Columnists at the American outlet The National Interest have compared the combat capabilities of two advanced 4++ generation fighters — Russia’s Su-35 and France’s Dassault Rafale.

They note that these aircraft are often placed in the same category, but a closer look reveals significant differences in their characteristics, design philosophy and operational roles. In the authors’ view, the French Rafale has an edge thanks to its more sophisticated suite of onboard sensors and avionics.

The Russian Su-35, by contrast, stands out for its flight performance. The fighter is described as faster, capable of operating at higher altitudes and regarded as more manoeuvrable due to its thrust-vectoring engines.

The commentators stress that the question of which jet would prevail in a direct air-to-air engagement would depend on many variables, and point out that both aircraft are capable of conducting beyond-visual-range combat.

Both fighters are described as being among the best non-stealth combat aircraft in service today, but their underlying concepts differ. Rafale is classified as a multifunctional, system-centric fighter, while the Su-35 is built around raw flight and performance characteristics. These distinctions, the authors conclude, make the outcome of a hypothetical air battle between the two especially intriguing against the backdrop of rising tensions between Russia and NATO countries.