ORIGINS- HOW THE ICONIC SUKHOI SU-27 FIGHTER WAS BORN

[Major Shaitan Singh]

The Su-27 family is inarguably the best fighter aircraft that Russia has produced till date. These large and powerful aircraft are extremely maneuverable and can carry huge payloads over long distances. They were designed from scratch to be better than the American F-15 in all aspects. I was inspired to write about the Su-27 after watching a full feature documentary ‘Wings of Russia’ on their origins. This article will contain the story and screenshots from the video and my analysis and explanation of how the Soviets managed to develop the iconic Su-27 fighter which later spawned into the Su-30/35 and became widely popular around the world. Since there is a lot to be covered, the article is split into 2 parts.

ORIGINS

The Sukhoi design bureau had its origins in WW2 and they have had a string of successes ever since. But after WW2 the Americans had taken a lead in fighter jet technology with their highly advanced fighters. The Soviet Union wanted to develop a new 4th generation fighter jet that would outperform the latest American jets including the F-15 by 10-15% in all aspects. It would also have a 2 engine design for better combat survivability. However, Pavel Sukhoi, the Chief designer and founder had serious doubts regarding the Soviet Union’s ability to equip a new gen fighter with the latest electronics as the Soviet electronics industry lagged behind its American counterpart and produced larger and heavier electronic components which would be unsuitable for a modern fighter. But by the time the new fighter would be developed and put into production, the Soviet electronics industry took a leap forward and managed to catch up with the West in many aspects.

The Soviet electronics industry lagged behind its American counterpart

Then in March 1971, 3 companies, Mikoyan, Yakovlev and Sukhoi put forth interesting designs in order to win the competition to build the ultimate 4th gen fighter for the Soviet Union. Yakovlev put forth a conventional fighter design which was physically similar to 3rd gen fighters, Mikoyan put forth a design which used existing designs upon a light airframe and Sukhoi proposed a radically different design which was large, heavy and consisted of a new curved wing design. The initial design of the Su-27 was drawn up by Vladimir Antonov, who was the leading designer in the Sukhoi design bureau in the 1970s. This design was improved upon by his team of designers and engineers and a design was finalized. This design was presented in front of Pavel Sukhoi for approval who immediately was so impressed that he promoted Antonov on the spot.

Initial designs put forth by Yakovlev, Mikoyan and Sukhoi (new wing design)


Sukhoi with their secondary conventional wing design

However there was a second stage of the tender where the 3 companies presented finalized designs. Mikoyan presented an evolved design which they called the MiG-29, Yakovlev presented their existing design as the Yak-45 and Sukhoi presented the Su-27 in the new design as well as a conventional design. Here, the Russians realized the need to have a heavy and light fighter mix for their 4th gen fleet. Hence the MiG-29 design was selected as the future light fighter and the Su-27 was selected as the heavy fighter. The Americans too had a similar mindset and they developed the heavy F-15 and the lightweight F-16. Yakovlev withdrew and didn’t participate in the tender after this. This was how the MiG-29 and Su-27 were approved and came into existence.

The T10-1 mockup

The initial work on building a prototype started soon after and the project was codenamed T-10 as the name Su-27 was classified. Since it was the largest aviation project of its time, several other design bureaus, aviation institutes and research organizations were involved to share the workload and speed up the developmental process. The first full scale mockup called the T10-1 impressed all those who were involved in the project due to its graceful and sleek design. However, there was a slogan which was coined at that time ‘Soviet better then American’ and this was deeply implanted in the minds of all those who were involved in the project and they put all their effort to ensure that the Su-27 was a better aircraft than the F-15.

