Despite its stealth characteristics, the Russian-made Su-35 fighter is reported to be able to take on the US F-35 Lightning II.
After spotting the Russian Su-35, the US F-35 stealth aircraft will reverse course. After speaking with NATO Colonel Konstantinos Zikidis, Indian military analyst Tanmai Kadam writes in his piece.
A while back, media reports concerning Iran’s potential interest in the Russian Su-35 Flanker-E fighter generated a stir.
Most believe Tehran will employ this aircraft to defend its strategic nuclear sites from the possibility of airstrikes by Israel or the West.
The encounter between a Western-made stealth jet and a Russian Su-35 might occur in a very unusual circumstance, according to analyst Tanmay Kadam. This remark appeared in an article in the EurAsian Times.
“The main question is whether these Su-35s can defend Israel’s F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighter against Iran’s nuclear installations,”
According to a journalist for the EurAsian Times, the Israeli Air Force has increased the range of F-35 stealth jets it bought from the US, meaning that when flying to Iran, these fighters won’t need to refuel in the air. Furthermore, if told to attack Iranian targets, this would substantially simplify their objective.
In light of this, heated debates have erupted over whether the Russian Su-35 4+ generation fighter can compete with the fifth-generation F-35 manufactured in the US.
Colonel Konstantinos Zikidis of the NATO and Greek Air Force offered his thoughts on the subject. He thinks the Su-35 can locate stealth fighters at a distance of roughly 50 kilometres. American aircraft, on the other hand, have an enemy identification range that exceeds 100 kilometres.
As a result, the F-35 pilot will have plenty of time to decide how to engage the enemy, but it’s important to keep in mind that the Su-35 has exceptional mobility and is outfitted with a variety of defences to cope with different situations.
“In this scenario, if the Su-35 detects a missile and avoids it, the F-35 will tell its general location. The Flanker-E will then have sufficient information to launch the missile toward the F-35, according to the military expert.
Colonel Zikidis pointed out that the F-35 would probably prefer to avoid a fight with a powerful opponent like the Su-35 if such a conflict actually occurred.
American fighters are built for covert operations, thus they might not have a clear edge over a highly mobile foe.
The NATO colonel asserted that if the F-35 is on a covert mission and spots the Su-35, it will probably return to base.
