A striking video of an aerobatic maneuver by a fourth-generation Su-35S fighter armed with a full missile loadout has appeared online. The combat aircraft escorted an unidentified passenger airliner; the footage was filmed in Syria.
Despite the enormous difference in flight characteristics and thrust-to-weight ratio, the Su-35S hung in space as if glued there, precisely maintaining lateral distance and its position in formation.
Then the fighter barely noticeably rocked its wings, performed a half-roll, demonstrated its missile arsenal under the wings, and rapidly peeled away downward along a beautiful arc.
People are writing in that the pilot's nickname is the Syrian Hooligan 25.
Obviously, the Su-35S was escorting a government aircraft — ordinary airliners are not escorted like this. The armament for such an honor guard is also serious: four medium-range R-77-1 air-to-air missiles and a pair of short-range R-73 missiles.
Electronic jamming pods from the Khibiny-M electronic warfare suite can be seen on the wingtips.
Read more materials on the topic:
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- Russian Su-35S fighters turned out to be cheaper than new Leopard 2A8 tanks
- "Pressed to the ground": a military expert explained the advantage of the Su-35S over the F-16 and Mirage
