TITLE:
SUKHOI
Su-27
NATO
reporting name: 'Flanker'
TYPE:
Single-seat
all-weather air-superiority fighter and single/two-seat ground attack aircraft;
two-seat combat trainer.
PROGRAMME:
Development
began 1969 under leadership of Pavel Sukhoi; construction of T-10-1 prototype
(first of 15 Su-27 'Flanker-As'), under Mikhail Seemonov's supervision, began
1974 and it was flown 20 May 1977 by Vladimir Ilyushin. Prototypes, had curved
wingtips, rearward retracting nosewheel, tail fins mounted centrally above
engine housings; development was not easy; two pilots lost their lives before
major airframe redesign resulted in production configuration; production began
1979, with first flight of production aircraft 1981 and entry into service
1985; current production, for export only, centred in plant at Komsomolsk,
Khabarovsk Territory; ground attack role observed in 1991; new versions being
developed.
DESIGN
FEATURES:
Developed
to replace Yak-28P, Su-15 and Tu-28P/128 interceptors in APVO, and to escort
Su-24 deep-penetration strike missions; requirement was effective engagement of
F-15 and F-16 and other future aircraft and cruise missiles; exceptional range
on internal fuel made flight refuelling unnecessary until Su-24s received
probes; external fuel tanks still not considered necessary; all-swept
integrated mid-wing configuration, with long curved wing leading-edge root
extensions, lift-generating fuselage, twin tail fins and widely spaced engines
with wedge intakes; rear-hinged doors in intakes hinge up to prevent ingestion
of foreign objects during take-off and landing; integrated fire control system
with pilot's helmet-mounted target designator; exceptional high-Alpha
performance; basic wing leading-edge sweepback 42 degrees; no dihedral or
incidence.
LANDING
GEAR:
Hydraulically
retractable tricycle type, made by Hydromash, with single wheel on each unit;
mainwheels retract forward into wingroots; steerable nosewheel, with mudguard,
also retracts forward; mainwheel tyres 1300 x 350 mm, pressure 12.25-15.7 bars
(178-227 lb/sq in); nosewheel tyre 680 x 260 mm, pressure 9.3 bars (135 lb/ sq
in); hydraulic brakes with two-signal anti-skid system; brake-chute housed in
fuselage tailcone.
POWER
PLANT:
Two
Saturn/Lyulka AL-31F turbofans, each 122.6 kN (27557 lb st) with afterburning.
Large auxiliary air intake louvres in bottom of each three-ramp engine duct
near primary wedge intake; two rows of small vertical louvres in each sidewall
of wedge, and others in top face; fine-grille screen hinges up from bottom of
each duct to shield engine from foreign object ingestion during take-off and
landing. Pressure or gravity fuelling.
ACCOMMODATION:
Pilot
only, on K-36MD zero/zero ejection seat, under large rearward opening
transparent blister canopy, with low sill.
AVIONICS:
Track-while-scan
coherent pulse Doppler lookdown/shootdown radar (antenna diameter approx 1.0 m;
3 ft 4 in) with reported search range of 130 nm (240 km; 150 miles) and
tracking range of 100 nm (185 km; 115 miles); infrared search/track (IRST)
sensor in transparent housing forward of windscreen; Sirena-3 360 degrees radar
warning receivers, outboard of each bottom air intake lip and at tail.
Integrated fire control system enables radar, IRST and laser rangefinder to be
slaved to pilot's helmet-mounted target designator and displayed on wide-angle
HUD; autopilot able to restore aircraft to right-side-up level flight from any
attitude when 'panic button' depressed.
ARMAMENT:
One 30
mm GSh-301 gun in starboard wingroot extension, with 150 rds. Up to 10
air-to-air missiles in air combat role, on tandem pylons under fuselage between
engine ducts, beneath each duct, under each centre-wing and outer-wing, and at
each wingtip. Typically, two short-burn semi-active radar homing R-27R (NATO
AA-10A 'Alamo-A') in tandem under fuselage; two short-burn infrared homing
R-27T (AA-10B 'Alamo-B') missiles on centre-wing pylons; and long-burn
semi-active radar homing R-27ER (AA-10C 'Alamo-C') or infrared R-27ET (AA-10D
'Alamo-D') beneath each engine duct. The four outer pylons carry either R-73A
(AA-11 'Archer') or R-60 (AA-8 'Aphid') close-range infrared missiles. R-33
(AA-9 'Amos') missiles optional in place of AA-10s. Five-round packs of 130 mm
rockets, or larger rocket pods, under wings in ground attack role.
DIMENSIONS:
EXTERNAL ('Flanker-B'):
Wingspan:
14.70 m (48 ft 2 3/4 in)
Length
overall, excl nose probe: 21.935 m (71 ft 11 1/2 in)
Height
overall: 5.932 m (19 ft 5 1/2 in)
Fuselage:
Max width: 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in)
Tailplane
span: 9.90 m (32 ft 6 in)
Distance
between fin tips: 4.30 m (14 ft 1 1/4 in)
WEIGHTS
AND LOADINGS (B: 'Flanker-B', C: 'Flanker-C'):
Max T-O
weight: B: 22,000-30,500 kg (48,500-67,240 lb)
Max wing
loading: B: 491.9 kg/m/2 (100.75 lb/sq ft)
Max power
loading: B: 124.4 kg/kN (1.22 lb/lb st)
PERFORMANCE:
Max
level speed:
at
height: B, C:
Mach
2.35 (1350 knots; 2500 km/h; 1550 mph)
at S/L:
B, C: Mach 1.1 (725 knots; 1345 km/h; 835 mph)
Rate of
roll: approx 270 degrees/s
Service
ceiling: B, C: 18,000 m (59,055 ft)
Combat
radius: B: 810 nm (1500 km; 930 miles)
Range
with max fuel:
B: over
2160 nm (4000 km; 2485 miles)
g limit
(operational): B, C: +9
LENGTH
(m): 21.93
HEIGHT
(m): 5.93
WINGSPAN
(m): 14.70
MAX T-O
WEIGHT (kg): 30,500
MAX WING
LOAD (kg/m/2): 491.90
MAX
LEVEL SPEED (knots): 725
MAX
RANGE (nm): 2160
T-O RUN
(m): 500
LANDING
RUN (m): 600
SERVICE
CEILING (m): 18,000