Best in breed

Alexander Mladenov assesses the Su-35, the ultimate single -seat, multi -role Flanker derivative, which boasts thrustvectoring engines and much refined aerodynamics combined with an all-new Russian-only mission avionics suite and an expanded weapons ar ray. Su-35 FLANKER The first Su-35 prototype, ‘901’, originally developed as an export fighter, took to the air for the first time on February 19, 2008 with Sukhoi’s chief test pilot Sergey Bogdan at the controls.Sukhoi The second prototype, ‘902’, in a light air-to-air configuration featuring