French Rafale fighter jets participating in NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission recently conducted a close-range visual interception of a Russian Su-35 fighter aircraft during a tense encounter over the Baltic Sea, underscoring the persistent military friction between NATO and Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
According to France’s Joint Staff, two Rafale multirole fighters were scrambled from Siauliai Air Base in northern Lithuania after Russian military aircraft approached NATO-monitored airspace. The French aircraft joined Swedish Gripen fighters to intercept a formation of six Russian aircraft, including a Su-35 air-superiority fighter, reconnaissance aircraft, strike fighters, and a military transport aircraft.
France’s military also released video footage of the encounter, showing the Rafales maneuvering close to the Russian formation as part of a standard visual identification mission.
“The situation was monitored by our pilots without further escalation,” France’s Joint Staff said in a statement. “As part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission, Rafale aircraft provide daily surveillance and defense of the Baltic airspace alongside their allies.”
The intercepted Russian formation consisted of a Sukhoi Su-35 fighter, an An-12 and An-30 reconnaissance aircraft, Su-24 and Su-34 strike aircraft, and an Il-76 military transport plane. Military analysts note that the Su-35, the only dedicated air-superiority fighter in the group, was likely tasked with providing protective escort for the remaining aircraft as they conducted operations near NATO territory.
While the interception attracted attention because of the aircraft involved, such encounters have become increasingly common over the Baltic Sea since the outbreak of the Ukraine war. NATO and Russian aircraft frequently shadow one another in international airspace, particularly in the Baltic region, which has become one of Europe’s most strategically sensitive military theaters.
NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission was established to safeguard the airspace of Baltic states that do not possess sufficient fighter aircraft capabilities of their own. Allied nations rotate deployments of combat aircraft to bases in Lithuania and Estonia, maintaining a constant air defense presence along NATO’s northeastern frontier.
Russian military aviation activity in the region remains extensive. Long-range reconnaissance flights, bomber patrols, and multi-aircraft formations routinely operate over international waters in the Baltic Sea, often prompting NATO nations to scramble fighters for identification and monitoring missions.
Defense experts argue that such operations serve multiple purposes. Beyond training and reconnaissance, they provide opportunities for Russia to evaluate NATO response times, observe interception procedures, and demonstrate military presence near alliance borders.
These flights also carry significant political and psychological value. By maintaining a visible military presence close to NATO territory, Moscow signals its readiness to defend its interests and project power despite the continuing conflict in Ukraine and Western efforts to isolate Russia diplomatically and economically.
The latest encounter has drawn particular interest because it involved two of the world’s most capable non-stealth combat aircraft: France’s Dassault Rafale and Russia’s Sukhoi Su-35.
Although both aircraft belong to the so-called “4.5-generation” category of fighter jets, they were designed according to very different operational philosophies.
The Su-35 represents the culmination of Russia’s Flanker family, evolved from the Su-27 air-superiority fighter. It emphasizes speed, maneuverability, long-range detection, and high-energy aerial combat. The aircraft was specifically designed to dominate the air-to-air environment through superior kinematic performance and advanced missile armament.
The Rafale, by contrast, was conceived as an “omnirole” fighter capable of performing multiple missions during a single sortie. Rather than focusing exclusively on air superiority, the aircraft integrates air-to-air combat, precision strike operations, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and nuclear deterrence roles into a single platform.
As a result, the French aircraft is often viewed as one of the most versatile combat jets currently in service.
The physical differences between the two aircraft are substantial.
The Su-35 is significantly larger than the Rafale. With a wingspan of approximately 15.3 meters and a length of 21.9 meters, the Russian fighter dwarfs the French aircraft, which measures 10.9 meters across the wings and 15.3 meters in length.
Weight differences are equally dramatic. The Rafale’s empty weight is around 10,300 kilograms, while the Su-35 weighs roughly 19,000 kilograms without fuel or weapons.
The larger Russian aircraft benefits from a substantially higher maximum takeoff weight of approximately 34,500 kilograms, compared with 24,500 kilograms for the Rafale. This enables the Su-35 to carry larger fuel loads and heavier weapons configurations when required.
Powerplant performance also favors the Russian fighter. The Su-35 is powered by two Saturn AL-41F1S engines featuring thrust-vectoring technology, generating tremendous afterburning thrust and enabling exceptional maneuverability.
The Rafale uses two Safran M88 turbofan engines, which produce significantly less thrust but offer excellent fuel efficiency and operational reliability.
