russia's Aerospace Forces reportedly received another batch of Su-35S fighter jets on April 22, 2026, although the number of aircraft delivered was not disclosed. Following this, the russian Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), through its unofficial bmpd blog, claimed that a total of 155 Su-35S aircraft had been delivered since 2012.
At the same time, in December 2025, bmpd authors stated that by the end of 2024, total deliveries had reached 135 Su-35S fighters. This would mean that during 2025 and the first months of 2026, russia claims to have received as many as 20 additional aircraft of this type.
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A closer look at the figures raises questions. In one December 2025 publication covering another Su-35S delivery, CAST authors claimed that during 2024 alone, the Aerospace Forces had supposedly received as many as 14 aircraft of this type, included in the total of 135. They also stated that five separate delivery batches took place during that year, with one batch consisting of three aircraft.
According to current estimates, by the end of 2025, the actual number of Su-35S fighters in operational service with the russian Aerospace Forces may have ranged between 120 and 130 aircraft. However, how many of them remain fully combat-capable remains an open question.
Any data regarding russian Su-35S fighters is important, especially because these aircraft are actively used to escort Su-34 bombers carrying guided glide bombs (KABs).
Alternative estimates provide a different picture. Polish outlet Defence24 calculated that russia may have received 24 new combat aircraft in 2024 while losing at least 23 aircraft. Their assessment also suggested that between 2022 and 2024, the russian defense industry managed to deliver only 23 Su-35S fighters in total, averaging up to eight aircraft per year.
A more pessimistic estimate comes from a February 2026 study by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) on the state of russian aviation after four years of full-scale war against Ukraine. According to that report, between 2020 and 2025, russia's Aerospace Forces received approximately 55–60 Su-35S fighters, implying an average delivery rate of around 12 aircraft per year.
Against this background, two explanations appear equally plausible. Either russia is deliberately inflating the number of delivered Su-35S fighters to exaggerate the capabilities of its defense industry, or actual production rates are indeed higher than many Western sources have estimated.
In either case, this only reinforces the need for stronger sanctions pressure from Western countries against russia's defense industry.
Ivan Kyrychevskyi, serviceman of the 413th Raid Regiment of the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine and weapons expert at Defense Express.
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