EYE ON THE EAST
AIR WARFARE BRIEFINGS FROM THE ASIA-PACIFIC
IN EARLY FEBRUARY 2018, a surprising Off cial announcement marked not only a dramatic shift in the balance of power in the South China Sea but also a rare Off cial confirmation of activities by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). The Chinese air arm went on record to say it had deployed several of its new Su-35 ‘Flankers’ for a joint combat patrol mission in this tense region.
Combat Aircraft has already reported on China’s new Su-35s that originated from a long-negotiated contract that was finally signed on November 19, 2015, with a second following in January 2017.
Talk of a Su-35 sale to China was met with near disbelief in many reports, and to this day little is actually known other than that the first batch of aircraft was delivered a few days after Christmas 2016 and that two more sets of deliveries followed in July and December 2017, accounting for around 14 aircraft, with a further 10 expected to arrive this year.
Until the recent exercise, it appeared that the PLAAF was keen to keep a lid on details of its newest fighters. There was an overall air of mystery around the entire deal. However, there was Chinese confirmation th…
