24 Su-35 "Flanker-E" were procured for about 2 Billion USD in Nov 2015
with first batch delivered to the Chinese air force in late 2016.
Second batch arrived in China December 22, 2017.
Photo source in Chinese (
here)
China's Air Force part of joint patrol over S China Sea
http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/view/2018-02/08/content_7936954.htm
Source: China Daily
Editor: Zhang Tao
Time: 2018-02-08
The
Chinese air force recently sent its Su-35 fighter jets to take part in a
joint combat patrol over the South China Sea. [Photo/Weibo of the Air
Force]
The Chinese air force recently sent its Su-35 fighter
jets to take part in a joint combat patrol over the South China Sea,
the air force said in a release on Wednesday afternoon.
This is
the first time the People's Liberation Army Air Force has made public
the deployment of its Su-35s, built by Russia's Komsomolsk-on-Amur
Aircraft Production Association and introduced to China in late 2016.
The air force did not reveal when the patrol took place.
The
release said the multirole fighter jet's participation in combat
exercises will help strengthen the air force's long-range operational
capability.
The air force will continue pushing forward training to improve combat capabilities, it said.
Officials
from Russia's state technology corporation Rostec said in November 2015
that Russia and China signed a contract that was estimated to be worth
$2 billion for 24 Su-35s. The deal was later confirmed by Wu Qian, a
spokesman for of the Chinese Defense Ministry.
The PLA's official website, 81.cn, previously said Su-35s started to be delivered to China in December 2016.
Russian
news agency TASS said that as one of Russia's most advanced fighter
jets, the Su-35 is equipped with phased array antenna radar and thrust
vectoring engines. It has a maximum speed of 2,500 km per hour and is
able to fly 3,400 km without refueling, according to TASS. The fighter
is armed with a 30-mm gun and can carry 12 bombs or missiles, the report
said.
Range matters
Once again, PLAAF's H-6K fleet is venturing to the South China Sea to
conduct another "routine" patrol with the newly imported Su-35 as
escort. J-16's ferry range is reported to be 3,900 KM vs Su-35's 4,500
KM.
Bombers, jets hone skills over South China Sea, western Pacific
http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/view/2018-03/26/content_7983206.htm
The People's Liberation Army Air Force recently conducted combat
exercises over the western Pacific Ocean and South China Sea, according
to its spokesman, Senior Colonel Shen Jinke.
Shen said on Sunday
that a group of aircraft including H-6K bombers and Su-30 fighter jets
flew over the Miyako Strait earlier last week and then carried out
combat training over the western Pacific to verify their long-range
operational capabilities.
At the same time, another group of
H-6Ks, Su-35 fighter jets and other aircraft conducted a joint combat
patrol over the South China Sea, practicing aerial maneuvers and strike
tactics at sea, he said in a statement published by the Air Force.
The
PLA Air Force has become adept at organizing sophisticated joint
operations and is able to safeguard the country's sovereignty, national
security and interests, Shen said.
This is the second time the
PLA Air Force has sent its Su-35s－built by Russia's Komsomolsk-on-Amur
Aircraft Production Association and introduced to China in late 2016－to
take part in exercises over the South China Sea. The first was in early
February.
Photos released by the Air Force showed
air-launched cruise missiles under the wings of the H-6K bombers
participating in the exercises.
The H-6K is the PLA's most
advanced bomber and is capable of carrying supersonic cruise missiles to
make precision strikes against land targets or ships. Foreign military
observers said that the plane has a flight range of about 3,500
kilometers, while its cruise missile has a minimum range of 1,500 km,
which means the bomber is able to hit targets at least 5,000 km from its
takeoff point.
A news release published by Japan's Joint
Staff on Friday said that in addition to bombers and fighter jets the
Chinese Air Force had dispatched a Tupolev Tu-154 signal intelligence
jet and a Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft to participate in the western
Pacific training exercise.
The Air Force began performing
long-range, ocean-bound drills in March 2015 and has organized dozens of
such operations since then.
Fu Qianshao, an expert from the PLA
Air Force, said that ocean-bound exercises verify not only the Air
Force's long-distance combat capability, but also its logistics support
and electronic warfare abilities.
According to the Air Force,
China is developing a new-generation strategic bomber that will be much
stronger than the H-6K. Analysts believe the new aircraft will have a
range of at least 10,000 km, enough to perform intercontinental
missions.
