The plot was predictable.
Turkey buys
Russian anti-aircraft missiles. The
United States kicks Turkey out of the F-35 program. Then
Russia offers Turkey Su-35 fighters.“If our
Turkish colleagues express an interest, we are ready to discuss the deliveries of the Su-35," announced Sergei Chemezov, head of Russia’s state-owned Rostec arms firm, according to Russian news agency TASS.Russia’s Sputnik News quoted an unnamed Turkish source as saying that Turkish president
Recep Tayyip Erdogan would consider Russia’s offer. “It is still premature to talk about Turkey’s purchase of Russian Su-35 fighters,” the source said. “Our president will assess this important topic. He will also make a statement.”The F-35 is a fifth-generation aircraft, like the F-22 and Russia’s Su-57. The Su-35—based on the Cold War Su-27 Flanker—is considered a 4.5-generation fighter like the U.S. F/A-18 Super Hornet, the Eurofighter Typhoon, and France’s Rafale. A formidable dogfighter propelled by two thrust-vectoring engines that can be pointed in different directions for extra maneuverability, the Su-35 is more agile than an F-35, but lacks the Lightning II’s stealth, sensors and data networking capabilities.First deployed by the Russian Air Force in 2015, 105 Su-35s have been built, including eighty-one for Russia and twenty-four exported to
China (Indonesia wants to buy another eleven). A Turkish sale would not just be a welcome boon for Russia’s sluggish
economy, but a diplomatic triumph for
Moscow if Turkey—NATO’s southern anchor—buys Russian jets.