Sukhoi Su-35S Flanker-E – Red 59, Russian Air Force, Lattakia, Syria, 2018

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA5709: Sukhoi Su-35S Flanker-E serial Red 59, Russian Air Force, Lattakia, Syria, 2018. Production run of 700 pieces.

Length 12 inches Wingspan 8 inches

In 2015 Russia sent armaments as well as Sukhoi Su-25, Su-24M bombers, Su-34 and Su-30SM aircraft to Syria to prop up the Syrian Government against Syrian opposition militant groups trying to depose the President. In 2018 Russia sent their new Su-35s to increase their firepower and support the other aircraft on their missions. Russia saw this as a way to test the Su-35 in real conflict conditions as well as an opportunity to show the world these aircraft and hopefully to obtain purchase orders from other countries.

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 single 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” manoeuvre, which is a short, sustained level flight at a 120 degree angle of attack, often performed at air shows.