A strange breakthrough against all odds
Yes, the past year, in addition to a variety of discoveries and surprises, also brought some simply mind-blowing statistics: Rosoboronexport sold three times more Su-35 fighters than in the entire history existence of the aircraft.
This is quite interesting and a truly pleasant surprise, considering the impressive "iron curtain" the Americans have erected in the path of Russian military equipment. But as it turns out, the "iron curtain" isn't always an effective barrier to such penetrating contraptions as the Su-35.
But let's start from the beginning, which means, as always, a little history.
Back in 2008, the maiden flight of the prototype Su-35, powered by AL-41F-1S engines, took place. The aircraft was piloted by Honored Test Pilot of the Russian Federation Sergey Bogdan, now a legend in the air.
And in 2013, when the Su-35 was already firmly in flight and the first series of 48 aircraft for the Russian Aerospace Forces was being produced by Russian factories, the Su-35 was shown abroad for the first time, and not just anywhere, but at the 50th anniversary international air show in Le Bourget in France.
The aircraft caused a sensation, and for good reason: everyone expected to see some kind of modernization of the Su-27, since information had leaked to the press that Russia was working on something called the T-10.
But in fact, the Russian delegation brought a completely new aircraft.
Yes, the Su-35 was created on the basis of the Su-27M, a “pure” fighter that did not have the ability to operate against ground targets, but, as we have already said many times on our pages, the Su-35 is not a modernization of the Su-27, it is a completely new aircraft with capabilities that were simply unrealistic for that time.
The French weekly Air & Cosmos wrote following the speeches:
Russians have once again amazed the world with an astonishing aircraft whose flight seems to defy the laws of physics. Its powerful aerial maneuvers are becoming one of the hallmarks of the new Russian design school, which emphasizes true power. In the 21st century, Russia already has a highly successful aircraft—the Su-30MK. The new Russian aircraft has every chance of surpassing this success.
Let's just say there was a lot of excitement, but no financial payoff. Yes, the Chinese ordered 24 aircraft after the exhibition, and in 2015, a contract worth $2,5 billion was signed.
And that is all.
In February 2018, a contract was signed for the delivery of 11 fighter jets to Indonesia. The contract was valued at approximately $1,1 billion. However, under attack from the United States, the Indonesians succumbed and cancelled the contract in 2020.
Next came Egypt. In 2018, this country also signed a contract for 24 fighter jets worth $2 billion.
Unlike the Indonesians, the Egyptians gave the Russian aircraft a complete media blackout, spending a long time describing in the media how much worse the Su-35 is than the Rafale.
The Russian aircraft was, one might say, "lucky": the US praised its flight and combat capabilities so highly that it awarded the Su-35 a separate section of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
It's a pretty nasty law, but the gist of it is that anyone who purchased anything on the list was immediately subject to sanctions, which the US is known to be good at, and that was pretty unpleasant for those who fell under CAATSA.
In short, all potential buyers of the Su-35 were smitten with afterburners, as if they were a leper, and for more than ten years, everyone turned their noses up at this remarkable aircraft. Potential buyers simply didn't yet know how effective this aircraft was.
And now the year 2022 has arrived.
Events began in the skies of Ukraine, without exaggeration, the main hero was the Su-35, and from the very beginning, when Defense The Ukrainian Armed Forces experienced the accuracy of anti-radar strikes missilesAnd then the plane served as a fighter, an airborne early warning and control unit, and a bomber. Yes, there were losses, but the question is under what conditions and at what cost.
Those countries that feared US sanctions continued to watch, and the Egyptians even muttered something about participating in their tenders.
And so, here we are, 2025. It's very difficult to say what happened behind the scenes, but back in 2024, Algeria came on the scene and made the famous one-finger gesture toward the West, "Fuck you all," by ordering 18 aircraft. And in February 2025, the Su-35s arrived in Algeria.
I believe these were Su-35Es from the Egyptian batch, slightly different from the Su-35s currently in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces. And that's normal; sometimes it's easier to put an aircraft in storage "until better times" than to completely redesign it to Russian standards.
By the way, after the purchase, the Algerian Air Force became the strongest in the region, and not only in the region; you can look across the sea and measure your strength with anyone.
And it broke through.
Ethiopia purchased six fighter jets for its Air Force this summer. Frankly, this is overkill, as the country's Air Force—well, it sort of exists—is armed with MiG-21s, MiG-23s, Su-25s, Su-27s, and Su-27SKs.
So, everything is Soviet, and they could have easily avoided the hassle by purchasing the Su-30MK. It would have been considerably cheaper, but apparently they decided to go all-out and buy everything they could, which isn't surprising: the region is in utter chaos, caused by the constant conflicts between the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the Houthis in Yemen, and they have some very peculiar neighbors in Sudan, South Sudan, and Somalia. And everyone knows what's going on in the Central African Republic.
Here you won’t want to, but you’ll start arming yourself.
Well, right at the end of the year they arrived news From Tehran. It was a real "Arabian Nights" story, but the fairy tale actually had a happy ending, in that the Iranians contracted the first batch of 48 Su-35Es.
It's hard to say how many more they'll buy. In one of our articles on this issue, we estimated Iran's need for modern aircraft, and it came out to at least 100-120 units. So, there's plenty to discuss and negotiate.
As a result, if 24 aircraft were sold to foreign buyers between the Le Bourget exhibition and 2024, then according to statistics, by 2025, buyers ordered 72 aircraft, which is exactly three times more.
Overall, congratulations to those who sat at the negotiating table. This is truly excellent work; in these times, it's quite challenging to prove the feasibility of purchasing our aircraft and try to minimize the potential impact of sanctions.
But look, we did it.
As a result, those who are braver get at their disposal a luxurious fighter with real combat experience, and not, like some, shooting at balls and houses.
And something tells me that despite the fact that all this hype around the fifth and sixth generations of combat aircraft is gaining momentum, the Su-35 will join the ranks of long-lived aircraft in the world aviation, along with the MiG-21, Su-30, Su-25 and other masterpieces of the creation of the aviation design school of our country.
I'm referring specifically to combat service, not just sitting in hangars like some fifth-generation aircraft. I think everyone understands that perfectly.
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