US F-22 fighter jet flees as Russian Su-35 approaches with weapons

Threatening two Su-25s in the Syrian sky, the US stealth F-22 immediately fled when the Su-35 appeared with four extremely powerful air-to-air missiles.

According to RT on December 10, Russian Su-35S fighter jets were ordered to take off to chase away the US F-22 5th generation fighter jet after the aircraft threatened two Russian Su-25 attack aircraft that were carrying out a mission to attack IS terrorists in the area near the Euphrates River, Deir ez-Zor province, Syria.

Major General Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense, revealed that the incident actually happened on November 23, but until now it has not cooled down in relations with the US in the effort to liberate Syria from IS rebels.

Su-35 fighter jet fully armed.

"On November 23, in the sky west of the Euphrates River, an American F-22 stealth fighter intercepted a formation of two Su-25s that were carrying out a mission to destroy an IS command post," said Mr. Konashenkov.

The spokesman added that the US fighter jet had performed many simulated combat maneuvers with two Russian attack aircraft, even launching heat decoys. "The F-22 only stopped dangerous actions and quickly retreated" after a Russian Su-35S fighter appeared and approached, General Igor Konashenkov affirmed.

General Konashenkov stressed time and again that US aircraft were provocative and did not respond to requests for communication from the Russian air traffic control center in Khmeimim. "The US should focus on fighting IS in Iraq rather than constantly provoking Russia in the air," he urged.

Although the details of whether the two planes were carrying weapons or not were not mentioned by this spokesman, a source from the US Air Force said that when they suddenly appeared near the F-22, the Su-35 fighter carried 4 short-range R-73 air-to-air missiles and the Russian plane seemed ready to fight.

Russian media said that the F-22 left in a hurry because they knew how dangerous the Su-35 was when conducting close-range air combat with the R-73. According to public information, the R-73 is an air-to-air missile developed by the Vympel design bureau based on experience gained from the old short-range air-to-air missile R-60, which began to be put into service in 1984.

Currently, the R-73 is still Russia's most modern short-range air-to-air missile. In addition to its great maneuverability, the R-73 can also be connected directly to the pilot's helmet, allowing it to attack targets on the side of the aircraft, which is not possible with conventional missiles with targeting and guidance methods.

The missile's combat component consists of a radar- or laser-activated active fuse and a target-detonating fuse, followed by an 8 kg warhead.

The maximum range of the R-73 is about 30-40 km with the latest version, while the minimum range is 300m, making this missile extremely useful in close combat. The R-73 missile has a speed of up to 2,500 km/h, hitting aerial targets from an altitude of 5 m to 20 km.

According to Baodatviet