XPost: sci.military.naval, soc.history.war.misc

from https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/russias-mig-35-fighter-seems-destined-historic-failure-207347

August 2, 2024 Topic: Security Region: Europe Blog Brand: The Buzz
Tags: MiG-35RussiaMilitaryAviationRussian Air ForceDefenseMig-29

Russia's MiG-35 Fighter Seems Destined for a Historic Failure
Russia's MiG-35 fighter jet, an upgraded version of the MiG-29,
showcases Russia's aerospace capabilities, yet it has failed to gain significant traction. Introduced in 2017, the MiG-35 features advanced avionics, a new fly-by-wire system, and upgraded engines designed to
reduce its infrared and optical visibility.

by Harrison Kass Follow Harrison Kass on TwitterL

Summary and Top Points You Need to Know: Russia's MiG-35 fighter jet, an upgraded version of the MiG-29, showcases Russia's aerospace
capabilities, yet it has failed to gain significant traction. Introduced
in 2017, the MiG-35 features advanced avionics, a new fly-by-wire
system, and upgraded engines designed to reduce its infrared and optical visibility.

MiG-35

-Despite these enhancements, the MiG-35 remains a
"fourth-generation-plus" aircraft rather than a true fifth-generation
fighter. Russia's initial plans to produce 37 MiG-35s were scaled down
to just six, reflecting the country's resource constraints, further
highlighted by the ongoing war in Ukraine.

-Efforts to export the MiG-35 have also faltered, with potential buyers
like Egypt and India opting for other aircraft due to concerns about the MiG-35's performance. Currently, the jet is only in use with the Russian military, casting doubt on its future production and wider adoption.

MiG-35

Meet Russia's MiG-35 Fighter
The Russians have been bleeding credibility, becoming the world’s
pariahs, following the illegal invasion of Ukraine that began in early 2022.

With respect to diplomatic credibility, Putin’s regime has earned the
scorn of the international community, reasserting itself as one of the
West’s most relevant antagonists.

But it’s not just diplomatic credibility the Russians have been losing. Concerning military credibility, the Russians have taken a hit, too. The
truth is Russia has failed to make meaningful territorial gains against
what was considered a weak and immediate neighbor.

For years, Russian forces have been figuratively and literally stuck in
the mud, in a conflict that has descended into a pitched war of
attrition – the most savage fighting on the European continent since
World War II, featuring fixed positions and artillery use that conjures memories of World War I.

Amidst the intractable conflict, questions have been raised about
Russian forces. Russia was, of course, meant to trounce their eastern neighbors. And while Russia can righteously attribute Ukraine’s
resistance, in part, to Western arms, funding, and training, the bald
facts are that Russia has underperformed – leading many to reevaluate
the quality of Russian equipment.

Yet one realm of Russian equipment that still garners respect is Russian aircraft. For decades, Russian aerospace design has spurned the West to
keep pace, qualitatively and quantitatively, in the knowledge that
Russia would make quality aircraft.

And while the United States has undoubtedly pulled ahead of Russia
concerning fifth-generation technology and the ability to mass produce
fifth and fourth-generation technology, the Russians are still generally credited with creating respectable aircraft – one example is the Mikoyan MiG-35, which first flew in 2016. And while only 8 MiG-35s are known to
have been made, the jet’s mere existence still speaks to the
capabilities of Russian jet designers.

Meet the MiG-35
Mikoyan unveiled their new MiG-35 fighter to the Russian government on
January 26, 2017. (And the next day, Mikoyan demonstrated their new jet
to prospective export customers.)

The new fighter featured a variety of updated technology, including a
new fly-by-wire system, an upgraded cockpit, more advanced avionics, and
an integrated precision-guided targeting capability for air-to-ground
weapons. The MiG-35 was also outfitted with an NPK-SPP OLS-k
electro-optical targeting and surveillance system pod, which was mounted
to the fuselage.

In all, the MiG-35 offered upgrades over the MiG-29 and MiG-29M,
especially with regard to combat efficiency enhancement, universality,
and operational characteristics.

MiG-35

While the MiG-35 fighter is considered a fourth-generation-plus aircraft
rather than a true fifth-generation fighter, the MiG-35 does have fifth-generation information-sighting systems that can be networked with
other Russian weapons systems to form an integrated system offering
enhanced situational awareness.

With enhanced situational awareness, the MiG-35 can serve in a multirole function. The MiG-35 was also designed with upgraded avionics, meant to
help the MiG-35 serve as an air superiority fighter and perform
precision ground strikes, regardless of the weather.

The MiG-35 relies upon two FADEC RD-33MK engines. The RD-33MK is a
highly improved variant of the Klimov RD-33 turbofan engine. The new
variant has seven percent more power than the baseline model on account
of being made with modern materials that keep the blades cool. The new
engines were also designed with stealth requirements of the modern
battlefield in mind.

While the MiG-35 is not a stealth aircraft, the engine was designed to
reduce the aircraft’s infrared and optical visibility. The Russians had
hoped to create a variant of the MiG-35 with thrust vectoring engines
(similar to those featured on the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II),
but the idea was scrapped because of weight-related (and cost-related)
issues.

Can the MiG-35 Ever Get Built In Larger Numbers? It Looks Like a No...
So far, only about a half-dozen MiG-35s have been delivered to Russian
forces.

Originally, the Russian Defence Ministry had planned to order 37
MiG-35s. But the order number was reduced to 24, and then ultimately to
just six – a harbinger of what the Russo-Ukraine War has stunningly confirmed: that the Russians are light on resources.

The Russians also intended to export their MiG-35. Egypt had expressed
interest in the MiG-35. But in 2015, Egypt signed a $2 billion contract
for the purchase of 46 MiG-29M fighters instead. India, too, had
expressed interest in the MiG-35, which was a contender in the Indian
MRCA bid (which also featured the Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab Jas 39
Gripen, Dassault Rafale, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, and
Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet).

However, the Indians were not pleased with the MiG-35's performance, specifically the jet’s radar and thrust abilities. Argentina,
Bangladesh, Malaysia – all have considered the MiG-35 at one point.

Eventually, someone may pull the trigger and buy the MiG-35. But at the
moment, the plane is solely in use with the Russians who built the thing
in the first place.

About the Author: Harrison Kass
Harrison Kass is a prolific defense and national security writer. An
attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined
the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged.
Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University
of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.

All images are Creative Commons and/or Shutterstock.


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