It is not the American F-35, but the French Rafale is the strongest rival of the Su-35 both in the export market and to confront in a potential dogfight
Although the US F-35s are formidable, access to American weapons is not always easy
American weapons always come with special provisions that not all countries can afford, so the French Rafale is an alternative to the F-35
France is willing to sell Rafale fighters to interested countries, and rarely has any political conditions attached to it
Under President Macron, France increasingly promoted to export Rafale multi-role fighter
They even offered to sell to Ukraine if required by this country
The fact that the opponents turned to the French Rafale fighter posed many challenges for Russia
The French Rafale fighters can completely threaten the export position of Russia's Su-35 fighters
Many countries have turned to the Rafale multi-role fighter as an alternative after the US refused to sell the F-35
The Rafale fighter is likely to be the strongest opponent of the Su-35 in the sky
because France and a number of potential rival countries of Russia have and will own this fighter line
To be fair, the Rafale is one of the most powerful 4++ fighters in the West
The combat capacity of the Rafale is considered to be equivalent
even better than the Su-35 in some parameters such as weapon payload and electronic equipment
Considered the elite of the French, the Dassault Rafale is a highly versatile and efficient multi-role fighter
The Rafale is equipped with an advanced avionics system
Modern glass cockpit with large LCD displays providing detailed information about the aircraft's weapon, fuel, and surroundings
One of the unique things that makes the Rafale so powerful is the integrated defensive-aids system named SPECTRA
which protects the aircraft against airborne and ground threats, developed as a joint venture between Thales and MBDA
This system helps increase situational awareness, and provide the most suitable countermeasures
helping to increase the survivability of the aircraft in combat
The Rafale is powered by two Snecma M88-4e turbofan engines, producing 50 kN of dry thrust each, and 70 kN with afterburner
The engines use a digital fuel control system that increases thrust, saves fuel and reduces the infrared signature
Analysts say that the life of the Rafale's airframe and engines is significantly higher than that of the Su-30/35
The Rafale can reach a top speed of Mach 1.8 at high altitude, and Mach 1.1 at low altitude
On the B/C version, the fighter has 14 hard points under the wing, and 13 hard points in the naval version
Total payload is up to 9.5 tons compared to 8 tons on the Su-30/35/57
Rafale often carries mixed weapons, both air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons on missions
Rafale entered service in 2000 and entered combat for the first time in Operation Odyssey Dawn