Killer in the Sky: Russia’s Deadly Su-35 FighterThe Sukhoi Su-35S Flanker-E is the most potent fighter currently in operation with the Russian Air Force. The powerful twin-engine fighter, which is an advanced derivative of the original Soviet-era Su-27, is high flying, fast and carries an enormous payload. That, combined with its advanced suite of avionics, makes the Su-35 an extremely dangerous foe to any U.S. fighter, with the exception of the stealthy Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. That is one of the reasons the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force is keen to acquire the new jet.....

It is quite understandable that the CPLA Air Force is keen to acquire the new jet. Russia sells a few systems to China and counts on follow-on orders for more systems (which is the business practice of other nations). Instead of this, China reverse engineers them, and then cheap Chinese copies begin competing with Russia in sales at the combat systems markets, thereby making Russia lose profits twice.