How powerful is Russia’s MiG-35 fighter plane
The Mikoyan MiG-35 is a Russian multirole fighter jet. The top speed of this fighter aircraft is 2,100 kilometers per hour. The length of the MiG-35 is 17 meters and the weight is 11000 kg. This aircraft can fly at a range of 2000 km. This fighter aircraft is designed by Mikoyan, a division of United Aircraft Corporation. The MiG-35 is a 4++ generation fighter aircraft, which is an upgrade of the MiG-29M/M2 and MiG-29K/KUB fighter aircraft. According to sources in the Russian defense industry, it is an upgraded variant of the MiG-29KR. Mikoyan has named it MiG-35 just for marketing. Its first prototype was a model demonstrator of the MiG-29M2, tentatively renamed the MiG-35. However, later a second prototype was introduced with a different model and different equipment. It was considered the base variant of the MiG-35. Mikoyan first officially presented the MiG-35 internationally during the 2017 Moscow Air Show. The first two aircraft of this series entered in 2019.
MiG-35 can carry out many missions alone
The single seat variant of this fighter aircraft was named MiG-35S and the double seat variant was named MiG-35UB. The avionics and weapon systems have been significantly improved in the MiG-35 as compared to the early variants of the MiG-29. It is equipped with precise aiming capability and specially designed optical locator system. It is used to avoid enemy interceptor radars on the ground. Due to this capability, the MiG-35 can carry out multirole missions on its own. So far, many types of fighter aircraft are packaged for action in enemy territory, which include Air Superiority Fighter, Fighter Bomber, Interceptor, All Weather Fighter, Reconnaissance Fighter.
Russia had offered the old MiG-35 in exchange for Tejas
The F-35 fighter aircraft currently in serial production uses the PESA radar. However, it also has the option of AESA radar. Real production aircraft do not have thrust vectoring nozzles as previously planned. The Soviet Union introduced a different design fighter aircraft in the 1980s called the MiG-35. The design was a single-engined fighter for both air-to-air and secondary air-to-ground roles. Many reports claimed that Indian pilots had also conducted flight tests of this new fighter aircraft of the Soviet Union at that time. Probably at that time the MiG-35 was presented as an alternative to the LCA being developed in India. However, India did not agree and continued the program of making its own fighter aircraft. The result of which is in front of us today in the form of LCA Tejas.
The new MiG-35 introduced on 26 January 2017
On 26 January 2017 Mikoyan presented the new MiG-35 to the Russian government. After this, the MiG-35 was presented as a big profitable deal for its potential buyer countries. The most significant upgrades to the MiG-35 include an all-new fly-by-wire flight control system, highly advanced cockpit, upgraded avionics and integrated precision guided targeting capability for air-to-ground weapons. The MiG-35 is equipped with a Russian non-removable NPK-SPP OLS-K Electro-Optical Targeting and Surveillance System pod. It is mounted directly below the fuselage and to the right of the aircraft’s starboard. This gives the MiG-35 special operational autonomy compared to the earlier Russian aircraft.
Both the engines of MiG-35 are very powerful
The MiG-35 is powered by two FADEC RD-33MK Morskaya Osa turbofan engines. The RD-33MK is an upgraded variant of the obsolete Klimov RD-33 turbofan. The Klimov RD-33 turbofan engine was created to power the MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB. It is 7 per cent more powerful than the baseline model, as it uses modern materials in the cooled blades. This engine provides a thrust of 9000 kg force. The new engines are completely smoke-free and include systems that reduce infrared and optical visibility. This can dodge heat-detecting missiles.
MiG-35 can launch cruise missile
In January 2017, during a conference call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, UAC President Yuri Slisar reported that the MiG-35 could use a new type of laser weapon in the future. The MiG-35 is designed to be capable of launching the Kh-36 Grom-1 cruise missile. This gives it a long-range strike capability that the MiG-29 does not have. Apart from this, this fighter aircraft can launch many other heavy missiles.