Identifying Russia's most formidable aerial killer.

The Su-27 multi-role fighter jet is capable of operating in all weather conditions, and its variants remain among the best fourth-generation fighter jets currently serving in the armed forces of Russia, China, and India, according to National Interest military expert Sebastian Roblin.

"The large, twin-engine fighter jet manufactured by Russia is comparable to the American F-15 Eagle, boasting a long range, high speed, heavy armament capability, advanced electronics, and excellent maneuverability," the expert stated.

Roblin stated that the Su-27M, Su-30, Su-33, Su-35, as well as China's Shenyang J-11 aircraft, are all built on the Su-27 platform. According to NATO's classification system, these aircraft are all called Flanker.

These fighter jets often proved more effective in tests than their American counterparts. The final Flanker (Su-35 fighter jet) also demonstrated the differences between American and Russian combat doctrines.

The Su-27's capabilities are incredibly impressive. It can reach speeds of Mach 2.35 and carry eight air-to-air missiles along with a variety of other bombs. The Su-27 is renowned for its extraordinary agility; the aircraft can remain controllable at very low speeds, or abruptly shut down its engines during dives and perform aerobatic maneuvers. Contemporary American aircraft like the F-15 are not capable of performing the "Pugachev's Cobra" maneuver like the Su-27.

The Su-27 airframe has also proven its versatility. The Russian Air Force has equipped it with a range of avionics systems, upgrading it to improve close-range combat and ground attack capabilities. Several countries around the world have even been able to modify the Su-27 to suit their own specific requirements.

Mr. Litovkin also noted that a large number of aircraft prototypes were built on the Su-27 platform.

Military expert Viktor Litovkin stated: "Simply because the Su-27 is a perfect aircraft whose internal design can be modified: new radar navigation systems, new avionics, new weapons, control systems, and even vector thrust engines, surpassing all modern aircraft engines, not only fourth-generation but in some respects even fifth-generation aircraft. Because not all fifth-generation aircraft, for example, the F-35 or F-22, possess this type of engine, or have the maneuverability of the Su-30SM or Su-35."

The U.S. military focuses on stealth and speed, while Russia continues to develop highly maneuverable aircraft, Roblin concluded.