The second spring of the Su-35 in the Chinese Air Force: the transformation from import dependence to the doubling of combat power

Between 2016 and 2018, the Chinese Air Force introduced 24 Su-35 heavy fighters with an investment of $20 billion, which was not an ordinary choice at the time, but a strategic decision to meet the challenges of a specific period. When the J-20 was still in the intensive test flight stage and the situation in the South China Sea was treacherous, the Su-35, equipped with a 117S vector engine and a combat radius of 1,500 kilometers, quickly filled the key gap in air defense.

Today, these fighters have been in service with the army for ten years, and their value is far from as simple as the outside world thinks. Many netizens speculate that once China considers disposing of these Su-35s, Russia, Iran and other countries are bound to rush to buy them, and there will be no price concessions. In fact, this view ignores the real trend of the international military equipment market and the actual layout of the Chinese Air Force.

From the perspective of the international market, the Su-35 has long been gone. Indonesia's former procurement agreement has fallen through, Egypt's cooperation plan has also been canceled, and even Iran, which is eager for advanced fighters, has now turned to substantive negotiations with China on the J-10C. For Russia, its own Su-35 production capacity is already tight, and it is normal to give priority to ensuring the needs of the local military, and there is no time to repurchase at a high price. Iran, as a notorious "cost saver" in the market, will not squander money for second-hand fighters.

The true vitality of the Su-35 has not withered, but has glowed with new brilliance in the upgrading and transformation. These aircraft have been in service for less than ten years, and they will be able to exert their combat value for at least 20 years in the future. By simply replacing the domestic data link system, the Su-35 can be integrated into the coordinated combat network of the Chinese Air Force; Equipped with domestic electronic pods, its relatively weak radar detection capabilities were instantly compensated. The stealth advantage of the J-20 combined with the maneuverability of the Su-35, in confrontation training, the latter is helping domestic fighters hone their tactical edge and accumulate actual combat experience as a "sparring partner".

The application of Russian-made electronic systems also cleverly protects technical secrets for core combat forces such as the J-20, and the subtlety of this design lies in hiding the sensitive synergy logic in the traditional system architecture of the Su-35. Although the J-16 suppressed the radar performance of the Su-35, it did not affect the latter's mission as a "vanguard" in the South China Sea - when the foreign aircraft tried to approach, the Su-35's response speed and vector maneuverability were still sufficient for the task of warning and expulsion.

This seemingly "headache" problem is actually a "happy trouble" brought about by the rapid progress of China's defense industry. We don't need to worry about where the Su-35s are going, because they have been properly integrated into the long-term combat power structure of the entire Air Force. From the exploration when the Su-27 was introduced, to the current situation where the Su-35 is willing to take a back seat and give full play to its residual heat, in more than ten years, China's aviation industry has completed a magnificent turn from import dependence to independent leadership.

The real role of the Su-35 is a strategic pawn in the process of upgrading the equipment of the Chinese Air Force, not an idle asset. When it carried out the expulsion mission in the South China Sea, it not only showed the persistence of an advanced fighter, but also a deep portrayal of the rise of the hard power of China's defense industry. When the J-20 and J-16 gradually became the backbone of the Air Force, the value of the Su-35 as a "transitioner" happened to be the most fully exerted at this moment, which is a sign of the maturity of the national defense system.