Sukhoi Su-35

The Sukhoi Su-35 designation covers two improved derivatives of the Su-27 air superiority fighter, both single-seat, twin-engine, supermaneuverable 4.5 generation fighters from the Sukhoi Design Bureau. The first, known at the time as the Su-27M, added canards and a multifunction radar, made its maiden flight in June 1988 and was relabelled Su-35 after the Soviet collapse in the hope of export orders; fourteen were built for tests and demonstrations. The second, a deep modernisation begun in 2003 that uses thrust-vectoring engines in place of canards and technology from the PAK FA programme, first flew in February 2008. The Russian Air Force became its launch customer in 2009 with the Su-35S, and the Chinese military received its first four aircraft in December 2016.