Consequently, the Su-35 achieves a higher maximum speed of approximately Mach 2.25, compared with Mach 1.8 for the Rafale. It also enjoys a higher operational ceiling, reaching around 60,000 feet versus approximately 52,000 feet for its French counterpart.
However, the Rafale possesses one notable advantage: sustained supercruise capability. The aircraft can reportedly maintain supersonic flight at around Mach 1.4 while carrying air-to-air missiles, without relying on fuel-intensive afterburners. The Su-35 does not possess a comparable sustained supercruise capability.
The contrast between the two fighters becomes even clearer when examining how they are intended to fight.
The Su-35 is widely regarded as one of the most maneuverable fighter aircraft ever built. Its three-dimensional thrust-vectoring nozzles allow it to perform dramatic post-stall maneuvers and maintain control at extremely high angles of attack.
In a traditional visual-range dogfight, many analysts believe the Su-35 would enjoy significant advantages due to its agility, acceleration, climb rate, and ability to rapidly change direction.
The Rafale, however, was designed around a different concept of air warfare—one increasingly centered on detecting, tracking, and engaging opponents before they ever enter visual range.
Modern aerial combat is dominated by sensors, networking, electronic warfare, and beyond-visual-range (BVR) missiles rather than close-range turning battles. In this environment, the Rafale’s strengths become more apparent.
One of the most important distinctions between the two aircraft lies in their radar technology.
The Rafale is equipped with the RBE2 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. AESA systems are generally considered superior to older radar designs because they offer improved reliability, greater resistance to electronic jamming, and enhanced multitarget tracking capabilities.
The RBE2 can reportedly track dozens of targets simultaneously and engage multiple threats at long distances, making it one of the most sophisticated radar systems installed on a 4.5-generation fighter.
The Su-35 employs the powerful Irbis-E Passive Electronically Scanned Array (PESA) radar. The system is notable for its impressive detection range, which under ideal conditions can reportedly exceed 350 kilometers against large aerial targets.
However, despite its impressive reach, PESA technology is generally considered more vulnerable to modern electronic warfare techniques than AESA systems.
This has become an increasingly important issue as modern air combat places greater emphasis on electronic attack and countermeasures.
Many defense analysts identify electronic warfare as the area where the Rafale enjoys its most significant edge.
At the center of this capability is the SPECTRA electronic warfare suite, one of the most advanced self-protection systems fielded on any fighter aircraft.
Developed jointly by MBDA and Thales, SPECTRA integrates radar warning receivers, laser warning systems, missile approach sensors, electronic jammers, decoy dispensers, and sophisticated data-fusion software into a unified defensive network.
The system enables the Rafale to detect, identify, classify, and respond to threats with remarkable speed.
By combining electronic surveillance and electronic attack capabilities, SPECTRA enhances survivability in heavily contested airspace and may allow the aircraft to operate more effectively against sophisticated air-defense systems and enemy fighters.
The Su-35 possesses its own electronic warfare capabilities, but most Western analysts believe the French aircraft maintains an advantage in this increasingly decisive area of warfare.
Both aircraft can carry a wide variety of advanced weapons and are capable of performing nuclear delivery missions.
The Rafale can employ the Meteor beyond-visual-range missile, widely considered one of the most capable air-to-air weapons currently operational. Powered by a ramjet engine, the Meteor maintains high energy throughout its flight and is renowned for its exceptionally large “no-escape zone.”
The French fighter can also deploy MICA air-to-air missiles, SCALP/Storm Shadow cruise missiles, and AASM precision-guided munitions.
The Su-35, meanwhile, carries a formidable arsenal centered on Russian air-to-air missile technology. Its weapons inventory includes the R-77 family of missiles and the long-range R-37M, which is often cited as one of the longest-ranged air-to-air missiles currently in operational service.
The interception over the Baltic Sea ultimately ended without incident, but it provided a rare glimpse into the evolving balance of air power between NATO and Russia.
While the Su-35 remains one of the world’s most capable non-stealth fighters and arguably surpasses the Rafale in raw aerodynamic performance, the French aircraft reflects the growing importance of networking, sensor fusion, electronic warfare, and precision engagement in modern aerial combat.
As NATO and Russian aircraft continue to operate in close proximity across Europe’s contested skies, encounters such as this one are likely to remain a regular feature of the region’s security landscape.
For military observers, the latest interception was more than a routine identification mission. It was a real-world meeting between two of the most advanced 4.5-generation fighters in existence—aircraft that embody competing visions of how air superiority will be achieved in the twenty-first century.
