A Russian Su-35 Flanker-E aircraft tilts upward in midair at the MAKS airshow near Moscow, Russia, in August 2019. Russia’s Su-35s have led the country’s air campaign against Ukraine, and are the most likely of any Russian aircraft to encounter the new Ukrainian Gripen fighter jets after they enter service. (Shutterstock/Andrey Kryuchenko)

JAS 39 Gripen vs. Su-35 Flanker-E: A Future Russia-Ukraine Air Battle?

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Ukraine’s recent purchase of dozens of JAS 39 Gripen fighters from Sweden increases the odds for a future faceoff against Russian jets.

With Ukraine set to become a major operator of the Swedish-made JAS 39 Gripen in the near future, a matchup between the Gripen and the Russian Su-35S Flanker-E, the most high-profile jet the Russian Aerospace Forces are actively flying against Ukraine, becomes not merely plausible but likely.

It is hard to imagine two more different aircraft going head-to-head. While both planes are “fourth-generation-plus” fighter jets, they embody completely different design philosophies; whereas the Gripen emphasizes networking affordability and dispersed operations, the Su-35 prioritizes speed, size, range, and firepower—essentially raw kinetics at the expense of technical sophistication.The comparison between the two highlights quality versus mass—and software versus brute........

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