DESCRIPTION: Marking a major improvement in the quality of Soviet fighters, the Su-27 is a long-range air superiority fighter comparable to the US F-15 in size and mission. The Su-27 is equipped with an analog fly-by-wire control system, a powerful pulse-Doppler radar, and up to ten air-to-airmissiles giving it a potent look-down shoot-down capability. The Flanker also features a rearward-facing radar at the end of a long boom placed between the engines allowing the Su-27 to fire at targets behind the aircraft. The Su-27's high thrust-to-weight ratio and refined aerodynamics allow superb flight characteristics at high angles of attack. In addition, the Soviet Navy purchased an improved Su-27K design, later redesignated the Su-33, to operate off its first class of large aircraft carriers. The Su-33 features canards for improved maneuverabilty as well as a strengthened airframe for carrier operations. An interesting feature of the Su-27 is its autopilot which is able to return the aircraft to right-side-up level flight at any altitude when the pilot presses a "panic-button." Besides the Su-33, the basic Su-27 airframe has also been developed into the Su-30, Su-35 and Su-37 fighters as well as the Su-34 bomber. Data below for Su-27 'Flanker-B'
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HISTORY: |
First Flight | ('Flanker-A') 20 May 1977 ('Flanker-B')April 1981 |
Service Entry
| 1984
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CREW: | 1 pilot
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ESTIMATED COST:
| unknown
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AIRFOIL SECTIONS: |
Wing Root | unknown (5%) |
Wing Tip
| unknown (5%)
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DIMENSIONS: |
Length | 71.92 ft (21.94 m) |
Wingspan | 48.17 ft (14.70 m) |
Height | 19.42 ft (5.92 m) |
Wing Area | 666 ft2 (62.0 m2) |
Canard Area
| not applicable
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WEIGHTS: |
Empty | 32,020 lb (17,700 kg) |
Typical Load | 49,600 lb (22,500 kg) |
Max Takeoff | 66,140 lb (30,000 kg) |
Fuel Capacity | internal:unknown external: unknown |
Max Payload
| 17,640 lb (8,000 kg)
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PROPULSION: |
Powerplant | two Saturn/ Lyul'ka AL-31F afterburningturbofans |
Thrust | 55,114 lb (245.16 kN)
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PERFORMANCE: |
Max LevelSpeed | at altitude: 1,555 mph (2,500 km/h)at 36,090 ft (11,000 m), Mach 2.35 at sea level: unknown |
Initial ClimbRate | unknown |
ServiceCeiling | 59,055 ft (18,000 m) |
Range | typical: 2,100 nm (3,900 km) 810nm (1,500 km) with max payload ferry: 2,160 nm (4,000 km) |
g-Limits | +8
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ARMAMENT: |
Gun | one 30-mm GSh-301 cannon (149 rds) |
Stations | eight external hardpoints and two wingtiprails |
Air-to-AirMissile | R-60/AA-8 Aphid, R-27/AA-10 Alamo,R-73/AA-11 Archer, R-33/AA-9 Amos |
Air-to-SurfaceMissile | none |
Bomb | free-fall, cluster bombs |
Other | rocket pods, ECM pods
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KNOWN VARIANTS: |
T-10 | Original prototype, sufferedfrom excessive drag, weak structure, excessive weight, and flutter |
T-10S | Second redesigned prototype |
Su-27 'Flanker-A' | Production model prototype; 15built |
Su-27 'Flanker-B' | First production model withrefined aerodynamics and aft radar extension |
Su-27UB 'Flanker-C' | Two-seat combat-capable trainerwith improved radar in a longer nose |
Su-27K 'Flanker-D' | Prototype of the Su-33navalized fighter |
Su-27KU or Su-27IB | Prototype of the Su-34bomber |
Su-27M | Prototype of the Su-35fighter |
Su-27P | Air defense interceptor todefend against nuclear bombers |
Su-27PU | Prototype of the Su-30fighter bomber |
J-11 | Chinese designation for theSu-27, perhaps up to 300 to be license built in China
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KNOWN COMBATRECORD: | none
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KNOWN OPERATORS: | Russian AirForce Belarus China Ukraine
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3-VIEW SCHEMATIC: |