Russian Su-35 Could Steal Paris Fighter Limelight - by Bill Sweetman

Russian Sukhoi Su-35S

Combat aircraft are the traditional Paris air show scene-stealers. But it has been a long time since there was an undisputed vedette to hog the limelight—a gap that the Sukhoi Su-35S fighter could fill this year as it makes its debut outside Russia.

Even two years ago, at the MAKS show in Moscow, the Su-35S—combining the proven aerodynamics of the T-10 family with a new integrated flight and propulsion control system including 3-D thrust-vectoring—showed some moves that no other aircraft has emulated in public, including a seamless transition from a dynamic deceleration (“Cobra” maneuver) into a low-airspeed turn, and flat spins—inverted and upright—under full control.

Any such demonstrations will be followed by a chorus of the usual suspects noting that “air show maneuvers” don't equate to air combat capability. However, flight demonstrations are not aerobatic tricks. Unpredictable flight paths challenge the guidance algorithms of any missile system and rapid nose-pointing can permit a short-range missile launch with a greater kill probability.

As for other fighters, naturally the Rafale will be on static display and flying, and while Dassault is not disclosing any specific plans, it will be surprising if some of Thales's work on an active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for the fighter is not on display.

An Italian air force Eurofighter Typhoon is due to be on display, and may be flying. Consortium leaders regard last year's Farnborough air show as a milestone, with a visit by U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron marking a renewed commitment to the fighter's future. There may be some more news about the Typhoon's new AESA radar: Eurofighter provided the sponsor governments with a full-scale development proposal for AESA in November, and revised it in January, at customer request, to improve its air-to-surface and electronic attack capability.

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