The MiG-35 is being equipped with laser weaponry which will add significantly to the Russian warplane's combat capability, according to Russian aviation expert Dmitry Drozdenko.

In an interview with Sputnik, Drozdenko focused on how the MiG-35, one of Russia’s most modern multirole fighters, is being equipped with laser weaponry which will contribute to the warplane’s combat capability.

In late January 2017, Russian Aerospace Defense Forces Commander Viktor Bondarev confirmed that the MiG-35 strike fighter would eventually be armed with laser weaponry.

He said that the development of laser weapons for the MiG-35 would begin immediately after flight testing is completed this summer.

Touching upon the issue, Drozdenko recalled that laser weapons are capable of destroying what are currently known as the “eyes” of a modern aircraft, namely, various kinds of optical sensors and electronics.

“Laser weapons (including those installed on the MiG-35) can disable these components and create massive interference, thereby nullifying the famous Western advantage in electronics,” Drozdenko said.

He touted the MiG-35’s laser weaponry as something that he said will be able “to cause irreparable damage to potential enemy warplanes’ electronics.”

Separately, Drozdenko said that the MiG-35 has great export potential, with a whole array of countries expected to purchase the jet, including India, Kazakhstan and Peru.

The MiG-35 is armed with a 30-mm cannon and carries 1,500 rounds of ammunition. It can carry up to 7,000 kg of payload on ten external pylons. It can also use various air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, as well as guided and unguided rockets and bombs.

The MiG-35 has a maximum speed of 2,700 kilometers per hour, an effective range of 1,000 kilometers and a service ceiling of 17,500 meters.

Serial purchases of the MiG-35s under the state arms procurement program will begin in 2019, according to United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) President Yury Slyusar.