Russia’s New Air Force Is A Mystery -- Thomas Newdick, War Is Boring
Why is Moscow buying three very similar jet fighters?
The Russian air force has just introduced three new jet fighters. Not the much-publicized Sukhoi T-50 stealth fighter—which isn’t ready yet—but three slightly different versions of the classic Su-27, all originating from the same Sukhoi design bureau but built by two separate manufacturers.
Yes, that’s a bit odd—and potentially wasteful. The U.S. Air Force, for one, is buying just a single new fighter type, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The American air arm wants as many as 1,763 copies of the F-35A to replace most of its existing fighters and, in theory, maximize efficiency.
By contrast, Russia is acquiring just a few dozen each of the Su-30M2, Su-30SM and Su-35S—each a different upgrade of the 1970s-vintage Sukhoi Su-27, known to NATO as the “Flanker.” Moscow hasn’t officially explained its jet fighter strategy, but it appears the purchases are meant to keep two factories in business amid a slump in warplane exports.
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My Comment: I am not an aviation expert .... but from where I am standing it appears that (unlike the US Air-Force putting all of it's eggs in the F-35) the Russians are banking on different versions of aircraft .... as well as keeping their industrial manufacturing base for military jets operating.
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