Russia’s Ministry of Defense just dropped a bombshell of a video, and it’s got defense watchers buzzing. Filmed on November 11, 2025, the footage captures a Su-35S multirole fighter thundering off a runway in southern Ukraine, and it’s not just another routine patrol. Strapped under its wings are two live Kh-31P anti-radiation missiles—a rare and deliberate configuration that signals a major shift in how Russia is waging its air campaign.
This isn’t your standard loadout. The Su-35S, long revered as Russia’s premier air superiority platform, is now doubling down on suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) while still packing a full suite of air-to-air weapons. Alongside the twin Kh-31PMs (the upgraded variant), the jet carries R-77-1 medium-range missiles and likely an R-37M for extreme standoff intercepts. It’s a hybrid warrior—part guardian, part hunter—capable of escorting bombers one minute and silencing a Ukrainian radar the next.
The Kh-31P family has been a staple in Russian arsenals for decades, but seeing two of them on a Su-35S in official combat footage is anything but routine. Earlier in the conflict, such anti-radiation missions were mostly left to dedicated strike jets like the Su-34 or Su-30SM. Now, Russia is clearly distributing SEAD responsibility across its high-end fighter fleet. Why? Because Ukraine’s air defense network—bolstered by Western systems like Patriot, NASAMS, and IRIS-T SLM—demands constant, relentless pressure.
Let’s break down what makes the Kh-31PM so dangerous. Powered by a ramjet engine, it screams through the sky at over Mach 3.5, with a range that can stretch beyond 250 km when launched from high altitude and speed. Its passive broadband seeker locks onto radar emissions across a wide frequency band, and the modernized “PM” version is reportedly far more resistant to jamming and shutdown tactics. The 110 kg high-explosive warhead doesn’t need to score a direct hit—its fragmentation pattern is designed to shred radar arrays, antennas, and command vans.
Carrying two of these missiles changes everything. If a Ukrainian SAM battery briefly activates its search radar, the Su-35S pilot can fire one missile immediately. If the radar shuts down to survive, the second missile can loiter or be redirected to a secondary emitter. This “double-tap” capability forces defenders into a nightmare scenario: stay dark and lose situational awareness, or light up and invite destruction.
Open-source analysts have tracked Russian use of Kh-31P/PM missiles since 2022, with confirmed strikes on S-300 sites, Buk-M1 batteries, and even Western-supplied systems. But the twin-loadout Su-35S takes this to a new level. It means any fighter on patrol can now transition from air cover to radar-killing in seconds—no need to vector in a dedicated SEAD package. That compresses the kill chain, increases sortie efficiency, and keeps Ukrainian operators paranoid.
Compare this to Western equivalents, and the differences are stark. The U.S. Navy’s AGM-88E AARGM and upcoming AARGM-ER rely on multi-mode guidance—passive radar homing, GPS/INS, and millimeter-wave imaging—to defeat shutdown tactics and improve terminal accuracy. Russia, by contrast, bets on raw speed and low cost. The Kh-31PM doesn’t need fancy terminal sensors when it’s traveling fast enough to outrun most defenses. And at an estimated unit cost far below Western ARMs, Russia can afford to fire them in volleys.
This evolution didn’t happen in a vacuum. Ukraine has built one of the most sophisticated integrated air defense systems seen in modern warfare. Patriot batteries provide long-range coverage, NASAMS and IRIS-T SLM handle medium-range threats, and legacy S-300s still pack a punch. Mobile, networked, and supported by NATO early warning, these systems force Russian pilots to fly smart—or not fly at all.
Russia’s answer? Persistent, distributed electronic attack. Arming Su-35S jets with twin Kh-31PMs lets them carve temporary corridors through contested airspace. A single pass can blind a radar sector just long enough for a Su-34 strike package or a wave of Geran drones to slip through. Add in supporting EW platforms like the Su-30SM with Khibiny pods, and you’ve got a layered offensive that keeps Ukrainian commanders guessing.
The psychological impact can’t be overstated. Radar operators now know that any Russian fighter overhead could be carrying live anti-radiation missiles. That breeds hesitation. Do you emit to track incoming threats and risk a supersonic missile in your face? Or do you stay silent and fly blind? Either choice degrades effectiveness.
Looking ahead, expect this configuration to become standard in high-threat sectors. As winter deepens and both sides dig in for sustained operations, Russia will likely lean harder on flexible, multi-role platforms. We may see more official footage of dual-ARM Su-35S jets, alongside increased use of decoys, standoff munitions, and drone swarms to force emissions and set up Kh-31PM shots.
Ukraine, in turn, will counter with shoot-and-scoot tactics, decoy emitters, passive detection systems, and stricter emissions control. But every second a radar stays silent is a second Russian strike aircraft operate with greater freedom.
At its core, this development reflects a broader truth about modern air warfare: the electromagnetic spectrum is the new front line. Russia isn’t just fighting for control of the sky—it’s fighting for control of the signals that make air defense possible. And with the Su-35S now hunting radars as aggressively as it hunts enemy jets, that fight just got a lot more intense.
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