Russian Aerospace Forces Su-35S fighters on duty over neutral waters of the Black Sea

CrimeaPRESS reports:

Su-35S fighters of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a patrol over the neutral waters of the Black Sea. It is reported that the pilots went on round-the-clock combat duty.

Our task is to patrol the neutral waters of the Black Sea and prevent border violations. We also carry out 24-hour combat duty. When an air target is detected, we report to the control center, where a decision is made to destroy the target or take it under escort– said the Su-35S pilot.

The Su-35S is a multifunctional fighter of the 4++ generation. The first flight dates back to 1992, but serial production of the aircraft did not begin at that time due to economic problems. Only in September 2017, the Su-35S fighter was accepted into service by the Russian Aerospace Forces.

The Su-35S is designed to intercept and destroy all classes of air targets in long-range and close-range air combat, fight for air superiority, and also to destroy ground and surface troop targets. The aircraft is equipped with a GSh-30-1 30 mm cannon (ammunition — 150 rounds), has 12 suspension points for bombs and missiles.

The fighter can carry air-to-air and air-to-surface guided missiles, unguided missiles, and bombs of various calibers. The Irbis radar can detect and track up to 30 targets, providing target designation for eight of them. The radar detects large air, land, and surface objects at a range of 400 kilometers, and low-observable devices at a range of up to 90 kilometers. The maximum speed of the Su-35S is 2,500 km/h, the maximum flight range is 3,600 km, the altitude «ceiling» is 18 km, and the combat load is 8 tons.

One of the main features of the Su-35S fighter is its engines with variable thrust vectoring, which allows the aircraft to turn 360 degrees without slowing down. None of the fourth and fifth generation fighters that exist today are capable of performing such a maneuver (unofficially called «pancake»). In a number of characteristics, the Su-35S is close to fifth-generation fighters, with some of which it can easily fight on equal terms and even surpass. Most often, the virtual opponent of the Su-35S is only one model — the American F-22 «Raptor».

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