Rafale vs SU-35
Dassault Rafale vs Sukhoi SU-35 Comparison
Comments of readers (Feel free to leave a reply on bottom.)
1. Maneuverability of su 35 is better than rafale’s. An su-30mki can beat rafale any day let alone the su 35 .it has better bvr capability than the rafale. Simply fail to agree with the analysis about maneuverability..
2. Su35 has tvc engine so it’s much better than rafale in a dogfight .
3. Nothing special about Rafale..It is a very costly plane with no phenomenal capabilities.Why buy a plane that is so costly but the performance are the same like other fighter
4. I vote for SU-35 for 3 reasons: cheeper, faster, better destruction payload… the balance is pretty equal and technology is similar…
5. I watched Eurofighter on Airshow which is considered to be better maneuverable plane than Su-35 but even it has been great display by Italian pilots it still couldn’t compare to what Russian pilots are doing with Su-35 fighter. This comparison doesn’t look objective too me. Russian planes are obviously too underestimated, especially in the area where they always excelled – maneuverability.
6. Glad to see Rafale is better, Su-35 have better maneuverability for WW2 standards, it is not important to make “cobra move” or rotate in slow flight, it is important to have ability to rapidly change direction of flight in high speed when BVR missile flight to you, here is Rafale is lot better due the smaller dimensions and simplicity…
7. Without the purchase of these incredible Rafale Jet…Canada will put itself in a position of no return when considering protecting totally our sovereignty (and Freedom)…especially in the Artic. It’s a NO BRAINER for our actual Gover’t to choose the Best Fighter money can buy…Rafale 4 + Gen (50 Single seat…30 double seats for Artic Patrols) and have Canadian Firms assembled them here in Canada…with Dassault software and tech transfer to us in order to built them to our spec…to Canadianize them. The double priced F-35 built ONLY in Texas with very limited contract to be awarded to us in Canada. Election to come will decide who!? 20 latest Rafale 4+ Gen will defeat on average 30 mig 27 or 25 SU-35…that is a Fact!
12. Rafale is the only plane that can sustain 11g force.
13. Think the SU35 is better, to me Russia selling the SU35 is screwing India big time…..at the present time the PAK FA remains a pig in a poke. “A Dead Enemy Is A Peaceful Enemy – Blessed Be The Peacemakers”
14. The rafale isn’t that bad. Both have a ASEA and western countries are generally better on bvr (mig 27 of former Est Germany where compered with F-15 and Mirage 2000 = mig better in maneuverability but less capable in bvr). Plus the MiG-35 in very big compard to the Rafale and a smaller aircraft is always the most agile expect may be for vector. To me there both excellent right after the F-22. The Russians are making the T-50, the French are preparing an active stealth….
15. When looking altogether, the Rafale is slightly better fighter plane than Su-35. Sukhoi is better armed, has better avionics, and technology is at about a similar level, but the advantage of the Rafale is the main weapon for BVR combat – MBDA Meteor, an active radar guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) with range in excess of 100 km … Rafale is more economical aircraft, and one hour of flight is less expensive, but Sukhoi Su-35 is a lot cheaper (in the year 2016 the price of a Su-35 is 70 to 75 million, and price of the Rafale is $ 130 million ). Russian jet fighter have better thrust / weight ratio but that is not important adventage for BVR fight …
Rafale vs SU-35 Flight Cost Per Hour
Overall and BVR ratings
| CATEGORY | DASSAULT RAFALE | SUKHOI SU-35 |
| BVR Rating | 90% | 87% |
| Armament | 8.6/10 | 8.4/10 |
| Technology | 8.5/10 | 8.2/10 |
| Avionics | 8.4/10 | 8.3/10 |
| Maneuverability | 9.3/10 | 9.9/10 (3D Thrust) |
| Rate of Climb | max. 300 m/s – 60k ft/min | max. 280 m/s – 55k ft/min |
| Thrust/Weight | 1.13 | 1.21 |
| Service Ceiling | 17 km – 55k ft | 18 km – 59k ft |
| Speed | 2.00 Mach | 2.25 Mach |
| Fuel Economy | 0.70 km/l – 1.65 NM/gallon | 0.20 km/l – 0.46 NM/gallon |
| Unit Cost | 130.000.000 USD | 75.000.000 USD |
| Overall Rating | excellent | excellent |
BVR (Beyond Visual Range) Ratings
| CATEGORY | DASSAULT RAFALE | SUKHOI SU-35 |
| BVR AAM missile | MBDA Meteor | AA-12 Adder (R77 Vympel) |
| AAM origin | NATO | Russia |
| Year | in 2013 | in 1998 |
| Range (mile) | 62 | 99 |
| Range (km) | 100 | 160 |
| Speed (mph) | 2640 | 2970 |
| Speed (km/h) | 4248 | 4779 |
| Radar | Thales RBE2-AA | IRBIS-E |
| Radar overall rating | excellent | excellent |
| BVR Technology | 85% | 87% |
| BVR Def. Tech. | 85% | 85% |
| RCS – Radar Cross Section | 0.5-2.0 | 1.0-3.5 |
Dogfight (close to medium range) Ratings
| CATEGORY | DASSAULT RAFALE | SUKHOI SU-35 |
| Cannon | GIAT 30M/719B | GSh-30-1 |
| Caliber (mm) | 30 mm | 30 mm |
| Rate of Fire (rpm) | 2500 rpm | 1800 rpm |
| Muzzle Velocity | 1025 m/s | 860 m/s |
| Size Point 10%-30% | 20% | 10% |
| Maneuverability | 9.3 | 9,9 |
| Thrust/Weight Ratio | 1,13 | 1,21 |
| AAM (first) | MBDA MICA | AA-11 Archer |
| Operational range | 0.2 – 50 km | 0.3 – 40 km |
| AAM (second) | R.550 MAGIC II | AA-8 Aphid |
| Operational range | 0.3 – 15 km | 0.1 – 8 km |
| Dogfight Rating | 76% | 95% |
Size Comparison
| CATEGORY | DASSAULT RAFALE | SUKHOI SU-35 |
| Length | 15.27 m – 50 ft 1 in | 21.9 m (72.9 ft) |
| Wingspan | 10.80 m – 35 ft 4 in | 15.3 m (50.2 ft) |
| Wing area | 45.7 m² – 492 ft² | 62 m² (667 sq ft) |
| Height | 5.30 m – 17 ft 3 in | 5.90 m (19.4 ft) |
| Weight | 10,100 kg – 22,6k lb | 18,400 kg (40,570 lb) |
| Power | 2 x 75 kN – 17k lbf | 2 x 142 kN – 31,4k lbf |