The MiG-35 Fulcrum-F is a great air superiority fighter—but it is still basically a Cold War-era MiG-29, and would lose to the F-22 in a head-on fight every time.

On paper, both the US Air Force’s F-22 Raptor and the Russian Aerospace Forces’ MiG-35 Fulcrum-F represent the pinnacle of their respective nations’ fighter jet lineages. The F-22 is the world’s premier air superiority fighter, and has been for more than two decades; the MiG-35, first introduced in 2019, is the culmination of a series of upgrades to the Russian Aerospace Forces’ Cold War-era MiG-29 Fulcrum. 

At a glance, both fighter jets have unmistakable similarities. Both are built as pure air superiority jets, and this single mission has given them some similar features; both have two engines and are extremely maneuverable. Yet they were built around fundamentally different design concepts, and the result is that they perform differently—in ways that decisively favor the F-22.

America’s F-22 vs. Russia’s MiG-35: A Head-to-Head Comparison

Aircraft	F-22 Raptor (USA)	MiG-35 Fulcrum-F (Russia)
Year Introduced	2005	2019
Number Built	195 (187 production; 184 still in service)	Low (~20)
Length	18.9 m (62.1 ft)	17.3 m (56.8 ft)
Wingspan	13.6 m (44.5 ft)	12 m (39.4 ft)
Weight (MTOW)	38,000 kg (83,500 lb)	24,500 kg (54,000 lb)
Engine(s)	Two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 afterburning turbofans (35,000 lbf thrust each)	Two Klimov RD-33MK afterburning turbofans (19,000 lbf thrust each)
Top Speed	~2,400 km/h (1,500 mph) / Mach 2.25+	~2,400 km/h (1,500 mph) / Mach 2.25+
Range	~2,960 km (1,840 mi) ferry	~2,000 km (1,240 mi) with internal fuel only; extendable with drop tanks
Service Ceiling	20,000 m (65,000 ft)	17,500 m (57,400 ft)
Loadout	One 20mm M61A2 cannon; internal weapons bays, can carry 8 AIM-120/AIM-9 missiles, two 1,000-lb JDAMs	One 30mm GSh-30-1 cannon; 9 hardpoints; can carry mix of missiles, guided bombs
Aircrew	1	1–2, depending on variant

Here’s Why the F-22 Would Wipe the Floor with the MiG-35 Every Time

The MiG-35 is a deep modernization of the MiG-29, often described as a fourth-generation-plus fighter. Adding AESA radar, improved avionics, a modern cockpit, and digital fly-by-wire, the MiG-35 retains the basic aerodynamic layout of the MiG-29 but enjoys expanded multirole capability. But the F-22 is an animal in its own class; designed from the outset for low observability, sensor fusion, supercruise, and BVR lethality, it was built to defeat advanced fighters like the MiG-29. And while the Fulcrum-F is an improvement on the base Fulcrum, it is still basically the same aircraft, with a similar silhouette and the same paucity of stealth features.

Modern air combat is usually decided before aircraft ever see one another, in beyond-visual-range (BVR) combat. The F-22 has a clear and likely decisive advantage here. It has an extremely small radar cross section—taking full advantage of its internal weapons bays, which the Fulcrum-F does not have. The Raptor also has an advanced AN/APG-77 AESA radar, advanced sensor fusion, passive detection capability, and secure datalinks.

The MiG-35 is capable, too, with Zhuk-A/AM AESA radar, modern EW, and R-77-1 missile compatibility. But the F-22 has the edge. It was designed from the outset to engage first while minimizing its own exposure, and is likely to detect and track the MiG-35 well before being detected itself. The defining difference between the F-22 and the MiG-35 is the latter’s stealth; in addition to its internal weapons bays, it has faceted shaping, radar-absorbent materials, engine inlet masking, and reduced infrared signature.

The MiG-35 lacks any of these features. The result is that the MiG-35 may not even know the F-22 is present until the Raptor’s missiles are already inbound. The F-22 wins the BVR head-to-head 10 times out of 10.

What If the F-22 and MiG-35 Got into a Dogfight, Though?

Given the F-22’s decisive BVR advantages, it is highly unlikely that the two aircraft would ever find themselves in within-visual-range (WVR) combat. However, in such a matchup, the gap between them could be somewhat closer.

Russia’s MiG lineage has always emphasized extreme maneuverability above all other considerations. The MiG-35 is no exception to this rule; it features high thrust-to-weight ratio, excellent instantaneous turn performance, helmet-mounted sight, high-off boresight R-73M missiles, and good energy maneuverability. On the flip side, the F-22 is another deeply capable in-tight fighter, with two-dimensional thrust-vectoring nozzles, exceptional high-alpha control, outstanding sustained energy, fly-by-wire optimization, AIM-9X integration, and superior situational awareness.

If forced into a dogfight, the MiG-35 would be more competitive than in BVR combat, but the F-22 still retains advantages in maneuverability, pilot awareness, and weapons integration. Ultimately, a dogfight between them would probably come down to other factors—pilot skill and fatigue, environmental factors, and the presence of outside assistance—more than the intrinsic qualities of the planes themselves.

What does this all add up to? While the MiG-35 represents a capable modernization of an already respected fourth-generation fighter, it remains an evolutionary design. The F-22, meanwhile, was built around an entirely different, and more modern, philosophy of stealth, information dominance, and BVR combat. In most scenarios, the F-22’s ability to detect first, remain stealthy, and engage from advantageous positions would likely define the encounter before the aircraft’s respective maneuverability ever even became a factor. The F-22 was designed to be the world’s best air-to-air fighter—and still is. 

About the Author: Harrison Kass

Harrison Kass is a writer and attorney focused on national security, technology, and political culture. His work has appeared in Tablet, City Journal, The Hill, The Spectator, and The Cipher Brief. He holds a JD from the University of Oregon and a master’s in Global & Joint Program Studies from NYU. More at harrisonkass.com.

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