Everything about Su-27 totally explained
The
Sukhoi Su-27 (Су-27 in the
Cyrillic alphabet) (
NATO reporting name 'Flanker') is a
jet fighter plane originally manufactured by the
Soviet Union, and designed by the
Sukhoi Design Bureau. It was intended as a direct competitor for the new generation of
American fighters (which emerged as the
F-14 Tomcat,
F-15 Eagle,
F-16 Fighting Falcon, and
F/A-18 Hornet), with long range, heavy armament, and very high agility. The Su-27 most often flies
air superiority missions, but is able to perform almost all combat operations. Its closest American counterpart is the
F-15 Eagle.
From the Su-27 design came several developments that were made:
Further versions include the
Su-34 'Fullback' strike variant and the
Su-35 'Flanker-E' improved air defense fighter.
Background
In
1969 the
Soviet Union learned of the
United States Air Force's selection of
McDonnell Douglas to produce the Fighter Experimental design (which was to become the
F-15 Eagle). In response to that upcoming threat, the Soviets instituted the
PFI (
perspektivnyi frontovoy istrebitel, Advanced Frontline Fighter) program for an aircraft that could match the new American fighter on its own terms.
When the specification proved too challenging and costly for a single aircraft in the number needed, the PFI specification was split into two: the
LPFI (
Lyogkyi PFI, Lightweight PFI) and the
TPFI (
Tyazholyi PFI, Heavy PFI), just as the F-15 program spawned the Lightweight Fighter (LWF) program that produced the F-16 and
YF-17 Cobra. Sukhoi OKB was assigned the TPFI program.
The Sukhoi design, which was altered progressively to reflect Soviet awareness of the F-15's specifications, emerged as the
T-10 (Sukhoi's 10th
delta wing design), which first flew on
20 May 1977. The aircraft had a large delta wing, clipped, with two separate
podded engines and a
twin tail. The 'tunnel' between the two engines, as on the
F-14 Tomcat, acts both as an additional lifting surface and hides armament from radar. While being developed, it was spotted by a
spy satellite at the Zhukovsky flight test center near the town of
Ramenskoe, resulting in the temporary codename of
Ram-K. It was believed that the Ram-K was being developed in two versions: a
swing-wing fighter similar in function to the Grumman F-14 and a two-seat fixed wing
interceptor aircraft which in fact turned out to be the unrelated
Mikoyan MiG-31.
The T-10 was spotted by Western observers and assigned the
NATO reporting name 'Flanker-A'). The T-10's development was marked by considerable problems, leading to a fatal crash on
7 May 1978. Extensive redesigns followed, and a heavily revised version, the
T-10S, made its first flight on
20 April 1981. This, too, had considerable developmental problems, leading to another fatal crash on
23 December 1981.
The production
Su-27 (sometimes
Su-27S, NATO designation
'Flanker-B') began to enter
VVS operational service around
1984, although manufacturing difficulties kept it from appearing in strength until
1986. The Su-27 served with both the
PVO and
Frontal Aviation. In V-PVO service it was primarily an interceptor, supplanting older aircraft like the
Sukhoi Su-15 and
Tupolev Tu-28. Although the 'Flanker' has some capacity to carry air-to-ground weapons, in Frontal Aviation service its primary role was neither air support nor battlefield air superiority--it was intended as a sort of aerial interdictor, tasked with fighting its way past enemy (presumably
NATO) lines to strike
tanker and
AWACS aircraft. Soviet planners knew that NATO forces possessed a considerable advantage because of these assets, and believed that attacking them directly would limit NATO's ability to maintain an extended air campaign. The Su-27 retains that role in
CIS service, with later marks being equipped to carry the new
Novator KS-172 AAM-L long-range anti-AWACS missile.
From 1986 a special Su-27 designated
P-42, rebuilt from the prototype
T-10S-3 aircraft and stripped to minimum weight, began to set the first in a series of performance records for rate of climb and altitude, the aircraft setting 27 new class records between 1986 and 1988.