The first T-10 prototype

In 1977, 6 years after the project was conceived, the first T-10 prototype was completed and ready for flight tests. Although it was a milestone for the Sukhoi Design Bureau, its founder Pavel Sukhoi passed away in 1975 and did not live to see the Su-27 take its first flight. On May 20th 1977 in Zhukovsky, the test pilot Vladimir Illushyn (son of the designer Illushyn and senior test pilot in Sukhoi) first flew the T-10 and was very impressed. He said that in earlier fighters, he always felt that he could do more than the aircraft but this was the first time he felt an aircraft could do more than him. He meant that he had mastered the capabilities of all earlier aircraft, but the T-10 was so capable that no matter how much he mastered it, there would be more to learn from this amazing machine. He had to improve his existing knowledge and skills in order to master the Su-27. When these words come from a country’s best test pilot, it holds a lot of weight and highlights the excellent aerodynamic design of the aircraft.

T-10 prototype during its first flight


Vladimir Illushyn in the cockpit of the T-10

 

[Major Shaitan Singh]

However, the T-10 was a long way from entering service and it was evident that the Soviets had to work hard on other aspects of the aircraft as well and further improve its performance, if they were going to make it better than the F-15. As I initially mentioned, the Soviets lagged behind the Americans in electronics and it now came to haunt them in the T-10. Its electronics were bulky and heavy and exceeded the weight requirements of the aircraft. It was way behind the F-15 in terms of electronics and weight ratios. The F-15 had already set many world records during a special flight in 1975, and the Soviets were eager to finish the Su-27 project. Then more problems cropped up relating to engine issues, high fuel consumption and the lack of modern missiles to equip the aircraft in the future. Even though the T-10 handled exceptionally in its first flight, it faced a lot of aerodynamic issues when it was subjected to rigorous testing. There were problems at high Angle of Attack (AOA – The angle made by the wing to the direction of airflow). All this led to delays in development and making the Su-27 better than the F-15 was still a dream and also by this time, the American jets were already in production.


Old design (red) and new design (blue)
Now, the Chief Designer, Mikhail Simonov was put in charge of modifying the existing design extensively to rectify all its faults. This was almost like redesigning it from scratch but the Sukhoi design bureau was well organized and equipped to cope with this failure and make the necessary corrections to make the Su-27 better than the American F-15. They took just 3 months’ time to make these changes and improve its performance. The engine nacelles were made streamlined, the wing root and wing combined with the fuselage to create one huge lift surface, the landing gear design was changed and the twin tail fins were placed further apart to improve the aerodynamic characteristics. The position of the airbrakes was shifted to just behind the cockpit, the nose wheels were placed closer to the engine air intakes. These were just some of the changes made to improvements. The one improvement that made a difference in combat was the increase in the number of missile suspension hardpoints from 8 to 10 which gave the flanker its legendary missile loadout.


The engine nacelles were streamlined after the redesign

The number of weapon carrying points was increased to 10

Note the new position of the tail fins (blue) when compared to the old one (red) and the shape of the wings

Change in position of the nose landing gear. Old(Top) and New (Bottom)
When all seemed to be going smoothly, a bad accident occurred. When the new prototype was flying at speeds of 2300 km/hr while testing the strength of the airframe, the nose of the fuselage was destroyed and unfortunately the test pilot did not survive. During another test flight during heavy manoeuvers, the port wing was destroyed. But the skill of the test pilot Nikolai allowed him to bring down the plane on just one functioning wing! Then after basic testing was done, the prototypes were handed over to the military who subjected it to extreme tests to test its capabilities and vulnerabilities. After all necessary cockpit modifications were made, the Su-27 finally became operational in 1985 in the Soviet Air Force air defence squadrons.

In the second part of the article, the combat capabilities and export successes of the Su-27 family will be covered and you will find out if the Su-27 managed to be better than the F-15.


Su-27 with its port wing broken

 

[Major Shaitan Singh]

In my previous article here, I covered the origin and the development of the Su-27 in detail. In this article I will track the evolution of the Su-27 and its combat capabilities and we will see how it compared with its American rival, the F-15. The previous article ended with the acceptance of the Su-27 into the Soviet Air Force. It officially was still a secret fighter and now, the Soviets were ready to unveil it to the world. The details for the story and photos are sourced from the ‘Wings of Russia’ documentary which I recommend Su-27 lovers to watch. Here I have interpreted and given an analytical account of the story as well as additional information from my research.

