at a range of more than 400 km.
The avionics suite also includes an advanced infrared search-and-track (IRST) system from the Precision Instrument Systems scientific and production company, up-to-date navigation and communications systems, a sophisticated defence aids suite including incoming missile and laser illumination warning equipment in addition to the traditional radar warning receiver and electronic countermeasures systems. The cockpit management system comprises two wide-angle 15-inch multifunction colour liquid crystal displays and a wide-angle collimated head-up display.
The fighter is powered by advanced NPO Saturn 117S engines featuring a thrust enhanced to 14,500 kgf in special mode and an extended service life. The 117S was developed by the NPO Saturn scientific and production association and produced in cooperation with UMPO JSC. The engine is equipped with a thrust vector control jet nozzle. Compared to other Su-27 versions, the Su-35's internal fuel capacity has increased by over 20%, the fighter has the mid-air refuelling capability and can haul large drop tanks.
The Su-35's weapons suite is planned to comprise both in-service smart and dumb weapons and upgraded and in-development missiles in all classes, and smart bombs as well.
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