Russian Su-35 fighter jets may be familiar with Ukraine’s skies, but it’s unclear if they’ll face the U.S. Air Force’s F-16 jets, which Kyiv has frequently requested. In a Ukrainian Voice of America interview, retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Dan Hampton labeled the Su-35 multi-role fighter “junk” when compared to the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
Ukrainians have called for Western-made fighter jets to replace their Soviet-era aircraft, with many citing the F-16. On March 16, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that sending F-16s was “not on the table right now.” One- or two-seat F-16s are combat, multi-role aircraft. Upgrades and enhancements since 1979 have given the F-16 fifth-generation features like improved radar. All-weather aircraft cost $14.6 million to $18.8 million per unit and acquire “highly maneuverable” and “high-performance” fast jets for air-to-air and air-to-surface strikes.
It can reach 1,500 mph, has a wingspan of 33 feet, and is a little under 50 feet long. The F-16 is hard to see because it is smaller than most planes. “This is especially true when it’s coming right at you.”
It has an M-61A1 20-mm multi-barrel cannon and six air-to-air missiles.
The Sukhoi Su-35 is a multi-role fighter like the F-16. The RAND Corporation calls it “Russia’s signature heavy fighter bomber” and a twin-engine, single-seater.
The F-16 can reach Mach 2, while Russian sources indicate the Su-35 can reach Mach 2.25. The Su-35 lacks the F-16’s powerful active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and is “easy to see, easy to pick up on radar, and easy to shoot at with a long-range missile. This is “very large,” he said. The Su-35’s wingspan is about 50 feet; its length is nearly 70 feet. Hampton said that the Su-35 is a “typical Russian machine” that also has a good look. However, “in reality, it’s not a great plane.”
Although Dutch open-source media Oryx has visually confirmed the loss of two Su-35S aircraft, the true number may be greater.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on Monday that Kyiv’s troops had destroyed 305 Russian aircraft since the all-out war but did not provide a breakdown. A Ukrainian official claimed 24 Su-35s had been removed in August 2022, but this could not be verified.
The UAC said the Su-35 has some of Russia’s Su-57 Felon fifth-generation jet’s features. The Russian military may only strike Ukraine from Russian soil to avoid destroying or losing Moscow’s prized supersonic combat fighter, the British Defence Ministry declared in early January.
The UAC said the Su-35’s first flight jets was in 2008, and it can attack ground and surface targets from long ranges in all weather conditions.
The Royal United Services Institute think tank in London said in November that the Su-35S’ long-range missiles were “highly effective and lethal against Ukrainian aircraft near the frontlines throughout the war.”
The think tank said that the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) had acquired 350 sophisticated aircraft, including Su-35S fighters, in the decade before the war.
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