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Air Power |
The introduction in the mid-1970s of the USAF F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon put the then Eastern bloc fighter pilots at a distinct disadvantage. The deployment of the Su-27 Flanker and MiG-29 Fulcrum in the mid-1980s leveled the playing field. Designed as a high performance fighter with a fly-by-wire control system, and the ability to carry up to 10 AAMs, the highly maneuverable Su-27 is one of the most imposing fighters ever built. The first 'Flanker-A' prototypes flew on May 20, 1977. By the early 1980s, Sukhoi’s T10-1 prototype, first flown in 1977, was the subject of much scrutiny by Western intelligence agencies, who dubbed it “Flanker A.” As the prototype evolved into the Su-27 or “Flanker B” production model, word of its potential as a fighter spread as well. 'Flanker-B' entered service in 1984.
The Su-27 airframe was manufactured using an integral configuration with the wing and fuselage forming a single aerodynamically lifted frame. Its longitudinal sections in the form of the wing airfoil ensure high aerodynamic efficiency and high lift coefficient while manoeuvring. To increase the aircraft manoeuvrability, it is designed statically unstable with artificial stability provided by the remote control system. The fighter is fitted with the analogue quad-redundant fly-by-wire system. The wings are mid-mounted and semi-delta with square tips. The wing has drooping leading edges and flaperons. The Leading-Edge Root Extension (LERX) extends downward and forward of the wing roots. The vertical tail is twin-finned with rudders. The horizontal tail is a differential tailplane and consists of two all-moving outer wings. The tail fins are swept-back, tapered with square tips, and mounted outboard of the engines. The flats are mid-mounted, swept-back, and tapered. The fuselage is rectangular from the air intakes to the tail. The undercarriage is a three-leg one with a forward retracted mono-wheel strut. The aircraft construction is made of aluminium alloys with the use of titanium. The fuel system consists of five tanks located under the fuselage, in the centre and outer wings. There are two turbojet engines in the fuselage. There are square, diagonally-cut air intakes mounted under the wings alongside the fuselage. The nose is pointed and there is a bubble canopy. The crew cockpit is fitted with the K-36DM Series 2 ejection seats.
The development of the Su-27 fighter plane was completed in the early 1980s, and the plane subsequently set more than 40 world records of altitude and take-off-speed. The original Su-27 is a very capable aircraft with an excellent design. Part of this excellence is that it has a lot of room to expand it's capabilities through the addition of extra avionics, fuel etc. The robust Su-27 platform has served as the basis for a number of improved variants for a diverse range of missions and users. It was the forerunner of an entire family of planes, including the Su-33 ship-based fighter, the Su-37 multi-mission plane and the Su-32FN two-seat specialised plane.
The Russian military normally restricts aircraft designations to a single type-number, to which is added a mission designation suffix. Thus, the Su-27UB is a combat Trainer, the Su-27IB is a fighter-bomber and the multi-role "Super-Flanker" is Su-27M. However, Sukhoi has allocated completely new numbers to many design variants.
The Su-27 is in service not only in Russia and other CIS countries but also in China and Vietnam. China also bought a license for the production of its own Su-27 fighters. Sukhoi in 1997 signed an estimated $180-million contract with Vietnam to supply six Su-27 (of which two Su-27SK and four Su-27UB). It supplied four of them in 1996 [and two were destroyed when the freighter carrying them crashed into an apartment block in Irkutsk].
The Russian Air Force is to equip one regiment with modernized Su-27 warplanes in 2004, and 20 planes of the type were sent to the factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur for modernization during the year. The modernized Sy-27SM planes belong to the 4+ generation technique. The modernized pursuit planes will effectively attack targets in the air and on land. These planes differ from fifth-generation pursuit planes with their relatively high visibility and insufficient technical equipment.
The modernized Su-27 will not influence the program for construction of fifth-generation pursuit planes, and there is little chance that Russia will have fifth-generation pursuit planes of its own.
Specifications:
Country of Origin: CIS (formerly USSR)
Primary Role: Interceptor / air superiority
Similar Aircraft: F-15 Eagle, F-14 Tomcat, MiG-29 Fulcrum
Crew: one
In-Flight: Refueling No
Powerplant: Two Lyulka AL-31F engines with 12,550 kg thrust
User Countries: Belarus, CIS, People's Republic of China, Ukraine
Dimensions:
Length: 69 ft (21 m)
Span: 47 ft, 6 in (14.5 m)
Internal Fuel: 6350 kg
Drop Tanks: 1600kg for 126nm range
Payload: 6000kg
Maximum weight: 30,000 kg
Performance:
Maximum speed: Mach 2.35
Ceiling: 15240-18,000 m
Range:
1,500 km combat radius [typical]
1,800 km cruise radius
4,000 km maximum range
Avionics/Sensors:
Flash Dance radar, IRST and TV sensors, RWR, Ballistic bombsight
Armaments:
One 30 mm GSh-301 cannon
Up to 6,000 kg payload of missiles and bombs including
AA-10 (Alamo) air-to-air missiles
AA-11 (Archer) air-to-air missiles
FAB-100
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