| 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'
|
| HISTORY: |
| First Flight | ('Flanker-A') 20 May 1977
('Flanker-B')April 1981 |
Service Entry
| 1984
|
| CREW: | 1 pilot
|
ESTIMATED COST:
| unknown
|
| AIRFOIL SECTIONS: |
| Wing Root | unknown (5%) |
Wing Tip
| unknown (5%)
|
| 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
|
| 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)
|
| PROPULSION: |
| Powerplant | two Saturn/ Lyul'ka AL-31F afterburningturbofans |
| Thrust | 55,114 lb (245.16 kN)
|
| 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
|
| 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
|
| 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
|
| KNOWN COMBATRECORD: | none
|
| KNOWN OPERATORS: | Russian AirForce
Belarus
China
Ukraine
|
3-VIEW SCHEMATIC: |
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