Documents
Russia Sukhoi
Su-35S
Heavily upgraded single-seat derivative of the Su-27 Flanker family, featuring thrust-vectoring engines, an AESA-hybrid radar and extreme aerodynamic agility for within-visual-range combat. Serves as Russia's primary 4++ generation air-superiority fighter pending wider Su-57 fielding.
In service since 2014 · 3 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-01
2,500
km/h
3,600
km range
18,000
m ceiling
8,000
kg payload
1.13
T/W
💲 ≈ $65,000,000, Heavily disputed and dependent on contract structure. As a bare flyaway estimate excluding weapons and support, USD 60 to 70 million is consistent with reporting on Iran's roughly EUR 40 million per unit 2023 deal, but fully bundled export contracts including missiles, spares and training, such as China's 2015 order and Indonesia's abandoned 2018 deal, both worked out to around USD 104 million per aircraft. Russia does not publish official export pricing.
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Russian state channel
Rosoboronexport monopoly; Western sanctions exposure and payment/logistics risk for many buyers.
Channel: Rosoboronexport (state)
Fielded & proven
Limited · 3 operators
In service since 2014. Status: active · ~140 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$163M – $228M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price. How we estimate this →
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the Su-35S can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
| Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance. | 2,500 km/h |
|---|---|
| Max speed (Mach) Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters. | 2.25 Mach |
| Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence. | 3,600 km |
| Combat radius Distance an aircraft can fly, complete its mission and return without refueling. Roughly a third of ferry range. | 1,600 km |
| Service ceiling Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon. | 18,000 m |
| Rate of climb How fast the aircraft gains altitude. Higher means better energy recovery in combat. | 280 m/s |
| Thrust-to-weight Engine thrust divided by loaded weight. Above 1.0 the aircraft can accelerate going straight up. On a standalone engine record, this is the engine's own thrust divided by its dry weight, the standard figure of merit for jet engines. | 1.13 |
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
| Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type. | 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon |
|---|---|
| Hardpoints External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts. | 12 |
| Weapons payload Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie. | 8,000 kg |
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
| Countermeasures Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers. | Khibiny electronic warfare pods, chaff, flares |
|---|
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable. | 21.9 m |
|---|---|
| Wingspan Wingtip-to-wingtip span. | 15.3 m |
| Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles. | 5.9 m |
| Empty weight Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew. | 19,000 kg |
| Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor. | 34,500 kg |
| Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity. | 1 |
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
| Engine Powerplant model and type. | 2x Saturn AL-41F1S thrust-vectoring afterburning turbofans |
|---|---|
| Engines Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost. | 2 |
| Thrust Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable). | 142 kN |
| Fuel capacity Internal fuel volume. | 11,500 L |
| Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet… | Turbofan |
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
| Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art. | Irbis-E passive electronically scanned array (PESA) |
|---|---|
| Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights. | OLS-35 infrared search and track, Khibiny EW suite |
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
| Unit cost Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper. | $65,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability. | 140 |
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 3 |
Specifications compiled from public Sukhoi and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-01.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
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Su-35S vs
J-20 
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JAS 39E Gripen 
KF-21 Boramae Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the Sukhoi Su-35S? +
The Sukhoi Su-35S has a maximum speed of 2,500 km/h.
What is the range of the Sukhoi Su-35S? +
The Sukhoi Su-35S has a maximum range of 3,600 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Sukhoi Su-35S? +
The Sukhoi Su-35S can carry up to 8,000 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Sukhoi Su-35S weigh? +
The Sukhoi Su-35S has a combat weight of 34,500 kg.
How many crew does the Sukhoi Su-35S require? +
The Sukhoi Su-35S requires a crew of 1.
What is the main armament of the Sukhoi Su-35S? +
The Sukhoi Su-35S's primary weapon is the 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon.
What engine does the Sukhoi Su-35S use? +
The Sukhoi Su-35S is powered by the 2x Saturn AL-41F1S thrust-vectoring afterburning turbofans.
What is the Sukhoi Su-35S used for? +
The Sukhoi Su-35S is a fighter aircraft typically used for air superiority, multirole combat, deep strike.
How many countries operate the Sukhoi Su-35S? +
The Sukhoi Su-35S is operated by 3 countries.
How much does the Sukhoi Su-35S cost? +
The Sukhoi Su-35S has an approximate unit cost of 65,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.
Similar systems
Sukhoi
Su-30SM
Sukhoi
Su-57
Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC)
J-16
Lockheed Martin
F-35A Lightning II
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