Walka Su-35 z Rafale. Wygrywa Rafale [KOMENTARZ]
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Fight between Su-35 and Rafale. Rafale wins [COMMENTARY].
Egypt has confirmed the opinion of Indian pilots as to the value of Russian aircraft in a clash with Western ones. This is because it turned out that during practice air battles, the Su-35 fighter lost to the French Rafale. Interestingly, the information about this air confrontation was publicized by Russian trade media - but with appropriate commentary.
The Egyptians conducted an exercise in which the French Rafale fighter faced the Russian Su-35 fighter and "won" the air battles with it. The confrontation was an even match, as it pitted two aircraft classified in the same generation against each other, which were additionally brand new - so at least in theory they should have the latest version of on-board equipment and updated software.
After all, twenty-four Su-35 aircraft were purchased by Egypt under a contract signed on March 19, 2018. The first
five fighters in the "upgraded" Su-35SE version were handed over to the Egyptian Air Force on February 25, 2021, but photos of the aircraft were published as early as July 2020. Egypt thus had time to get to know the Russian planes and train the pilots according to the instructions of Russian instructors, who were said to have benefited from combat experience gained over Syria.
Opposing the Su-35SE was the Rafale, a multi-role aircraft made by the French company Dassault Aviation. So far it is not known which version of this fighter faced the Russian Su-35SE. Indeed, under the contract signed with Egypt on February 12, 2015 for the delivery of twenty-four F3-series Rafale aircraft (equipped, among other things, with AESA-class active antenna radar), sixteen two-seat Rafale DMs and eight single-seat Rafale EMs were delivered from 2015 to 2020. What's more, a fighter built for the French Air Force could face off against a Russian fighter, as these are what the Egyptians received in 2015 in the first batch to speed up deliveries.
The outcome of the clash between the two aircraft was decided by "electronics." During the exercise, the Russian Su-35 played the role of "aggressor" and it was the one to attack the Rafale. However, the pilot of the French fighter quickly realized that he was radar-beaten, and using the on-board electronic warfare system - Thales SPECTRA (Self-Protection Equipment to Counter Threats for Rafale Aircraft) he jammed the Su-35's radar station without a problem. Thus, the Russian aircraft was unable to guide its armament, while the Rafale easily tracked the enemy with its radar and eventually "shot it down."
The Egyptian exercise was significant in that it was previously explained by the superiority of Western aircraft over Russian aircraft in combat only because Western pilots are guided by AWACS-class early warning aircraft. Egypt also has such aircraft (E-2 Hawkeye) but they were not used in this exercise to the advantage of either side. Thus, it was bluntly demonstrated that even in a one-on-one clash, the French fighter easily overwhelms the opponent, which, in addition, was "straight from the factory" and the pilot directly after training conducted by Russian instructors (and not Egyptian trained earlier in Russia).
In addition, the Russians boast all the time that the Su-35 is their most modern fighter (after the Su-57), which, like the Rafale, is equipped with a wall antenna radar (N035 "Irbis"), capable of detecting air objects with an effective reflective area of 0.01 m2 (and therefore stealth aircraft) from a distance of up to 100 km. Pilots additionally have at their disposal at shorter distances an optoelectronic observation and guidance system
As it turns out, however, radar is not equal to radar. After all, the Russians used old technology and their wall antenna is passive, and the electronically controlled radiating elements are powered by a single radar transmitter. The French RBE2-AA radar belongs to the AESA class, and this means that its antenna consists of many of the same transmitter-receiver modules, which improves reliability (the failure of one "transmitter" does not disable the entire device), but most importantly: it allows "intelligent" scanning of space - with the designation of priority detection directions and with tracking of more targets simultaneously.
Now the Russians themselves admit that the outcome of this practice air combat could affect the Su-35's export potential. Egypt is the second foreign user of these aircraft. Indeed, in 2015 Russia signed a contract to supply 24 Su-35 fighters to China. But many more countries were also interested in these fighters, and now this situation may change.
Of course, there is always the argument of price. The Egyptians paid about $2 billion (most likely without armament) for 24 Su-35 aircraft, and about €3.5 billion for the same number of Rafale aircraft, plus another €700 million for armament (including MICA(EM) RF and MICAIR "air-to-air" missiles, AASM/Hammer guided bombs, Exocet AM39 anti-ship missiles and SCALP cruise missiles). So the Rafale cost more, but turned out to be simply better.
And that's probably also why Egypt ordered another 30 such fighters, recognizing (and such an assessment was also placed in the Russian media) that this is the most "advanced" combat aircraft in the Arab country's arsenal (rather than the newer vintage Su-35). The Rafale was also bought by the Indian Air Force, and there, too, the capabilities of this design were contrasted with Russian aircraft - except that of the Su-30MKI type, used in India since 2002. The winners of these duels were mostly Rafales - especially since they came up against the older version of Sukhoi fighters. However, this does not change the fact that they (and even older Su-27s) are now massively equipped by the Russian air and space forces.
As it turns out, the Russian media very quickly found a way out of this difficult image situation. For they recall that on July 20, 2021, during the MAKS-2021 international aerospace salon, "Russia showed the whole world the new Checkmate fighter. This aircraft should make its first flight in 2023. It is planned that serial production will begin in 2026-2027."
The Russians now advertise that it is already to be a fifth-generation fighter, lighter than the US F-35 (up to 20 tons versus 30 tons), with a shortened takeoff and landing, high maneuverability and a speed of more than Mach 2. And it is this aircraft that is to be offered to countries such as the United Arab Emirates, India, Vietnam and Argentina. This does not change the fact that until the Checkmate is produced, even if the deadlines are met, it will be difficult to find buyers for the Su-35 fighter - except, of course, for the Russian armed forces.
And all because the Egyptians did not believe in the "lack of analogs in the world" and said "checkmate."