Su-27 Flanker Front-Line Fighter Aircraft, Russia
Sukhoi Su-27 (NATO code: Flanker) is a fighter
originally manufactured by the Soviet Union, and designed by the Sukhoi Design
Bureau. The fighter is often referred to as the result of competition between
the Sukhoi with Mikoyan-Gurevich, because the Su-27 and MiG-29 form is similar.
This is a misnomer, because the Su-27 interceptor aircraft designed as air superiority fighter and distance, while the MiG-29 was designed to fill the role of close support aircraft.
This is a misnomer, because the Su-27 interceptor aircraft designed as air superiority fighter and distance, while the MiG-29 was designed to fill the role of close support aircraft.
In 1969, the Soviet Union informed that the U.S. Air Force has selected McDonnell Douglas to produce the design of an experimental aircraft (which would evolve into the F-15). To deal with future threats, the Soviet Union began a program of PFI (Perspektivnyi Frontovoy Istrebitel, "advanced tactical fighter") aircraft are planned to produce designs that can rival the results of the United States.
However, the specifications required to meet the
requirements of this program on a plane just proved to be too complicated and
expensive. So the program is divided into two, namely TPFI (Tyazholiy
Perspektivnyi Frontovoi Istrebitel, "advanced tactical fighter aircraft
weight") and the LPFI (Lyogkiy Perspektivnyi Frontovoi Istrebitel,
"advanced tactical fighter light"). This step is also similar to what
the United States, which the United States began a program "Lightweight
Fighter" which will result in an F-16. Sukhoi OKB given TPFI program.
Sukhoi on the designers' initiative under the supervision of
O.S. Samoilovich at the end of 1969. The new plane was required to provide
effective engagement of the F-15 fighter being developed in the USA under the
FX programme from 1966, the Soviet fighter being positioned, the same as its
foreign rival, as an "air-superiority" aircraft. In contrast to the USSR's
previous efforts to "catch up" with the Americans, Soviet aircraft
designers decided this time to produce an aeroplane in no way inferior, and
even superior, to "the adversary". To achieve this objective, the
Design Bureau put quite a few challenging ideas into the configuration under
development right from the start, such as placing the engines widely spaced in
two nacelles under the fuselage body, and placing the vertical tail unit in
between the wings and horizontal tail unit.
At the initial stage, the Design Bureau produced a great
number of alternative configuration concepts, including the one based on a
conventional solution, with an integral body, modelled on the F-15; but
interestingly enough, however, at the end of the day, it was the new concept of
airframe configuration that the subsequent design efforts were based upon.
Another important feature of the new fighter was to be implementation of the
concept of longitudinal static instability, with balancing achieved through use
of an electronic distance control system (EDCS). Introduction of this
innovation promised a substantial decrease in losses for balancing and a
dramatic improvement in the plane’s manoeuvrability in dogfighting.
At the initial stage, the Design Bureau produced a great
number of alternative configuration concepts, including the one based on a
conventional solution, with an integral body, modelled on the F-15; but
interestingly enough, however, at the end of the day, it was the new concept of
airframe configuration that the subsequent design efforts were based upon.
Another important feature of the new fighter was to be implementation of the
concept of longitudinal static instability, with balancing achieved through use
of an electronic distance control system (EDCS). Introduction of this
innovation promised a substantial decrease in losses for balancing and a
dramatic improvement in the plane’s manoeuvrability in dogfighting.
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 separatepodded 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 Ramenskoye, resulting in the
temporary codename of 'Ram-K'.
The T-10 was spotted by Western observers
and assigned the NATO reporting name'Flanker-A'. The
development of the T-10 was marked by considerable problems, leading to a fatal
crash on 7 May 1978. Extensive redesigns followed, and a heavily revised
version, theT-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 Su-27's basic design is aerodynamically
similar to the MiG-29, but it is substantially larger. The swept wing blends into thefuselage at the leading edge extensions and is essentially a cropped delta (the delta
wing with tips cropped for missile rails or ECMpods). The Su-27 is
also an example of a tailed delta wing
configuration, retaining conventional horizontal tailplanes, though it is not a true delta. It has two vertical tailfins outboard of the engines, supplemented by two ventral
fins that fold down 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 Su-27 had the Soviet Union’s first
operational fly-by-wirecontrol 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 manoeuvrability with
a Cobra (Pugachev’s Cobra) or dynamic
deceleration – briefly sustained level flight at a 120° angle of attack.
The first Su-27 prototype in production configuration, T10-7,
was accepted for flight testing in the spring of 1981, its first flight
performed by V.S. Ilyushin on 20th April 1981. In 1982, the Komsomolsk-on-Amur
plant started mass production. The first series Su-27 was flight tested at the
plant on 1st June 1982, the plane having been taken off the ground for its
first flight by the design bureau's test pilot A.N. Isakov. Governmental
integration tests of the Su-27 were completed in December 1983.
