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| An Su-35 Flanker-E of the Russian Air Force |
By: Mike Yeo
MELBOURNE, Australia — China has taken delivery of the Sukhoi Su-35 “Flanker-E” fighter jet from Russia, according to Chinese state media.
The Chinese military confirmed that it took delivery of four Su-35s in late December, the English-language China Daily newspaper reported without providing further details.
However, an Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft belonging to Russian charter company Volga-Dnepr was noted on the live flight-tracking website Flightradar24. The aircraft was flying from Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where the Su-35 is built by the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association (KnAAPO), to Cangzhou-Cangxian Airbase in China’s Hebei Province before carrying on to Suixi Airbase in Guangdong Province on December 25.
Cangzhou-Cangxian is the home of the Flight Test and Training Centre (FTTC), the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) unit responsible for developing flying procedures, combat tactics and training programs for new aircraft types. Suixi is the nearest PLAAF base to the disputed islands of the South China Sea.
It is not known if the Il-76 was accompanying the Su-35s, or operated as a separate flight carrying support equipment and spares for the newly-delivered fighters. China has also not released any official photos of its Su-35s, although grainy images purporting to be the PLAAF Su-35s have been published on Chinese social media.
Read the full story at DefenseNews