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OLS-K is real. I read an interview with the engineers from Shvabe who designed it. It was finished in terms of development. It uses different optics from prior systems used in other aircraft.

Also the MiG-35 can use the Kh-38 series of ground attack weapons. In theory you should be able to adapt the R-77M AAM or the Kh-35U cruise missile into it.

I will grant you it has less hardpoints and in theory cannot carry 1500kg weapons. But the payload is roughly the same. So I wonder if this is due to wing strength or what.

gelgoog said:

OLS-K is real. I read an interview with the engineers from Shvabe who designed it. It was finished in terms of development. It uses different optics from prior systems used in other aircraft.

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Real things are those which reached production state(in russian case, this means getting letter "s" on documents), available for order and deployed with customer.

As is, 2 best things which are possible with mig platform are:
Algerian Mig-29M2 "the ersatz" - makeshift mig hmd and commercial targeting pod. No AESA, no BVRAAM. Effectively a cheap MRF. Nice, cheap, but calling it world beater is somewhat strange - rafale better in everything other than number of unlocked ASCM pylons and ARM.
Indian Mig-29UPG - with its outstanding features being off the shelf italian SP jamming suit(from original mig-35 proposal), Rampage. No AESA, no BVRAAM, but annoying striker to fight against.

I.e. Indians know current top state of this platform very well. Problem is, in A2A sense mig barely evolved since mid-late 1990s(mig-29sm), and that itself was really breakup level(radar/fcs come from mig-29m, i.e. 1992).

gelgoog said:

Also the MiG-35 can use the Kh-38 series of ground attack weapons. In theory you should be able to adapt the R-77M AAM or the Kh-35U cruise missile into it.

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KH-35U is there, it's the outstanding feature of this aircraft (Sukhoi didn't bother integrating it outside of su-34, where RU MOD paid for it).
Kh-38 are...probably there(never actually saw in field use, only Grom during tests). 180 - sure, but what's the point if available radar can't even detect(much less track) targets nowhere near its expected range?

The Kh-38 series has been used in Ukraine. It is operational.

The AESA radar exists.



Just because the customers cheapen out it does not mean it is not available.

gelgoog said:

The Kh-38 series has been used in Ukraine. It is operational.

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On mig?

gelgoog said:

The AESA radar exists.

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Can you really order it? Did all the weapon integration happen?
Rafale also flew in Indian colours with meteor and x-guard, yet here we are . Or how it turned out this year, that neither Germany nor Sweden(Taurus producers) actually integrated it into their main fighter aircraft.
While cheap customers are a thing, more often than not probably is on supplier side.

It should also be able to carry the Kh-69 cruise missile.

It can carry 4x 1150 liter underwing tanks or 1x 2150 liter center line fuel tank. The Kh-69 weighs less than the underwing fuel tanks.

gelgoog said:

It should also be able to carry the Kh-69 cruise missile.

It can carry 4x 1150 liter underwing tanks or 1x 2150 liter center line fuel tank. The Kh-69 weighs less than the underwing fuel tanks.

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"it should be able to". Doesn't mean integration happened (I. e. realistically it didn't).
Especially when producer and customers consider capability set "covered".