b787
Captain
The article misses a few points, the F-111 was replaced by the F-15E, Russia can replace the Su-24 also with the Su-30 series, then why buy Su-34?
The answer is the F-15E and Su-30 are not real equivalents to the F-111 and Su-24, the Su-34 has the ergonomics of a big airplane, more akin to a B-1B or B-52, it has very good agility, better than both Su-24 and FB-111
The last video has training mock combat between a Su-27 and a Su-34, the jet is good.
Why Russia buys 3 types of Flanker? it is very simply Russia has no money to build so many types, they could had built MiG-1.44 and make it an Eurofightersky, but it was too difficult and expensive to do it in the 1990s, so they built Su-35S to compete with Rafale and Eurofighter, Su-35S super cruises, has thrust vectoring and a radar that competes with the earlier radars of Eurofighters and Gripens.
Su-30SM is also a cheaper derivative than Su-35S, so they are inducting a few more it has thrust vectoring engines.
MiG-29KUB and MIG-29K are also cheaper than the Su-47 Berkut, originally this was designed as a carrier based aircraft, but developing it would had been very expensive,and like MiG-1.44 it would had competed with PAKFA for money.
Why induct Flanker and not Fulcrums? answer the Flanker has more range and carries more weapons; Russia is big thus Flanker is a more likely candidate than MiG-29 derivatives, only the carrier version is more logic is cheaper and smaller.
MiG-35 should soldier as an interim fighter until Russia develops PAKFA and later a light fifth generation, therefore Russia relies in old airframes because they are focusing in engines and their strategic forces.
Another aspect is Russias fleet is aging too fast most MiG-29s were built in the 1980s decade and so are the Su-27s for such a reason they are building new Flankers, is not only the export reason, Russia now has money to build Flanker derivatives but not new many aircraft, just PAKFA and PAKDA
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