Design
MiG-29, but it's substantially larger. It is a very large aircraft, and to mimimize its weight its structure has a high percentage of
titanium (about 30%, more than any of its contemporaries). No composite materials were used. The
swept wing blends into the
fuselage at the
leading edge extensions and is essentially a
delta, although the tips are cropped for wingtip missile rails or
ECM pods. The Su-27 isn't a true delta, however, because it retains conventional
tailplanes, with two
vertical tailfins outboard of the engines, supplemented by twofold-down ventral fins for additional lateral stability.
The Su-27's
Lyulka AL-31F turbofan engines are widely spaced, both for safety reasons and to ensure uninterrupted airflow through the intakes. The space between the engines also provides additional lift, reducing wing loading. Movable guide vanes in the intakes allow
Mach 2+ speeds, and help to maintain engine airflow at high
alpha. A mesh screen over each intake prevents debris from being drawn into the engines during take-off.
The Su-27 had the Soviet Union's first operational
fly-by-wire control system, developed based on Sukhoi OKB's experience in the
Sukhoi T-4 bomber project. Combined with relatively low
wing loading and powerful basic flight controls, it makes for an exceptionally agile aircraft, controllable even at very low speeds and high angles of attack. In
airshows the aircraft has demonstrated its maneuverability with a
Cobra (
Pugachev's Cobra) or dynamic deceleration - briefly sustained level flight at a 120° angle of attack. Thrust vectoring has also been tested (and is incorporated on later Su-30MKI and Su-37 models), allowing the fighter to perform hard turns with almost no radius, incorporate vertical somersaults into level motion and limited nose-up hovering.
The naval version of the 'Flanker,' the
Su-27K (a.k.a.
Su-33), incorporates canards for additional lift, reducing take-off distances (important because the
aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov has no
catapults). These canards have also been incorporated in some Su-30s, the Su-35, and the Su-37.
In addition to its considerable agility, the Su-27 uses its substantial internal volume for a large internal fuel capacity. In an overload configuration for maximum range, it can carry 9,400 kg (20,700 lb) of internal fuel, although its maneuverability with that load is limited, and normal load is 5,270 kg (11,620 lb).
The Su-27 is armed with a single
Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-1 30 mm cannon in the starboard wingroot, and has up to 10
hardpoints for missiles and other weapons. Its standard missile armament for air-to-air combat is a mixture of
Vympel R-73 (AA-11 Archer),
Vympel R-27 (AA-10 'Alamo') weapons, the latter including extended range and IR guided models. More advanced Flanker variants (such as Su-30, -35, -37) may also carry
Vympel R-77 (AA-12 Adder) missiles.
The Su-27 has a high-contrast tuneable
HUD and a helmet-mounted sight capability, which, paired with the R-73 missile and the plane's superb agility make it one of the world's best dogfighter aircraft.
The
radar proved to be a major developmental problem for the Su-27. The original Soviet requirement was very ambitious, demanding a multi-target engagement capability and 200km range against "
bombers" (16 sq.m RCS to match a
Tu-16). This would greatly exceed the detection range of the F-15's APG-63 (about 180km vs a 100 sq.m RCS target) and be broadly comparable to the 1-ton Zaslon phased array radar used on the MiG-31.
To achieve this at a reasonable weight, the design team came up with a radar using electronic scanning for elevation and mechanical scanning for azimuth. Unfortunately, it proved too much for the Soviet microelectronics industry in the 1970s to achieve, and by 1982, the original Myesch program had to be abandoned and a less capable alternative array was selected. To make up the lost time, many matured technologies from the N019 Topaz radar, including an enlarged version of the twist-cassegraine array, on the
MiG-29 was used, and as a result, the resulting N001 radar shared the same TS100 signal processor used on N019 Topaz radar, while N001V, the successor of N001, shared the same TS101M signal processor with N019M, the successor of N019. The radar only achieved a 140km detection range versus the Tu-16, and could only engage a single target. Even then, the radar was initially beset by reliability problems and this caused the N001 to be accepted for service in 1991, half a decade after the Su-27 first entered service in 1986.
The first of the N001 series radar, the
Tikhomirov (NIIR) N001 (NATO 'Slot Back'), is a pulse-
Doppler set with
track-while-scan capability, but its processor is relatively primitive, making it vulnerable to false alarms and blind spots, as well as being more difficult to use. During the years, under the chief designer of N001 radar, Professor Viktor Konstantinovitch Grishin, the N001 radar has been upgraded many times, resulting in derivatives including N001V, N001VE, N001VEP, all of which are in service, including those exported Flankers. Professor V.K. Grishin was the chief designer of Zalson S-800 passive phased array radar on
MiG-31, and the expertise would later contribute to the design of the replacement phased array radars for the N001 series.
