Chinese purchase of Su-35

ougoah

Brigadier
Registered Member
I still think Chinese purchase of 2 squadrons of su-35 is the price Russia exacted for helping the Chinese overcome some irksome technical hurdle the Chinese do not believe they could overcome within 5 years by themselves. I think it is engine related.

I think the Chinese has no real operational need for Su-35, particularly as an oddball force of limited numbers incompatible with the rest of the Chinese fighter fleet.

Why didn't they just pay cash up front then instead of purchasing a logistics problem? I do agree on the second part though. Russian engine tech isn't too much better nowadays. Their best stuff is built on 70s tech and they lost a lot of know how and skills to Ukraine.
 
I still think Chinese purchase of 2 squadrons of su-35 is the price Russia exacted for helping the Chinese overcome some irksome technical hurdle the Chinese do not believe they could overcome within 5 years by themselves. I think it is engine related.

I think the Chinese has no real operational need for Su-35, particularly as an oddball force of limited numbers incompatible with the rest of the Chinese fighter fleet.

The Russians can use the extra Su-35s more than the Chinese do, it doesn't make sense from the Russian side. They could have just sold China a batch of engines or whatever component.

Only more politics could justify selling the planes rather than engines. For example if the Russians wanted advertisement that even oh so modern China still has use for importing Russian arms. This would accurately reflect the Russia-China multi-polar tag team where Russia does the muscle work while China does the money work.

Just to push the speculation envelope, maybe it is even an attempt to make preparations so China has the logistics in place to support Russian Su-35 deployments to China or additional/further China purchases/assembly of Su-35 in case of emergency.
 

AndrewS

Brigadier
Registered Member
The Russians can use the extra Su-35s more than the Chinese do, it doesn't make sense from the Russian side. They could have just sold China a batch of engines or whatever component.

Only more politics could justify selling the planes rather than engines. For example if the Russians wanted advertisement that even oh so modern China still has use for importing Russian arms. This would accurately reflect the Russia-China multi-polar tag team where Russia does the muscle work while China does the money work.

Just to push the speculation envelope, maybe it is even an attempt to make preparations so China has the logistics in place to support Russian Su-35 deployments to China in case of emergency.

Russia can't afford to buy any more Su-35.

Look at the years of economic recession combined with very high levels of military spending.
 

AssassinsMace

Lieutenant General
Russia needed a buyer for the Su-35 to kick start sales. I read the stories of how the French were frantically searching for a buyer for the Rafale while its allied competitors were mocking it behind their backs. Any country that can't buy Western fighters can buy the best one available to them in the Su-35. If China buys it, any country worried about China will want to buy something to at least match it. China has a quality and technology reputation problem meaning outside China the Su-35 is seen as better than anything China has. Great selling point. My question is did China get the best export version available at the time because Russian is known for selling better export versions to other countries and is that how the Russians will sell it to potential buyers? This means China was in on this scheme because buying it in the first place only furthered the stereotypes as has been reported. China must be getting something else more important out of it.

China doesn't seem to have much success in selling its fighters. Russia and China compete in the same markets. China has the advantage in UAVs which has a potentially larger customer base crossing into markets that were exclusive to the West. It also gives countries that can't afford fighters an air strike capability. The West fears that market because they don't want them to have it. It will be mostly dominated by China. Chinese UAVs are only going to get better to the point it will compete with manned fighters and China will be ahead of the West and the Russians in selling them.

China could've just let the Russian have that part of the fighter market knowing UAVs was going to be its market where it would have the advantage.
 

AndrewS

Brigadier
Registered Member
Hmmm... Am I missing something? Why is everyone so convinced that this purchase is a one-shot deal? Why can't they be just a trial? As in, if the planes work well, China will be buying more?

For the same reason that China stopped buying Flankers from Russia, and started building its own airframes, engines and avionics.
 

latenlazy

Brigadier
Hmmm... Am I missing something? Why is everyone so convinced that this purchase is a one-shot deal? Why can't they be just a trial? As in, if the planes work well, China will be buying more?
They very well could be, but if the reports on this deal were right there was a big fuss over localization and integration of Chinese systems during the purchase negotiations. That alone suggests to me they won't be using the Su-35 as a mainstay. It doesn't make sense to buy a platform in bulk that isn't integrated into the systems they've invested so much money in.
 

taxiya

Brigadier
Registered Member
Hmmm... Am I missing something? Why is everyone so convinced that this purchase is a one-shot deal? Why can't they be just a trial? As in, if the planes work well, China will be buying more?

Weapons are different from cars or TVs. One must be able to able to produce locally without any limitations at her will, think about replacing destroyed weapon in a battle.

Buying weapon in big numbers is only a "desperation" when China can not make it, like the 200 Su-37 and 50 Su-30 deals in the 1990s.

Buying more because it is good is never an option no matter how good the weapon may be.

People arguing "one shot" believe that 1. Su-35 is not something that standing out against potential rival (F-35). 2. China is not as "desperate" as in 1990s. Both point make Su-35 deal different from the earlier deals. Therefor the small number and maybe no more.

China stopped further purchasing Flankers from Russia after the 250 pieces when China began to produce J-11 and J-16. That tells us that even if China wanted to introduce Su-35 into PLA, the buying from Russia will be very limited, one shot or two shots won't be much difference. The Russian willingness to let China produce it locally is almost zero. Then there is the more important issue of Su-35 not being a match to F-35, only slightly better than J-16, this capability is not convincing to accept the logistic troubles.
 
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b787

Captain
For the same reason that China stopped buying Flankers from Russia, and started building its own airframes, engines and avionics.
China got license to built Su-27SK, which is basically an early 1980s technology.

in the 1990s Su-27M was the most advanced Flanker, India got the Su-30MKI which was more advanced that the version China got.
Why China bought Su-35?

easy very easy, because Russia advanced too, by 2000, Russia had engines like Al-31FM2 and Al-31FM3, later Russia developed the 117S which left obsolete the engine technology of both Su-27SK and Su-30MKI behind.


In 2017 Russia already has T-30, and very likely Salyut has developed a new variant of engine of Al-31.

This is just engines.

In Radar technology, Su-35 can develop a 400km range because its engine can save the number of bateries, and generate the electricity to boost the range.


Su-35 has also RCS reductions, based upon new materials, it has new airframe architecture, what does it mean? well it allows for 2 tonnes of more fuel internally.


Why China bought Su-35?


Answer making stealth airframes does not make an aircraft stealthy, but a combination of technologies among them electronic warfare and a lot of the engine technology makes an aircraft a 5th generation.

Why? supercruise is a factor some reports say Su-57 supercruises at 1500 km/h, Su-35 was said to be able to supercruise.

Short take off and landing is also part of the engine.

Superior agility is part of the engine equation. as well lower drag and longer range.

The new aircraft can also carry more weapons.

can you compare Su-35 to Su-27SK?

Not really, specially Russia this time is charging 2 billion for only 24 pieces, even with inflation, the sum is too high do you remember the license coasted 2.5 billion well it seems Russia is charging what China did not pay ;)
 
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