F-15EX Eagle II vs Su-35 Flanker-E

Boeing engineered the F-15EX Eagle II to serve as a high-capacity missile truck operating behind a screen of fifth-generation stealth fighters. Sukhoi designed the Su-35 Flanker-E to dominate the within-visual-range arena, maximizing kinematic performance and thrust-vectoring maneuverability.

Development and Design

Sukhoi developed the Su-35 as a stopgap pending the Su-57's maturation, prioritizing aerodynamic refinements and AL-41F1S thrust-vectoring engines. It retains a federated avionics architecture and the Irbis-E passive electronically scanned array (PESA) radar—a technological generation behind Western standards. Boeing took the opposite approach. Evolving from the export-driven Saudi F-15SA and Qatari F-15QA, the F-15EX airframe is rebuilt for a 20,000-hour service life, double that of the legacy F-15C. Boeing replaced proprietary federated systems with the Advanced Display Core Processor II (ADCP II) to drive an open mission systems architecture. Integrating the AN/APG-82(V)1 AESA radar and AN/ALQ-250 EPAWSS transforms the Eagle into a high-capacity sensor and electronic warfare node.

Specifications and Performances

Physical parameters dictate contrasting loadouts. The F-15EX utilizes a digital fly-by-wire system that unlocks wing stations 1 and 9, allowing it to carry up to 12 AIM-120 AMRAAMs and a maximum payload of 29,500 lb. The Su-35 maxes out at an 8,000 kg (17,637 lb) payload across 12 hardpoints. Kinematically, the Su-35 has an edge in the merge due to 3D thrust vectoring and a lighter 34,000 kg MTOW pushed by 27,400 kgf combined engine thrust. The F-15EX (36,741 kg MTOW) offsets this with a Mach 2.5 dash speed (3,062 km/h) driven by F110-GE-129 turbofans, prioritizing energy-state beyond-visual-range (BVR) missile launches over low-speed maneuverability.

Deployment and Usage

Russian forces deployed the Su-35 in Syria for uncontested patrols and subsequently in Ukraine, where combat feedback has exposed system limitations. Ukrainian ground-based air defenses and Western electronic warfare have forced Su-35s into low-altitude, high-risk flight profiles, resulting in verified airframe losses. Its export market subsequently collapsed; Indonesia and Egypt canceled orders citing the threat of U.S. CAATSA sanctions and reservations over the Irbis-E's vulnerability to jamming, leaving China (24 units) as the only major buyer. The F-15EX achieved initial operational capability in July 2024. USAF procurement was recently scaled back from 144 to 129 units due to budget constraints, but Israel ordered 25 F-15IA variants in 2025 specifically to carry outsize bunker-busting munitions against hardened targets.

Conclusion

The F-15EX has the absolute edge in BVR engagements and strike missions within networked force structures. Its AESA radar, EPAWSS suite, and 29,500 lb payload capacity allow it to launch massed standoff weapons or AMRAAMs using targeting data datalinked from forward-deployed F-35s. The Su-35 holds an advantage only in an isolated, within-visual-range dogfight where its thrust-vectoring engines can force a first-shot opportunity. Modern air combat severely penalizes the Su-35's reliance on PESA radar and outdated electronic warfare systems. The F-15EX's sensor fusion and EW capabilities make it a viable asset for contested airspace, while the Su-35 struggles to survive in dense air defense environments.