EVOLUTION
In 1986, when the Su-27 was still an official secret, it was decided to make a special variant of it which was modified to break the word records set by the F-15 special variant ‘Streak Eagle’ in 1975. This aircraft, for the purpose of secrecy was designated as P-42 as the Soviets still weren’t ready to unveil it to the public. The P-42 was a heavily stripped Su-27 and had all its combat systems and electronics removed in order to reduce its weight to minimum. Its paint was removed as well in order to make it more aerodynamic. The other extremely important factor is the thrust to weight ratio which is directly affected by the weight of the aircraft. The Su-27 had a weight of 23 tons and a thrust of 25 tons, which meant that the thrust to weight ratio exceeded 1. This ensures very good performance.


The specially modified P-42

However, the P-42 was so heavily stripped to make it light that its weight was reduced to almost 12 tons from the initial 23 tons! This meant that the thrust to weight ratio was 2 (because 25/12 is approx =2) which allowed it to attain incredible rates of acceleration. This was demonstrated when the P-42 exceeded the speed of sound in vertical flight! In the next 2 years, the P-42 set more than 30 world records. Test pilot Victor Pugachev broke the F-15 climb record by 2 seconds and Test pilot Nikolai broke the F-15 climb record by 7 seconds by climbing 15 km in 1 minute 16 seconds! This made the Su-27 the winner in the performance parameters round. But it still had a long way to go and was yet to be exposed to the world.


US spy satellite image of T-10 prototype


Su-27 photos taken by NATO pilots in 1987


In 1987 the NATO got its first good look at the Su-27 during its operational patrols. The photos taken at that time were the first clear photos possessed by the western intelligence. The first image was taken in 1978 from a spy satellite. At last in 1989, the Soviets decided to display the Su-27 at the Paris air show and unveil its existence to the world formally. It made a spectacular impact by flying nonstop from Zhukovsky, near Moscow to Paris without external fuel tanks and air tanker support. This was done to show to the west that the Su-27 could easily cross over half of Europe and had more range than any other fighter they had. It then vowed the audience and aviation experts with its incredible maneuverability. It was here that Victor Pugachev performed the famous Pugachev Cobra manoeuver which remains associated like a trademark with the Flanker till date. The Cobra involves the Su-27 going into supercritical angles of attack (>90 degrees) and sharply reducing its speed by about 250 km/hr, to allow the trailing fighter to fly past so that the Su-27 can get on its tail. The illustration shows how the manoeuver in performed. These excellent characteristics led to the Russian Knights air display team using the Su-27 which is popular all over the world.


Supercritical Angle of Attack attained during the Cobra manoeuver

Illustration of Su-27 performing cobra manoeuver

It was in this particular air show that Chinese and Indian officials paid attention to the Su-27 and the Soviet Union was going to get large export orders from these 2 nations in the coming years. The Chinese procured the Su-27 and made their own copies. They later on procured the multirole Su-30 as well. India however took a different approach. They wanted a Su-30 which was fitted with their choice of avionics sourced from western nations. This resulted in the Su-30Mki which remained the best variant of Su-30 in service until Russia started producing the S-30SM. It is interesting to note that these Su-30s are twin seaters. India became the largest Su-30 customer when their order for the Su-30Mki touched 272 aircraft.


F-15 with the Su-27

In 1992, a long awaited dream came true for both sides when after negotiations, the Su-27s made a friendly visit to the USAF base in Virginia for mock combat with their nemesis F-15s. It was decided that there would be 2 rounds of dogfights in which the Su-27 would be the tail for one round and vice versa for the other round. First, the Su-27 tailed the F-15 in a mock dogfight, but the Eagle failed to break the tail and disengage the Flanker. In the second round, the F-15 tailed the Su-27. The flanker pilot managed to rapidly reduce speed and did a one and half turn which made the F-15 to shoot past and put the flanker on the tail of the eagle. This meant that the Su-27 clearly won both the mock dogfighting rounds and showed its worth. The America general flew in a 2 seat Su-27 and later on indicated that its maneuverability was better than that of the F-15. It was a sweet victory for the Su-27 of the now Russian Air Force.