The test results confirmed the extremely high APC of the new
aeroplane. When brought together, the modifications produced a synergetic
effect on the T-10S: the resulting plane demonstrated superior flight
performance, leaving behind all the rivals in its class.
The testing of the Su-27 under a variety of programmes
continued for several years longer. The Su-27 was officially put into service
by a decree of the government of 23rd August 1990 after all the major faults
identified during the tests had been remedied. By that time, Su-27 had been in
service for 5 years. The first pilots at combat units to receive the Su-27 in
June 1985 were the aviators of the 60th FAR in the Far Eastern MD (Dzemghi). By
1989, Su-27 aeroplanes were in service in 16 combat units of the Air Forces and
ADF of the USSR. According to the command personnel and pilots of the
transition units, despite the fact that in terms of scope and complexity the
systems and weapons the plane was far superior to all aircraft of the previous
generation, Su-27 transition training was quite straightforward and
problem-free, with the plane proving quite easy to master for average pilots.
The Design Bureau started work to develop a two-seat combat
trainer version of the Su-27 in 1976, with conceptual design of the Su-27UB
(factory code T-10U) successfully passing critical design review in 1978. The
first prototype of the two-seater was made at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur production
plant to the design bureau specifications and returned to Moscow for
engineering follow-up in the spring of 1984. The first flight of the T10U-1 was
performed 7th March by the design bureau's test pilot N.F. Sadovnikov. Official
testing took place between 1985 and 1987. Production of a Su-27UB development
batch was set up in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, and in 1985 MAI gave the order for the
production of the two-seat trainer to be moved to Irkutsk. The first
mass-produced Su-27UB was flight tested at the Irkutsk plant on 10th September
1986 by a crew of test pilots G.Ye. Bulanov and N.N. Ivanov. The combat units
received the first production Su-27UB in 1987.
The programme to develop the Su-27 as a new-generation plane
was the USSR's major national defence programme in the '70s-'80s. Its
implementation was financed on a large scale, which had the most favourable
effect on the development of many establishments in the national aircraft
industry and related areas, making it possible to retrofit many production
facilities and introduce a great number of new technologies.
The Su-27 programme set up a large network of subcontractors
across the country. Large-scale introduction of leading-edge technologies was
the rule for all of the plane's systems. For example:
- The plane's powerplant comprises two AL-31F turbofans
developed by the Design Bureau of A.M. Lyulka. In terms of specifications and
performance, these are new-generation engines with superior weight, thrust and
fuel consumption characteristics achieved through a dramatic improvement in
compressor gas-dynamic behaviour and operating temperature before the turbine.
It was only possible to achieve such characteristics by harnessing promising
new materials and technologies: new titanium alloys, heat-resistant steels,
single-crystal vanes, special coatings, and other new features;
- For the plane as a whole, it was vitally important to stay
within the weight limits so that the Su-27's various systems had to be
extensively reengineered to incorporate new components. For example, it was
decided, to meet the specifications for the control system and reduce the size
and weight of its assemblies, to incorporate in the plane's design the USSR's
first mass-produced hydraulic system with operating pressure increased up to
280 kg/cm², and a radically new type of steering linkage, with power and
distribution centres separated into individual blocks;
- The Su-27’s avionics were developed based on large-scale
introduction of digital processing using an onboard computer and the principle
of extensive integration of various systems by function; for instance, the fire
control system incorporated, in addition to a target search and track radar
channel (multi-purpose onboard radar), an independent information channel,
i.e., an optical search and tracking station;
- As part of the goal-oriented retrofitting programme, the
Su-27 received a specially developed new-generation guided missile of medium
(K-27E) and short (K-73) range.
All the above made it possible to create a combat aircraft
capability which can be used to effectively engage the very best foreign-made
combat planes. All the subsequent history of the Su-27 series validates this
conclusion.
Between 1986 and 1990, using a specially configured prototype
aeroplane T10-15, which became known as P-42, the design bureau's test pilots
established 41 IAF-registered world records of rate-of-climb and flight
altitude, some of the records being absolute.
In June 1989, the Su-27 and Su-27UB were for the first time
shown abroad, at the Le Bourget air show. The design bureau's test pilots V.G.
Pugachov and Ye.I. Frolov demonstrated to the international aviation community
the superior manoeuvrability of Sukhoi planes. From that day on, Su-27 type
planes have been participating in the most prestigious international aviation
events, invariably demonstrating the highest level of achievement in the
Russian aircraft industry.
