Sukhoi Su-35S Flanker-E – Red 04, Russian Air Force Falcons, MAKS Airshow 2019

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA5708: Sukhoi Su-35S Flanker-E Red 04 of Russian Air Force Russian Falcons, Zhukovsky International Airport, Russia, MAKS Airshow 2019. Production run of around 500 models.

Length 12 inches Wingspan 8 inches

One of several Russian aerobatic teams is the “Falcons of Russia”. The team was formed in 2004 with flight crews chosen from personnel at the 4th Center for Combat Employment and Retraining of Personnel in Lipetsk. The true aerobatics are left to the Russian Knights and the Strizhi while the Falcons of Russia perform more tactical maneuvers. In 2019 from August 27th until September 1st the annual International air show MAKS 2019 was held Zhukovsky International Airport outside Moscow. Su-35 Flanker E Red 04/RF-95241 was one of the “Falcons of Russia” 4 Su-35s.

Designed by the Soviet Union to challenge the superiority of fourth generation US fighters such as the F-15 Eagle, the Su-27 was first flown on May 20, 1977. This one seat Mach-2 fighter had the Soviet Union’s first operational fly-by-wire system. The aircraft is very large compared to the MiG-29, its closest Soviet counterpart, but it is built with a high percentage of titanium, which helps minimize its weight. It is exceptionally agile and is perhaps most famous for its “Cobra” maneuver, which is a short, sustained level flight at a 120 degree angle of attack, often performed at air shows.