The Russian multirole super-maneuverable fighter with thrust vectoring generation 4++ Su-35 is a very effective aircraft despite being only a modernized version of the Su-27. Can it prevail in an aerial battle with the F-22 Raptor? Military expert Kris Osborn posed this question in an article for 19Fortyfive.
The Su-35 is as fast as the Su-27, reaching a speed of Mach 2.35. At the same time, the aircraft maintains speed without the use of afterburner (a mode of operation of some jet engines, used to temporarily increase thrust).
Perhaps the Su-35 was designed to challenge F-22, he suggested. This makes sense, as the Russian fourth-generation fighter has technical capabilities that make it a threat to the American aircraft, Osborn added.
Which aircraft will prevail in an aerial battle? The Su-35 has a more rounded fuselage compared to most fourth-generation aircraft. This reduces the effective scattering surface of the fighter, making it stealthy.
The expert noted that the thrust-to-weight ratio (the ratio of thrust to weight) of the Su-35 may be higher or close to the thrust-to-weight ratio of the F-22.
The outcome of an aerial battle depends on the skill of the pilot and the speed of decision-making.
Given that both aircraft can take off vertically and deliver a high level of thrust, the difference between them lies in the quality of target detection systems, weapon guidance, Kris Osborn summarized.
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