Another proof of the plane's superior combat performance is
the Su-27's commercial success in the global marketplace. Starting in 1991, the
production facilities in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and Irkutsk have been producing
export variants of the Su-27: the Su-27SK and Su-27UBK. Models of these types
have since 1992 been exported to China, Vietnam, Ethiopia and Indonesia, and
Su-27SKs have since 1998 been produced as the F/J-11 in China under licence in
accordance with intergovernmental agreement. The first licensed-production
plane, assembled in the town of Shenyang, was flight tested on 16th December
1998.
As a baseline design, Su-27 had a high reconfiguration
potential, which allowed the Design Bureau to start work on enhanced versions.
Variants
Soviet-era
· T10 ("Flanker-A"):
Initial prototype configuration.
· T10S:
Improved prototype configuration, more similar to production spec.
· P-42:
Special version built to beat climb time records. The aircraft had all
armament, radar and paint removed, which reduced weight to 14,100 kg. It
also had improved engines.
· Su-27 Pre-production
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"
· Su-27P (Su-27 /
"Flanker-B"): Standard version but without air-to-ground
weapons control system and wiring and assigned toSoviet Air Defence Forces units.
Often designated Su-27 without -P.
· 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" prototypesand demonstrators.
· Su-27M (Su-35/Su-37, Flanker-E/F):
Improved demonstrators for an advanced single-seat multi-role Su-27S
derivative. These also included a two-seat "Su-35UB" demonstrator.
Post-Soviet
era
· Su-27PD:
Single-seat demonstrator with improvements such as inflight refuelling probe.
· Su-27PU (Su-30): Two-seat limited production machine with
improvements such as inflight refuelling probe, fighter direction avionics, new
flight control system, and so on.
· Su-30M / Su-30MK: Next-generation
multi-role two-seater. A few Su-30Ms were built for Russian evaluation in the
mid-1990s, though little came of the effort. The Su-30MK export variant was
embodied as a series of two demonstrators of different levels of capability.
Versions include Su-30MKA for Algeria, Su-30MKI for India, Su-30MKK for thePeople's Republic of China,
and Su-30MKM for Malaysia.
· J-11: Version of Su-27 built under licence in
China.
· Su-27SM (Flanker-B
Mod. 1):
Mid-life upgraded Russian Su-27S, featuring technology evaluated in the Su-27M
demonstrators.
· Su-27SKM:
Single-seat multi-role fighter for export. 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 refuelling system.
· Su-27UBM:
Comparable upgraded Su-27UB two-seater.
· Su-27SM2:
4.5-gen block upgrade for Russian Su-27, featuring some technology of the
Su-35BM; it includes Irbis-E radar, and upgraded engines and avionics.
· Su-27SM3:
The same as the Su-27SM but in contrast is newly-built rather than a mid-life
upgrade.
· 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 multi-role
aircraft.
· Su-35BM/Su-35S:
Also dubbed the "Last Flanker" is latest development from Sukhoi
Flanker family. It features newer avionics and new radar.
General characteristics
·
Crew: 1
·
Length: 21.9
m (72 ft)
·
Wingspan: 14.7 m (48 ft 3 in)
·
Height: 5.92
m (19 ft 6 in)
·
Wing area: 62
m² (667 ft²)
·
Empty weight: 16,380 kg
(36,100 lb)
·
Loaded weight: 23,430 kg
(51,650 lb)
·
Max. takeoff weight: 30,450
kg (67,100 lb)
·
Powerplant: 2 × Saturn/Lyulka
AL-31F turbofans
·
Dry thrust: 7,670
kgf (75.22 kN, 16,910 lbf) each
·
Thrust with afterburner: 12,500 kgf (122.6 kN, 27,560 lbf) each
·
Leading edge sweep: 42°
Performance
·
Maximum speed: Mach
2.35 (2,500 km/h, 1,550 mph) at altitude
·
Range: 3,530 km (2,070 mi) at altitude;
(1,340 km / 800 mi at sea level)
·
Service ceiling: 19,000
m (62,523 ft)
·
Rate of climb: 300 m/s[57] (54,000 ft/min)
·
Wing loading: 371 kg/m² (76 lb/ft²)
·
Thrust/weight: 1.07
Armament
·
1 × 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon with
150 rounds
·
8,000 kg (17,600 lb) on 10 external
pylons
·
Up to 6 × medium-range AA missiles R-27, 2 × short-range heat-seeking AA missiles R-73
Su-27S armament
·
30 mm GSH-30 Cannon, 150 rounds
·
6 × Medium-Range R-27R, R-27ER, R-27T, R-27ET
·
4 × Short-Range R-73E
·
FAB-250
·
FAB-500
·
RBK-250
·
RBK-500
·
S-8
·
S-13
·
S-24
·
S-25
Su-27SM armament
·
6 x Vympel R-77 advanced medium-range missile
·
4 x KAB-500KR and KAB-500L Guided Bombs
·
4 x Kh-29
·
4 x Kh-31
·
10 x Kh-35