F-15 initially started on the tail of the Su-27


The Su-27 ended up on the tail of the F-15

 

[Major Shaitan Singh]

Let us now examine the exact combat capabilities and features of the Su-27. The initial Su-27 production models had a completely analog cockpit with a tiny display for the radar. The pilot used a helmet mounted sight to aim his weapons. The radar was a mechanically scanning radar which could detect fighter sized targets at 100+ km. It also featured an optical detection system which consisted of an infrared Search & Track system and a laser rangefinder. This allowed to the Su-27 to detect targets at around 50 km passively, without using its radar and exposing itself. This feature would be very crucial in close combat scenarios. The radar, optical sensors and the helmet mounted display were completely integrated and used in conjunction to ensure optimal combat performance. Systems like helmet mounted display and the IRST were missing from its rival, the F-15. It is also interesting to note that the twin seater Su-27UB had the same capabilities of the single seater with no reduction in capabilities whatsoever.


Mechanically Scanning radar on the Su-27


IRST and optical detection pod on the nose, just in front of the cockpit

Close up of the IRST and optical detection pod

The basic Su-27 was an air superiority fighter and lacked air to ground capabilities. However the following batch was upgraded to Su-27M standard and was fitted with a new radar which enables it to detect air and surface targets and carry air to air and air to ground weapons. This made it a true multirole fighter but it didn’t enter service due to economic troubles and instability in the early 1990s. But there was another variant of the Su-27 which was lucky. The Su-27K was chosen to be the main fighter of the Soviet Navy and was redesigned to operate from their fleet of new carriers which were being built. The main role of the Su-27K ( renamed as Su-33) was to provide protection to a Soviet Naval battle group from air attacks launched by the US Navy’s extremely powerful carriers. Only small numbers of the Su-33 were built before their production was stopped and with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the carrier fleet dream also ended. Only one carrier was in service with around a dozen Su-33 fighters based on it. This was how the Soviet dream of a powerful carrier based fleet of fighters was cut short.

Su-33 taking off from the Russan carrier Admiral Kuznetsov

The missile load of the Su-27 is highly enviable. It has 10 hardpoints which can accommodate 10 air to air missiles in air superiority mode which was increased to 12 on later models. This is twice the usual load of lightweight fighter and definitely more the the F-15 as the Su-27 never had to waste hardpoints for carrying external fuel tanks due to the massive range provided by the internal fuel tanks itself. This meant that the Su-27 could stay in the fight, long after its rivals had exhausted their missiles. The missiles carried include the R-73, R-77 and R-27 Air to Air missiles. Nearly every type of bomb and missile in the Soviet inventory could be carried by the Su-27 although its abilities as a multi role fighter were limited. The need for a tactical bomber with the performance of the Su-27 led to the development of the Su-34 fighter-bomber which is currently unparalleled in its capabilities.


Some of the positions of the TVC nozzles on Su-35

The Su-27 didn’t stop at the Su-30 evolution. The Sukhoi design bureau further improved upon the Su-27 and developed the Su-35/37. These aircraft featured large multifunction LCD displays in their cockpit and the revolutionary new 3D thrust vectoring control (TVC) nozzles for their engines which gave them what we call as supermanoeuverability which enables it to out turn its rivals in a dogfight. These aircraft are unequaled in range, payload and maneuverability by any other fighter. The thrust vectoring nozzles was also adopted on some of the Su-30 series. The Su-37 was basically a technology demonstrator and the Su-35 design was adopted for serial production. The Su-35 is essentially a Su-37 without the canards in front of the main wings. The Su-35S is the latest variant which is a single seat multirole fighter. It was put into full scale production and the Russian Air Force has ordered around 100 aircraft.


