A Russian Sukhoi Su-35S Flanker-E fighter jet crashed into the Sea of Okhotsk, in Russia's Far East, on Saturday morning (31). Information indicates that the pilot had to eject after the plane had engine failures.
According to information from the press service of the Eastern Military District, the fighter had taken off for a training flight in the Khabarovsk region. About four minutes after takeoff, the aircraft malfunctioned and the pilot ejected, with the fighter falling into the Sea of Okhotsk. The pilot was then rescued and taken to the hospital, where he is being evaluated by doctors.
According to the portal Izvestia, the crashed Su-35 belongs to the 23rd Fighter Aviation Regiment, a unit based at Dzemgi Airfield, in the Khabarovsk Territory. Another four fighters of the Regiment would be on duty in rotation at the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk airfield.
See more: Russia sends Su-35 fighter jets to the Far East.
The Su-35S is the most modern variant of the so-called “Flanker Family”, which began with the Sukhoi Su-27 in the 1970s. It is a 4.5 Generation fighter, equipped with a pair of Saturn AL-41F1S turbofan engines with movable nozzles (thrust vectored), making it super maneuverable. The fighter also has 12 hard points to carry various weapons such as air-to-air, air-to-ground and anti-radar missiles, guided bombs, rockets and others, in addition to carrying a 30mm GSh-1-30 cannon, with 150 rounds of ammunition. Its two main sensors are the ive electronically scanned array (PESA) radar IRBIS-E and the IRST (Infrared Search and Track) OLS-35.
The Su-35 Flanker-E is in service with Russia, China and Egypt. Indonesia, which already operates Su-27 and Su-30 fighters, has been trying to acquire the Su-35 since 2018. However, sanctions imposed by the US delay the deal.