It was apparent that there wasn't much room for any significant improvement anymore for the N001 series radar, and the Su-30 and Su-35/37 aircraft have the vastly superior
Tikhomirov (NIIR) 'Bars' (Panther) N011M with a
passive electronically scanned array, improving range, multiple target capability, and sensitivity. The Bars (Panther) radar is scheduled to be replaced by an even more capable successor, Irbis (Snow leopard)-E phased array radar in the near future.
Tikhomirov (NIIR)'s competitor,
Phazotron (NIIP) also offered similar radar with
passive electronically scanned array.
The Su-27 has an
infrared search and track (IRST) system in the nose just forward of the
cockpit, which also incorporates a
laser rangefinder. This system can be slaved to the radar, or used independently for "stealthy" attacks with
infrared missiles (such as the R-73 and R-27T/ET). It also controls the cannon, providing greater accuracy than a radar sighting mode.
Combat service
The Su-27 has seen little action since it first entered service. The only notable exception is during the
Eritrean-Ethiopian War (1998-2000). Ethiopian Su-27s reportedly shot down two Eritrean MiG-29s; the first on
February 25,
1999 and the second on
February 26,
1999. The Su-27s were also used in CAP (
Combat Air Patrol) missions, suppression of air defense, and providing escort for fighters on bombing and reconnaissance missions.
Variants
Soviet-era
T10 ("Flanker-A"): Initial prototype configuration.
T10S: Improved prototype configuration, more similar to production spec.
P-42: Special version build to beat climb time records. The aircraft had all arnament, radar and paint removed, which reduced weight to 14.100 kg. It also had improved engines.
Su-27 Preproduction series built in small numbers with AL-31 engine
Su-27S (Su-27 / "Flanker-B"): Initial production single-seater with improved AL-31F engine. The "T10P" designation is sometimes used for Su-27S single-seaters stripped of secondary strike capability.
Su-27UB ("Flanker-C"): Initial production two-seat operational conversion trainer.
Su-27SK: Export Su-27 single-seater.
Su-27UBK: Export Su-27UB two-seater.
Su-27K (Su-33 / "Flanker-D"): Carrier-based single-seater with folding wings, high-lift devices, and arresting gear, built in small numbers. They followed the "T10K" prototypes and demonstrators.
Post-Soviet era
Su-27P: Single-seat demonstrator with improvements such as inflight refueling probe.
Su-27PU (Su-30): Two-seat limited production machine with improvements such as inflight refueling probe, fighter direction avionics, new flight control system, and so on.
Su-30M / Su-30MK: Next-generation multirole two-seater. Apparently a few Su-30Ms were built for Russian evaluation in the mid-1990s, though nothing much came of the effort. The Su-30MK export variant was embodied as a series of two demonstrators of different levels of capability.
Su-30MKA: Export version for Algeria.
Su-30MKI (Flanker-H): Substantially improved Su-30MK for the Indian Air Force, with canards, vectored-thrust engines, new avionics provided by several nations, and multirole capability.
Su-30MKK (Flanker-G): Su-30MK for the Chinese air force, with updated Russian-built avionics and multirole capability, but no canards or thrust-vectoring engines. The Chinese navy also bought similar "Su-30MK2" machines with enhanced antishipping attack capabilities.
Su-30MKM: A copy of Su-30MKI with special configuration for Malaysia.
Su-30KN(Flanker-B Mod. 2): Improved single-seater that features new electronics that allow the Su-30KN to perform new functions, most concerning navigation.
Su-30KI (Flanker-B Mod. 2): Improved single-seater with Su-30MK features for Indonesia deal that fell through, following in the steps of an "Su-27SMK" evaluation aircraft flown in the mid-1990s.
Su-27M (Su-35 / 37, Flanker-E/F): Series of improved demonstrators for an advanced single-seat multirole Su-27S derivative. The series also included a two-seat "Su-35UB" demonstrator.
