Russian Su-57 vs. Chinese J-35: Felon Pilot Comments on Which Fifth Generation Fighter Has an Edge

<p >The 2024 Zhuhai Airshow, officially known as Airshow China 2024, has become the first in history in which three entirely different classes of fifth generation fighter aircraft participate together. These include all three classes of fifth generation fighter developed outside the United States, the Russian Su-57, and the Chinese J-20 and J-35, which represent three of the world’s four fighter classes of their generation in production – the fourth being the <a href=" target="_blank">American F-35</a>. While the J-20, which increasingly <a href=" target="_blank">forms the backbone</a> of the Chinese fleet, has appeared at Zhuhai since 2016, shortly after the first serial production airframes were delivered to China’s air force, the Su-57 and <a href=" target="_blank">J-35 are new additions</a>. With the J-20 widely considered the world’s premier air superiority fighter today, and reserved for use by China’s own air force exclusively, the presence of the Su-57 and J-35, both which which are being marketed for export, has fuelled comparisons of the two aircraft which could soon go head to head on international markets. </p><p ><img src=" title="Su-57 Prototype at Zhuhai 2024"></p><p >Comparing the two aircraft, Su-57 test pilot and holder of the title Hero of Russia Sergey Bogdan elaborated on why he believed his aircraft would retain an advantage. "We never lag behind . We create our weapons against some competitors and always have a certain temporal reserve. We take into account many things. Our aircraft always boast a competitive edge. In my opinion, the Su-57 fifth-generation airplane is superior to any of the existing ones in the world. As for the newest Chinese J-35 airplane presented, at aerospace shows you can only see general aerodynamic parameters. When it comes to manoeuvrability, stability, and controllability, our competitors and rivals do not show everything. But in terms of what has been demonstrated, Russian aircraft are always a little bit ahead," he stated. </p><p >Bogdan added that the the Su-57 "has already been practically fully tested as far as air worthiness, manoeuvrability, stability and controllability are concerned. Its weapons, too, have been polished to perfection. We continue to test new types of missiles and weapons.” He further stressed that it was a worthy successor to the Su-27 Flanker, which had appeared at the first ever Zhuhai Airshow in 1996 as the <a href=" target="_blank">world’s premier air superiority fighter</a> at the time. The Su-57 “has the most magnificent characteristics of aerodynamics, stability, controllability and strength" in performing the tasks expected of a fifth generation aircraft, he claimed, adding that “its weapons – powerful, far-reaching and long range – are inside. The defensive capabilities are remarkable. It is a very worthy aircraft with vast, global prospects.”</p><p ><img src=" title="FC-31 Prototype – The Basis for the J-35`s Development"></p><p >Bogdan’s assessment notably focused on the Su-57’s particularly high levels of manoeuvrability – an area in which it was previously unrivalled among fighters of generation, but is expected to <a href=" target="_blank">soon face competition </a>from China’s J-20B with <a href=" target="_blank">new WS-15 engines</a> and thrust vectoring controls. When comparing the Su-57 to the J-35, the new Chinese fighter is generally expected to retain an advantage reflecting the Chinese tech sector’s far stronger standings in areas such as material sciences and electronics, with the J-35, much like the J-20, expected to deploy a much more sophisticated radar. The discrepancy in avionics between the Chinese and Russian aircraft is already clear, most notably due to the J-35’s integration of a distributed aperture system to improve situational awareness – a feature previously seen only on the J-20 and F-35. With the two set to compete for many of the same export clients, the J-35 and Su-57 are in many respects one another’s primary rivals on international markets, with Russia having the advantage of <a href=" target="_blank">extensively combat testing</a> its fighter, while China has the advantage of a much larger and more mature fifth generation fighter industry that has already built well over 300 fighters and has had them in service for well over twice as long. </p>