China Central Television has released footage of the People's Liberation Army Air Force's training using its new Su-35 fighters, showing the planes taking off, flying in formation, engaging in breakneck maneuvers and attacking mock targets.
A PLAAF pilot speaking to the TV network praised the Su-35's "great maneuverability," attributing this to the plane's dual thrust-vectoring engines.
The aircraft are now based with the Sixth Aviation Brigade in Suji, Guangdong province, southeastern China.
China purchased two dozen Su-35 fighters from Russia for $2.5 billion in late 2015, with delivery of the planes completed in November. China became the first foreign customer of the Russian 4++ generation fighter, and has already been seen deploying its Su-35s on patrol missions in the South China Sea.