Russian Knights get Su-35S. It marks the second change of aircraft over two years

Russian Knights get Su-35S. This image shows the previous Su-30SM.

November 7, 2019 - Today Kubinka Air Base, Russia, will host a ceremony to introduce four multi-role single seater Su-35S fighters in the Russian Knights aerobatic team.

The event will provide an opportunity for the media to admire the first training flight of the crews in their new Su-35S and to install GoPro mini cameras on the plane. The crews will also share technical details and features of the new aircraft.

It marks a second change of aircraft over 2 years. In 2017 the team was already transited from Su-27 to Su-30SM. The replacement takes place mainly to support the Russian aerospace company Sukhoi in promoting its most advanced aircraft.

"To date, the Russian Knights have flown with Sukhoi-27 and Sukhoi-30 fighters. The time is ripe for our Sukhoi-35," says the company.

The Sukhoi-35S (NATO Code Name Flanker-E +) is a highly manoeuvrable 4++ generation fighter that boasts fifth generation technologies, such as a state-of-the-art avionic system, a new passive radar and vector thrust engines.

The new Russian Knights' Su-35S aircraft received the same livery as the Su-30SM. The color scheme had already been modified when the previous plane was introduced.

Written by Matteo Sanzani