The wreckage of a Russian Su-35S heavy fighter jet that crashed in Ukraine was widely photographed on April 3. Russia has so far refused to confirm any of this information.
The Su-35 is Russia’s most expensive fighter jet to equip at the squadron level, and it is responsible for both air-to-air and anti-aircraft suppression missions over Ukraine. According to Russian claims, Su-35s shot down at least five Ukrainian jets, four of which were Su-27 air superiority fighters, the Ukrainian Air Force’s best aircrafts. The Su-35 is also regarded as a highly survivable fighter, thanks to its three radars, two of which are the AESA radar, which is ideal for electronic warfare, and the Khibny-M electronic warfare suite, which, when combined with the aircraft’s high flight performance, makes it difficult to destroy.
The Ukrainian military, on the other hand, claims to have shot down a large number of Russian warplanes during Russia’s military operation, which has lasted over a month. The most notable claim made by the Ukrainian side was that an ageing MiG-29A of the Ukrainian Air Force shot down six Russian warplanes, including a Su-35, within a few days during the first week of the war. Officially confirmed by Ukrainian government sources, but widely regarded as fake news internationally.
Ukraine’s air force was one of the largest in Eastern Europe following the fall of the Soviet Union, and experts consider its fighters to be among the best on the continent. However, the Ukrainian military has not modernised its air defence and air defence arsenal after more than 30 years of independence, rendering many weapons obsolete.
Ukraine relies heavily on hand-held ground-based air defence systems like the Soviet Igla and the American-supplied stinger , which are suspected of downing a Su-34 in early March. Despite their modernity, the Su-35s are still vulnerable to infrared-guided missiles, which are designed to avoid the main threats posed by radar-guided weapons.
As a result, Russian fighters are still vulnerable to MANPAD missile attacks, with the most notable loss previously confirmed to be a Su-34 shot down on March 5. As a result, the Russian Su-35 could still have been shot down. However, Russian forces will attempt to protect or destroy the remains of the downed Su-35 airframe in order to prevent it from falling into Ukrainian hands, as they fear that parts of the plane will be shipped to NATO member countries.
The Russian Air Force’s Su-35 is its most modern fighter. The fact that Ukraine has released images of Russia shooting down the Su-35 will generate a lot of discussion and debate. There’s also no way of knowing if the information is accurate or not.
