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Russia’s aspirations to dominate the skies with the MiG-35 “Fulcrum-F,” a fighter that promised to combine advanced technology with formidable firepower, have been beset by a series of setbacks.
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Once heralded as a “4+++ generation fighter,” the jet’s actual performance and international reception have fallen short of expectations, undermining Moscow’s ambitions.
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Introduced in 2017, the MiG-35 quickly became a testament to Russia’s military industrial challenges rather than its prowess.
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Despite featuring the first Russian AESA radar and being equipped with a suite of armaments, the jet has not lived up to the hype.
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According to Yuri Slyusar, President of Russia’s Aircraft-Building Corporation, “The fighter aircraft has been specially designed for warfare amid increased intensity conflicts and highly dense air defense.”
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“The available high indicators have been achieved thanks to a set of onboard equipment mounted on the plane along with a new optical location system and radar signature reduced by several times,” he said
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The MiG-35, powered by RD-33MKB engines, was supposed to be an improvement over the venerable MiG-29, but its export history tells a different story.
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Its failure to attract international buyers, with countries like India and Egypt bypassing the aircraft for alternatives, reflects the jet’s inability to compete effectively on the global market.
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Russia’s financial constraints, exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, have further hampered the MiG-35’s production and export possibilities.
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Despite Russia’s ranking as the third-largest military spender globally, its armed forces have not been able to leverage the MiG-35 in the Ukrainian conflict, where the air force has primarily utilized Soviet-era aircraft instead.
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With only a handful of MiG-35s known to have been delivered, the aircraft’s absence from Ukraine’s skies has raised questions about the quality of Russian military equipment.
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The MiG-35 was supposed to showcase updated technologies, such as a new fly-by-wire system and an electro-optical targeting and surveillance system pod, offering improved combat efficiency.
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However, the aircraft’s production has been sluggish, with a mere eight known to exist, falling far short of the 37 originally ordered by the Russian Air Force.
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Even as the MiG-35 remains grounded, Russia’s air force has to grapple with choosing between this underperforming jet and other options like the “heavyweight” Su-30SM Flankers.
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The lack of domestic deployment and international interest has pushed the MiG-35 into a niche of military hardware that is developed but not successfully implemented.
Relevant articles:
– Russia’s MiG-35 Fighter Is Destined to Become a Nightmare Failure, The National Interest
– Russia’s MiG-35 Nightmare Just Won’t Seem to End, The National Interest
– Here’s why Russia’s MiG-35 is absent from Ukraine War, Global Defense Corp