Military Watch Magazine

Two of Russia’s Premier Air Superiority Fighters Lost as Su-35s Crash Near Frontlines

Two Russian Aerospace Forces Su-35S air superiority fighters collided in mid-air over Russia’s Kursk Region on September 7, killing one pilot, after the aircraft were reportedly supporting combat operations in the Ukrainian theatre. The collision highlights an often-overlooked vulnerability of advanced combat aircraft, namely that even highly sophisticated fighters remain dependent upon pilots maintaining precise positional awareness when operating together. A mid-air collision can occur because of a failure in visual separation, navigation, communications, human factors or other technical circumstances, and it would be premature to attribute this particular incident to any one cause before an investigation is completed.