Azerbaijan recently signed a massive contract with Pakistan for the $1.6 billion Thunder series of fighter jets, which is said to greatly enhance Azerbaijan's air power.
You must know that if you can get a large number of orders from Azerbaijan, the "Thunder" fighter is almost equivalent to defeating the MiG-35. One aircraft defeated two planes and was better than one in flight time and other aspects, which caused widespread coverage in the foreign media.
At a sales event between Azerbaijan and Pakistan, the Bulgarian military network wrote that the exciting news is that a new Thunder-3 JF-17 will completely replace Azerbaijan's existing MG-29 fighters. **The author said that the JF-17 is not just a conventional fighter, its biggest highlight is that it is much stronger than the MiG-29 and Su-25 in air combat and strike, coupled with its advanced electronic equipment and precise guidance devices, it can even compete with the S-300 anti-aircraft missile.
The report said that this is a very "heavy" agreement, which includes not only new fighter jets from Pakistan, but also arms and aircraft pilot training. Since this agreement is the largest arms export deal in the history of Pakistan's military-industrial complex, it has become the largest in the history of the Pakistani military.
Azerbaijan is in the process of purchasing Thunder fighters to replace the existing MiG-29 and still has 17 and 12 Su-25 attack aircraft, which have become the main air force in the region. In particular, this article mentions that Azerbaijan originally wanted to introduce MG-29M or MG-35 as the main ** of the next generation, but when compared, it will feel that the "Thunder" 3 is more outstanding.
Bulgaria's ** also specially reported a very strange thing, MiG-29, MiG-35 and "Thunder", all use RD-33 engines, MiG is two engines, and "Thunder" is a single engine, which lasts much longer than the MiG-29, and the MiG-35 is much better. Combining advanced equipment with electronic equipment, the many advantages of the "Thunder" fighter will play a major role in Azerbaijan's purchase decision.
So, how big is the difference between the "Thunder" fighter and the MiG-35? Let's first talk about the battery life problem that has been criticized by foreign countries.
As a third-generation aircraft exported by the Soviet Union, the MiG-29 has the biggest disadvantage of "short legs". As a twin-engine fighter, with built-in fuel alone, the maximum flight range of the MiG-29 is only 1430 kilometers, which is a "first-line fighter" in the true sense. Even with the addition of the external auxiliary fuel tank, its maximum flight range is only more than 2,100 meters, which is even shorter than the 2,800 km of the MiG-23.
The upgraded version of the MiG-29, the MiG-35, also aims to increase the fuel volume and extend its endurance, and adds three auxiliary fuel tanks to make its maximum flight range reach 3100 km, but compared with the "Thunder Dragon", it seems a little insignificant. The "Thunder" is a stand-alone model, using the same RD-33 engine as the MiG-29 and MiG-35, and the mounted auxiliary fuel tank can provide a maximum flight range of 3482 kilometers, which has a great advantage for both the MiG and the 35.
In principle, a twin-engine aircraft has a longer range than a single-engine aircraft with the same engine conditions. From this point of view, the performance of the MiG-29 and MiG-35 is really miserable. With its endurance, the "Thunder" fighter can be deployed on the battlefield, selected, stay time, battlefield coverage and other dimensions have been greatly improved, and its combat capability is also more powerful.
Although the Mikey-29 and Mikey-35 have an absolute upper hand in thrust-to-weight ratio, maximum speed and climb rate, the "Thunder" has a more advanced phased array radar and air-to-air missiles, and its radar capabilities are also stronger, which can completely make up for the above disadvantages of the other side.
For example, in terms of radar, the MJ35 is equipped with the "Zuk-AE" active phased array radar, which has a maximum range of up to 130 km, compared to 170 km for the "Thunder" 3. The MiG-35 fighter's "telegraph control system," "helmet sight," "multifunctional combat function," and other functions are already available on the "Thunder" fighter. Moreover, the "Thunder" fighter is also equipped with more precision guidance devices, and Russia is obviously lacking in this point. In addition, the Thunder-3 equipped with a combined pylon, which can be loaded with eight units at a time, is not inferior to the MG-35 with two engines.
On the whole, the "Thunder" fighter is slightly inferior to the MiG-35 in battlefield perception, ultra-long-distance air combat, and multifunctional combat capabilities, but it is stronger than the MiG-35 in battlefield perception, ultra-long-distance air combat capabilities, and multifunctional combat capabilities. The most important point is that because the "Thunder" fighter is a single aircraft, the daily maintenance cost is twice as much as that of an ordinary twin-engine aircraft, which is also a major factor in its doom.
The newly imported "Thunder Dragon" 3 fighter from Azerbaijan is not only stronger than the MiG-29 in air combat effectiveness, but also stronger than the Su-25 in ground strike, and after the replacement is completed, its logistics support system has also been greatly simplified, and the maintenance cost has also been greatly reduced. Anyway, this is a good thing for Azerbaijan.