Chinese Su-35s Fly Patrols in the South China Sea for the First Time

OE Watch Commentary: On 7 February the Chinese PLA Air Force announced that five Su-35 fighter jets had participated in a joint combat patrol in the South China Sea. This is the first time that the jets, newly acquired from Russia and assigned to the Southern Theater Command, have participated in patrols over the South China Sea. Previously posted photos of the fighters appear to indicate they currently are based at Suixi Air Base, northwest of Zhanjiang in Guangdong province. Video released by the PLA Air Force also showed the aircraft training for low-level flying over the ocean and firing unguided rockets at ground targets.

China finalized a deal for 24 Su-35s in November 2015 after years of negotiation. The first four aircraft were delivered in December 2016. Ten more arrived in China in December 2017. China already possess the J-11B, a derivative of the less-capable Su-27, which has been deployed to Woody Island in the Parcel archipelago southeast of Hainan province. The Su-35’s larger internal fuel tanks give it advantages in range, loiter time and performance over the J-11. China has used similar flights to demonstrate sovereignty over its territorial claims. In July 2017 China flew H-6K bombers near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

In an interview with the Xinhua state news agency, a military expert and professor at the Air Force Command College, Wang Mingzhi, emphasized that the flight represented the PLA Air Forces’ increased focus on realism in training and that they increased the Air Force’s long-distance and far seas combat capability. Wang’s comments suggest that China’s objective in acquiring the Su-35 or other long-range aircraft is not purely about combat capability, but also has to do with the ability to conduct long-range patrols and show Chinese ability to project power over the entirety of the South China Sea. End OE Watch Commentary (Wood)