The Russian 4++ generation Su-35 fighter incorporates many of the features of a fifth-generation military aircraft and poses a severe threat to the US Air Force and the F-15EX Eagle II fighter, which is also classified as 4++ generation.
As noted by the American magazine "The National Interest", the Su-35 falls into the "Flanker-E" category according to NATO classification, but it is comparable to the American fifth-generation military aircraft F-35 Lightning II.
On paper, the Su-35 is certainly a vicious bird. It has enhanced stealth capabilities, next-generation radar systems, and advanced engines, all of which are likely to be found on a real fifth-generation platform, unlike a fourth-generation system [...] The Su-35 is also a multirole fighter. It can conduct air defense, ground attack operations, and strikes from the sea. The "Flanker-E" can engage targets at long ranges.
The Su-35 has a range of weapons that make it extremely lethal at any range. It is equipped with a 30-mm cannon and can carry air-to-air, air-to-ground, and anti-ship missiles. In total, the Su-35 can carry eight metric tons of weapons. The Su-35 is also capable of carrying a hypersonic payload. The military aircraft can reach a maximum speed of Mach 2.5 with a flight range of 3,600 kilometers (or 2,236 miles per hour).
In addition, the "Irbis-E" radar with electronic scanning allows the Su-35 to see targets at long distances. The military aircraft uses an advanced infrared search and track system that can see the thermal radiation of an aircraft at a distance of up to 50 kilometers (or 31 miles).
It is equipped with many sensor nodes that are integrated by an advanced information management system in the cockpit, providing the Su-35 pilot with "unprecedented situational awareness."
However, it is noted that some of the fighter's components, its "key components", were produced by the West, and after the sanctions packages, "the Su-35 production line came to a standstill due to the platform's dependence on Western technologies."
Because of this, Russia began to shift its production focus from the "ambiguous" Su-35 series combat aircraft to the Su-57, effectively a Russian fifth-generation military aircraft that is more powerful. The publication warns the Pentagon against using the F-15EX Eagle II against it and other fighters of this generation from Russia and China.
