In the ranking of the most dangerous fighters in the Middle East, the Su-35 was in first place

Since the Cold War, the Middle East has been the site of fierce strife between countries and sometimes requires combat aircraft to resolve disputes. Below is an overview of the five most dangerous fighters that are in service with the countries of the region. It does not include planes from other states stationed at local bases and still undelivered, although ordered, writes the American edition of Military Watch.

In the first place there are multipurpose super-maneuverable Su-35 of the Egyptian Air Force. Cairo ordered these 4 ++ generation fighters from Moscow in 2018 and is trying to close 40 years of disregard for its aviation with them by revolutionizing the rearmament process. Without a doubt, the Su-35 is worthy to occupy the highest line of the rating. It is the most efficient fighter in the Middle East and Africa. It boasts a number of advanced features. It is equipped with aircraft engines with a variable thrust vector and a very powerful Irbis-E radar. The plane is literally hung with good and varied weapons. Can carry up to 14 missiles.



The Egyptian Air Force has ordered more than 20 Su-35 units and have already received some of them. There is little doubt that Cairo will not stop there and will ask for the same amount, sending poorly armed and outdated F-16s to the scrap.

Second place went to a heavy strike fighter Boeing F-15SA of the Saudi Arabian Air Force. F-15SA has incorporated everything technological advances available in the F-15K and F-15SG designs for South Korea and Singapore, respectively. The deal between Riyadh and Washington was the largest in world history. The Saudis already have 70 new such aircraft, but more have been ordered. In addition, 15 obsolete F-81C / D units will be upgraded to the F-15SA variant.

The fighter has a new computer architecture, is capable of a speed of Mach 2,5 and can maneuver excellently at high speeds and operate at extreme altitudes, far exceeding those of any other Western fighter available for export. Thanks to its powerful AESA radar, it is able to boast excellent situational awareness, but it is not armed with such air-to-air missiles as the American AIM-120D (up to 180 km) or the European MBDA Meteor (over 100 km). Can carry up to 12 missiles.

On the third place is the F-35A of the Israeli Air Force. This is the only fifth generation fighter in the Middle East so far. It is a relatively light single-engine analogue of the F-22, capable of waging network-centric warfare. The F-35A is still far from full combat readiness and is not yet able to participate in conflicts, even of moderate intensity. He has serious technical problems that must be addressed by 2025.

Fourth line are occupied by the F-14A of the Iranian Air Force. These are the heaviest fighters in the Middle East and the most expensive at the time. Tehran was the only buyer in the 70s. The F-14A proved to be very formidable in battle and shot down over 160 Iraqi Air Force fighters. To date, the Iranian Air Force has carried out a major modernization of the F-14A. In addition, they received the excellent Fakour 90 missile.

Closes the top five fighter Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 2 of the Saudi Arabian Air Force. Their delivery was carried out in 2009-2014. It is a lighter and cheaper counterpart to the F-15 Eagle. But it is significantly inferior in its characteristics to the new Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 3. Recently, Tranche 3 ordered Kuwait. The Tranche 2 lacks AESA radars and Meteor missiles, making their long range capabilities mediocre.