One reason that JSF fans react to Carlo Kopp and his merry band at Air Power Australia the way liberals react to Sarah Palin is that their open-source work on Russian systems is second to none. So this updated page on the Su-35S is worth a look.
APA compares the Su-35S upgrade process to the move from the F-15C/D to the F-15E, but I would say that this 'deep modernization' goes further than that. You almost have to look back to the 1950s and the creation of the B-52G/H and the General Dynamics F-106A. With new engines, new avionics and a fundamentally different flight control system, the Su-35S shares only a proven aerodynamic and structural shape with the earlier Su designs.
You have to like that camouflage scheme, too, which is reminiscent of the 'dazzle' schemes applied to ships in 1914-18. Its monochrome because we dont see in color at long ranges; it varies in shade so that parts of the aircraft will tend to merge into the background in almost any conditions, even against the ground; and the random shapes will make it quite difficult to get an instant read on the jets attitude. This, by the way, is the second prototype, not yet equipped with the production types big wingtip ECM pods.
Also noteworthy - the newer video on the APA site continues to show the use of a long-range missile to target AWACS - and by extension other slow, vulnerable but essential aircraft like tankers or Global Hawks. It's not an in-service weapon - but neither is it that difficult to produce and it could introduce some hellishly complicated challenges into the combined campaign.
"(Via Ares.)
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