Su-35 with a mixed load. The latest Khibiny jamming pods are visible at the wingtips

The major difference in the Su-30/35 when compared to the Su-27 is the presence of a Passive Electronically Scanning Radar (PESA) and 12 missile carrying hardpoints which can be increased to 14 in an Air to Air load where 4 R-77 (RVV-AE) missiles can be fitted under the fuselage, 2 R-77 under engine air intakes, 4 R-77 and 4 R-73 under wings. The even shocking fact is that the number of hardpoints can be increased to 16! This is done using multiple ejector racks to carry lightweight AAMs or Rocket pods. Can you name any other aircraft in the world has a similar weapon load and yet retains a 1000+ km combat radius? These aircraft are fully multirole are now scheduled to get X-band AESA radars. The Su-35S has a wing mounted L-band radar which is said to be capable of detecting stealth aircraft and long ranges. The Indian Su-30Mki is rumoured to get this capability after its upgrade as well. They also feature an advanced optical detection system and IRST to passively detect aircraft. These features and abilities, theoretically put the upgraded Su-30Mki, Su-30SM and the Su-35S beyond the capabilities of the F-15 and only the F-22 can be considered as a rival for these deadly Russian fighters.

14 Air to Air missiles can be carried in an ideal air superiority configuration


Indian Air Force Su-30Mki with 12 Air to Air missiles

CONCLUSION
I have highlighted the incidents and performance parameters of the aircraft and it should not be assumed the Su-27 will defeat the F-15 in combat. It depends entirely on the skill of the pilots on both sides, the support assets and the number of aircraft available. The F-15 has proven to be extremely successful in all the wars it has participated in till now and none have been lost in air to air combat. Whereas the Su-27 is largely unproven in combat. Until a Flanker and Eagle of major air forces face off in actual combat, we won’t know what will happen if these legends clash.

 

[Major Shaitan Singh]

Your Comment on this aircraft.

@Koovie, @Arun Salian, @faisal6309, @Falcon Madeeha, @Retaliator, @anilindia, @Butchcassidy, @nair, @Bilal Alam, @itachiii, @Abotani, @Norwegian, @Guynextdoor2, @enquencher, @WAJsal, @yusheng, @fck new world order,@rashid.sarwar, @Yazp, @sherin616, @sword1947, @Mrc, @doppelganger, @xyxmt, @JAT BALWAN, @A.Muqeet khan, @third eye, @WAR-rior, @Qasim Asif, @Zarvan, @Burger Boy, @zeeshanvita, @TejasMk3, @jbgt90, @Grindel, @razahassan1997, @digitaltiger, @Reashot Xigwin, @Umair Nawaz, @Razia Sultana, @Jf Thunder, @danish_vij, @qaiser @mukhtar @rajput, @usdesi, @Major Shaitan Singh, @vostok, @Rashid Mahmood, @Aslan, @xenon, @kankan326


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[BetterPakistan]

Your Comment on this aircraft.

@Koovie, @Arun Salian, @faisal6309, @Falcon Madeeha, @Retaliator, @anilindia, @Butchcassidy, @nair, @Bilal Alam, @itachiii, @Abotani, @Norwegian, @Guynextdoor2, @enquencher, @WAJsal, @yusheng, @fck new world order,@rashid.sarwar, @Yazp, @sherin616, @sword1947, @Mrc, @doppelganger, @xyxmt, @JAT BALWAN, @A.Muqeet khan, @third eye, @WAR-rior, @Qasim Asif, @Zarvan, @Burger Boy, @zeeshanvita, @TejasMk3, @jbgt90, @Grindel, @razahassan1997, @digitaltiger, @Reashot Xigwin, @Umair Nawaz, @Razia Sultana, @Jf Thunder, @danish_vij, @qaiser @mukhtar Rajput, @usdesi, @Major Shaitan Singh, @vostok, @Rashid Mahmood, @Aslan, @xenon, @kankan326

Looks nice.

 

[doppelganger]

@Major Shaitan Singh

Thanks for tagging me bro, though am total defense ignoramus.

