The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed that advanced, super-maneuverable Su-35S multirole fighters have begun their combat mission in Syria.More likely these warplanes will be used as cover for SU-24 bombers which make airstrikes on Daesh fighters in Syria, the mission is similar to that of Sukhoi SU-30SM jets, according to aviation expert Vladimir Karnozov, who works for the online magazine Aviation Explorer.
The new fighter is armed with a 30 mm autocannon GSh-301 with a rate of fire 1,500 rounds per minute. It can carry air-to-air missiles, anti-ship and anti-submarine air-to-surface cruise missiles, and guided bombs. The armament layout is what differs a fourth-generation fighter from that of a fifth-generation fighter, the expert says. The Su-35S falls short on two parameters, thus it is defined as a Generation 4++ fighter.
“Fifth-generation jets have a number of technological advantages over the fourth-generation jet fighters. The fifth-generation warplane, unlike the fourth-generation, can carry both sling-loaded weapons and weapons stored in internal weapon bays. Secondly, it may cruise at supersonic speeds without using engine afterburners, you can hardly do it with sling-loaded weapons,” Karnozov explains.
News & Image Sources: Internet.