Su-27SM (Flanker-B Mod. 1): Upgraded Russian Su-27S, featuring technology evaluated in the Su-27M demonstrators.
Su-27SKM: Single-seat multirole fighter. It is a derivative of the Su-27SK but includes upgrades such as advanced cockpit, more sophisticated self-defense electronic countermeasures (ECM) and an in-flight refueling system.
Su-27UBM: Comparable upgraded Su-27UB two-seater.
Su-32 (Su-27IB): Two-seat dedicated long-range strike variant with side-by-side seating in "platypus" nose. Prototype of SU-32FN and Su-34 Fullback
Su-27KUB: Essentially an Su-27K carrier-based single-seater with a side-by-side cockpit, for use as a naval carrier trainer or multirole aircraft.
Su-35 BM- or dubbed "The Last Flanker" latest development from Sukhoi Flanker Family, newer avionics and new radar,the Irbis-E high power PESA radar with capability to track 3m RCS target at 400Km and 0,01m RCS at 90Km
Operators
Around 680 Su-27s were manufactured by the Soviet Union and Russia. This number only includes the Su-27 and not the number of later development aircraft.
: About 8 Su-27 and 27UB.
; : Possibly 25 in service.
: China acquired 76 Su-27 fighters from Russia before signing an agreement in 1998 to redesign China's own versions of the plane as the Shenyang J-11 (about 100 have been built by 2004). In 2006, China also purchased 100 Sukhoi Su-30MKK/MK2 (Modernizirovannyi Kommercheskiy Kitaiskiy - upgraded commercial [version] for China) for the People's Liberation Army Air Force and 48 Sukhoi Su-33 for PLANAF's future carrier fighter.
; : About 8 Su-27SK/27UB went to Eritrea in 2003.
: 15
; : After years of negotiations, India finally ordered 40 Su-30MKI aircraft with more powerful AL-31FP engines, advanced avionics, canards, and thrust vectoring. Hindustan Aeronautics has a license to manufacture up to 140 additional aircraft through 2020.
: Indonesia has 2 Su-27SK and 2 Su-30MK in order to replace their old A-4 Skyhawk . In 2007-2009, the Indonesian Air Force will receive 3 Su-27SKM and 3 Su-30MK2 to expand their Su-27s to be a squadron. Indonesian Su-27 has been seen on live fire exercise delivering o-fab bombs. There have been rumors that other precision ordnance will equip them but no concrete evidence has been observed. Both Su-30MK currently are having problems with un-identified avionics subsystems. Indonesian Air Force officials claimed that it's caused by unavailability of spares. It is a dubious explanation at best since the type has been proliferating recently. At this stage, the Indonesian Flanker force is still a long way to go from becoming a viable force.
: operates around 30 and is due a further twelve under agreement.
: Malaysia ordered 18 Su-30MKM in 2003 worth US$900 million expecting deliveries in 2006. The Su-30MKM is equipped with the latest missiles to include a variety of the AA-10 missiles, AA-12 and AA-11 as well as a complete range of air to ground weapons to include guided and unguided missiles and bombs. Malaysia's aircraft come equipped with canards and thrust vectoring engines for high agility.
: 449 are in service with the Russian Air Force. The Russians presently plan to upgrade their aircraft to the Su-27SM standard, which will include a glass cockpit and a change to digital fly-by-wire. The radar is to be upgraded with a phased array (most likely Pero) allowing increased range. The self defense and navigation suites will also be upgraded, as well as an attack suite. They hope this will be completed by 2008. Besides the 449 Su-27, Russia also has 10 Su-30, 23 Su-33, 4 Su-34 and 5 Su-35.
: 80 .
: has 25 in service.
: Venezuelan Air Force has 24 Su-30MK2 in a deal worth US$1.5 billion.
: Vietnam has twelve Su-27SK and has ordered a further 24.
Incidents and accidents
September 9, 1990: Salgareda Air Show, Italy, 2 killed (pilot R. Stankyavichus + 1 spectator).
July 27, 2002: Sknyliv airshow disaster at Lviv, Ukraine - 78 spectators killed (Video
)
Popular culture
The Su-27 is in a starring role in the SSI flight simulator game Su-27 Flanker.Further Information
Get more info on 'Su-27'.
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