An air regiment of the Russian Western Military District stationed in the Karelia in northwest Russia has completed its rearmament with the generation 4++ Su-35S fighter jets under the defense procurement plan. The new Su-35 fighter jets will replace the air regiment’s outdated aircraft pool. Military pilots and technicians accepted the new aircraft on the premises of the manufacturing plant in the Khabarovsk Region in the Russian Far East. The pilots underwent re-training in Lipetsk where they used special simulators to learn to perform aerobatic maneuvers at full speeds and loads.
The western military district’s first batch of Su-35S jets, which it received in the fall of 2019. Russia’s Aerospace Forces field more than 60 Su-35S multipurpose fighters.The crews of the latest Su-35S fighter jets, after taking off from the home airfield, worked out techniques for conducting air combat, intercepting and defeating manned and unmanned vehicles, as well as avoiding the attack of mock enemy fighters. In addition, during the tasks, the pilots worked out interaction with anti-aircraft missile and radio engineering units of the Leningrad air defence and air force, piloting along a given route and avoiding mock enemy weapons, as well as air navigation issues.
The Sukhoi Su-35 (NATO reporting name: Flanker-E) is the designation for two improved derivatives of the Su-27 air-defence fighter. They are single-seat, twin-engine, supermaneuverable aircraft, designed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau and built by the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant. 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.
Although it was designed for export, the Russian Air Force became the launch customer in 2009, with the production version designated Su-35S. The letter “S” (Stroyevoy or Combatant) traditionally signifies a version of the Su-35 jet designated for the Russian Defense Ministry. The first Su-35S took its maiden flight in May 2011, and would be delivered to Akhtubinsk to start state joint tests with the Defence Ministry to prepare the aircraft for service. Because production of the Su-35S occurred alongside trials, some early-production aircraft were later modified as a result of such tests. In December 2018, United Aircraft Corporation has reported 100th serial Su-35S was produced at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant.
