Leaf on the wind: Watch Su-35 Russian fighter jet's stunning flight maneuvers at MAKS 2017 (VIDEO)

Russia Insider
Fri, 21 Jul 2017 19:45 UTC

The titillating Su-35

The Russians demonstrate that you don't need to spend a gazillion dollars to make an amazing fighter jet

This is a story of two jets-and two air shows.

The Paris Air Show was supposed to put to rest the unpatriotic criticisms of Lockheed's "5th generation" 100-gazillion-dollar baby: The majestic F-35.

It didn't.

The jet performed mediocre at best. At worst, people were basically calling it a sack of 5th generation garbage:

© Defense-Aerospace.com

American tax dollars, hard at work.

To quote from the must-read article on Defense-Aerospace.com:

This writer, which has been watching air displays since 1975, found it bland and totally unremarkable except for two things: the noise - it was extremely loud, far louder than at last June's trial flights in the Netherlands -- and the airplane's fast rate of climb, thanks to its engine's 40,000 pounds of thrust.

But none of the maneuvering demonstrated anything that's not been seen for years, whether it's the "pedal turn" or the claimed 7 g maneuvers that were totally invisible from the ground.

After having seen the displays put on by real fighter jets such as the F-15 and F-16, Gripen, Rafale and Eurofighter, not to mention the Russian Su-27 and MiG-29, the F-35's effort looked pretty lame.

And this is not a solitary opinion. The first three comments posted on Aviation Week's pre-show story tell a similar tale:

Dave59 on Jun 19, 2017
"He will start with an afterburner takeoff, almost immediately pointing his nose to the sky and letting the aircraft climb away essentially vertically. This impressive move is unique to the F-22 and the F-35, he said." -- Lockheed Martin test pilot Billie Flynn

The F-15 has been doing that in airshow displays since the eighties. Personally seen a lot of times.

TheSandbagger on Jun 19, 2017:
Never believe a snake-oil salesman or an LM PR jockey.
Come to think of it, what's the difference?

Invictus Slo on Jun 19, 2017
Mig-29 in RIAT 2015 ;).
So much about being unique.

This was back in June.

Fast-forward to the present.

The Su-35 gave a performance to remember at MAKS, the annual international air show held outside of Moscow.

Via Popular Mechanics:

© Popular Mechanics

Popular Mechanics is probably referring to this:

Of course, maneuverability isn't everything.

But the Russians just demonstrated that you don't need to spend a gazillion dollars to make an amazing fighter jet.

And the internet noticed.

Comment: The Russians also debuted their new Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA fighter. This article hints at its technological innovations:

"For now, I'd say that no physical limits exist for pilots of the PAK-FA when mastering and exploiting the aircraft," Russian Air Force Commander Viktor Bondarev said on Saturday, as quoted by TASS.

The PAK-FA (Perspective Air Complex of Frontline Aviation) T-50 is a fifth-generation fighter jet, equipped with advanced radar-evading stealth technology and "electronic pilot" function.

"Engineers are working to allow the aircraft do the most for the pilot," Viktor Bondarev added, highlighting the aircraft's characteristics, including improved engine, bombload, and flight range.

Having performed its maiden flight in 2010, the PAK-FA was built to replace the Sukhoi Su-27 in frontline tactical aviation. The Russian Air Force is expected to receive the first batch of 12 T-50s by 2019.

While the defense ministry is still looking forward to the new aircraft, visitors to the MAKS 2017 Air Show got to see the jets up in the skies, performing breathtaking aerobatic maneuvers. The two T-50s flew alongside two other super-maneuverable jets - the Sukhoi Su-34 and Su-35, awing the audience at Zhukovsky Airfield.