That said, there is no more menacing sight (maybe a tank comes close) of a steel grey Sukhoi getting ready for takeoff on the tarmac! Mere rongte khade ho jaate hain! All I can do from opening seat belt and standing up at attention and saluting LOL

 

[WAJsal]

Supercritical Angle of Attack attained during the Cobra manoeuver

Illustration of Su-27 performing cobra manoeuver

That's impressive .

Your Comment on this aircraft.

@Koovie, @Arun Salian, @faisal6309, @Falcon Madeeha, @Retaliator, @anilindia, @Butchcassidy, @nair, @Bilal Alam, @itachiii, @Abotani, @Norwegian, @Guynextdoor2, @enquencher, @WAJsal, @yusheng, @fck new world order,@rashid.sarwar, @Yazp, @sherin616, @sword1947, @Mrc, @doppelganger, @xyxmt, @JAT BALWAN, @A.Muqeet khan, @third eye, @WAR-rior, @Qasim Asif, @Zarvan, @Burger Boy, @zeeshanvita, @TejasMk3, @jbgt90, @Grindel, @razahassan1997, @digitaltiger, @Reashot Xigwin, @Umair Nawaz, @Razia Sultana, @Jf Thunder, @danish_vij, @qaiser @mukhtar Rajput, @usdesi, @Major Shaitan Singh, @vostok, @Rashid Mahmood, @Aslan, @xenon, @kankan326

I'm sorry i don't really have the knowledge to comment on this topic.

 

[Abotani]

Undoubtedly the best family of combat jets produced by Russian to date tbh.The Su-27/30 family is a great concern for any air force and a nightmare for the lesser air forces.That much is for sure.

 

[Yazp]

Your Comment on this aircraft.

@Koovie, @Arun Salian, @faisal6309, @Falcon Madeeha, @Retaliator, @anilindia, @Butchcassidy, @nair, @Bilal Alam, @itachiii, @Abotani, @Norwegian, @Guynextdoor2, @enquencher, @WAJsal, @yusheng, @fck new world order,@rashid.sarwar, @Yazp, @sherin616, @sword1947, @Mrc, @doppelganger, @xyxmt, @JAT BALWAN, @A.Muqeet khan, @third eye, @WAR-rior, @Qasim Asif, @Zarvan, @Burger Boy, @zeeshanvita, @TejasMk3, @jbgt90, @Grindel, @razahassan1997, @digitaltiger, @Reashot Xigwin, @Umair Nawaz, @Razia Sultana, @Jf Thunder, @danish_vij, @qaiser @mukhtar @rajput, @usdesi, @Major Shaitan Singh, @vostok, @Rashid Mahmood, @Aslan, @xenon, @kankan326


@Etilla @SpArK @Srinivas @desert warrior @DRAY @pumkinduke @wolfpack @pursuit of happiness @danish_vij @rubyjackass @Star Wars @Ammyy @bloo @Marxist @karan.1970@ Not Sure @Arav_Rana @Avik274 @SamantK @Omega007 @farhan_9909 @haviZsultan @Sidak @ranjeet @Yogijaat @ravi Nair @WAR-rior @halupridol @he-man @Indrani @Mike_Brando @SarthakGanguly @sreekumar @OrionHunter @lightoftruth @Water Car Engineer @indiatester @Ind4Ever @13 komaun @anant_s @itachiii @SwAggeR @Brahmos_2 @jaiind @Blue_Eyes @bhangi bava @SAMEET @naveen mishra @Bagha @utraash @Chanakya's_Chant @Krate M @gslv mk3 @r1_vns @blood @noksss @kurup @PARIKRAMA @thesolar65 @Rohit Patel @wolfschanzze @levina @vostok @rahi2357

Honestly I love Russian aircraft, Especially the SU27 Terminator.

 

[Koovie]

This is a must watch for any Sukhoi fanboy

 

[DJ Crudept]

Legendarily aircraft of 4 gen. For sure

 

[faisal6309]

This aircraft is nice.

 

[Echo_419]

This aircraft is nice.

Yeah if you mean Nice=Super uber Awesome

 

[Jf Thunder]

hmm, the twin engines add a lot to it you know