Russia has deployed a contingent of Su-35S heavyweight air superiority fighters to Qamishli
Airport in northeastern Syria, marking the first-ever major deployment of Russian fighters
to the base.
Qamishli Airport, in northeastern Syria, is a strategically important location.
The airport is very near to the positions of Turkish and U.S. forces.
As per reports, 4 fighters are part of this deployment.
Unnamed sources reportedly told the Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen TV channel that the Flankers have
already conducted “several reconnaissance flights” in the area.
The same sources apparently said the fighters would “remain at the airport indefinitely.”
In this video Defense Updates analyzes why the deployment of Su-35S in Northeastern Syria
Airbase marks a significant event?
Let's get started.
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In 2015 Syria was at the risk of being overrun by ISIS.
President Putin had sent troops into Syria in 2015 to defend Bashar al Assad -- a long-time
ally.
The mission was to defend the strategic Khmeimim military base, which has later turned into
a full-blown attack on ISIS.
Moscow has put its military might behind Syrian dictator Bashar Al Assad to prevent the collapse
of the regime.
The deployment comes as Turkey which is a NATO member has threatened to escalate its
campaign against the Syrian forces with the deployment of heavy weapons.
The Russian Air Force has frequently intervened on the side of Syrian government forces to
intercept Turkish fighters.
The Sukhoi Su-35S is single-seat, twin-engine, heavyweight, super-maneuverable aircraft,
designed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau and built by the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant.
The aircraft is being considered to be a 4++ generation fighter.
The type was originally developed by the Soviet Union from the Su-27 and was known as the
Su-27M.
It incorporated canards and a multi-function radar giving it multi-role capabilities.
The first prototype made its maiden flight in June 1988.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union Sukhoi re-designated it as the Su-35 to attract
export orders.
In 2003, Sukhoi embarked on a second modernization of the Su-27 to serve as an interim aircraft
awaiting the development of the Sukhoi PAK FA (Su-57) program.
Also known as the Su-35, this version has a redesigned cockpit and weapons-control system
and features thrust-vectoring engines in place of the canards.
The type made its first flight in February 2008.
Although it was designed for export, the Russian Air Force became the launch customer in 2009,
with the production version designated Su-35S.
The aircraft has a top speed of Mach 2.25
In January 2016, Russia made the first combat deployment of the Su-35S when it sent a fleet
of four aircraft to Syria.
Since Sukhoi Su 57 is still not operationally deployed yet, Su 35 is considered to be the
premier fighter jet in the Russian inventory.
The deployment of Su-35S in this case will be focused on Air to Air role.
As per images, the fighter is armed with short-range R-73 series air-to-air missiles and medium-range
R-77.
The R-73 is a short-range air-to-air missile developed by Vympel NPO.
The R-73 is an infrared homing (heat-seeking) missile with a sensitive, cryogenic cooled
seeker with a substantial "off-boresight" capability: the seeker can "see" targets up
to 40° off the missile's centerline.
It can be targeted by a helmet-mounted sight (HMS) allowing pilots to designate targets
by looking at them.
The minimum engagement range is about 300 meters, with a maximum aerodynamic range of
nearly 30 km or 19 mi at altitude.
The Vympel NPO R-77 missile is a Russian active radar homing beyond-visual-range air-to-air
missile.
It is the Russian counterpart to the American AIM-120 AMRAAM missile.
R-77 uses the inertial navigation system in combination with course correction updates
from the aircraft sensors for initial and midcourse guidance.
For terminal guidance, it uses the active radar homing
The R-77 has fire and forget capability.
The missile is very resistant to countermeasures making it hard to fend off.
It carries a 22.5kg multi-shaped charge rod type warhead.
Depending on the variant, the missile has a range of 110 km or 68 mi or greater.
Russia has made use of the same base in the past for frequent operations by helicopters.
But the deployment of the Su-35S is a different game altogether.
Till now Russian fighter jets have not been deployed in the northeast of the country,
instead being concentrated at Khmeimim Air Base which is on Syria’s west coast.
The development comes amid a broader expansion of the Russian air force presence in Syria
including the expansion of Khmeimim Airbase to accommodate Tu-22M long-range bombers and
MiG-31K strike aircraft, which were deployed to the nation for the first time in May and
June 2021 respectively.
Also, recent reports indicate increased activity by the Russian Aerospace Forces close to the
Turkish border.
It remains to be seen how things pan out.