45 years ago, on May 20, 1977, the first flight of a prototype of a 4th generation heavy fighter with the code T-10 took place in the USSR. Now we know it as the Su-27. The development of this machine was the beginning of an era in Soviet (Russian) combat aviation. But the significance of this truly outstanding aircraft is not limited to this.
The experience of the air war in Vietnam, where two of the best schools of military aircraft engineering at that time, Soviet and American, collided in the air, showed the limited capabilities of the fighters of the dominant 3rd generation at that time.
In the race for the fourth generation
In the early 1970s, the requirements for fighters were usually built without any specific standards, but rather taking into account the capabilities of their own equipment and the achievements of competitors. Supersonic fighter aircraft was still going through the initial stage of rapid development, at which, it seemed, "all paths were open."
The "third generation" that existed at that time was now retroactively attributed to the first serial fighters capable of maintaining supersonic speed for a long time, for tens of minutes, carrying on board their own full-fledged radars and a rich set of sensors, highly maneuverable and multi-purpose. The "zoo" of cars of the 3rd generation turned out to be quite colorful. This included the first vertical take-off and landing platforms, such as the British Harrier, as well as the first fighters capable of using weapons operating outside the field of view. Typical representatives of the 3rd generation were the American McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom, the Soviet MiG-23 and the French Dassault Mirage III.
The fourth generation was originally conceived as an evolutionary development of the previous – the third. And, of course, then, in the 1970s, no one imagined that this generation of machines would become dominant in the world for a good half century - the machines being developed were considered only another and generally small "step forward".
Aircraft of the 4th generation received control systems by wire, eliminating bulky mechanical and hydraulic drives from the aircraft design. Their main quality was super maneuverability, which was "bought" due to aerodynamic instability – an unstable aerodynamic scheme began to prevail in their design.
These machines received indicators on the pilot's windshield, extensive computerization of all components and assemblies was carried out, and Doppler radars and phased arrays became mandatory units of detection systems. In addition, the 4th generation aircraft could reach speeds twice the speed of sound.
Su-27 vs F-15
The main competitor of the Su-27 at that time was the American McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, which had already gone into production, which became the world's first 4th generation fighter. The development of this aircraft was completed in 1972, and it was put into operation in 1976. In 1979, the Eagles received their first baptism of fire, successfully shooting down four old Syrian MiG-21 fighters in the skies over Lebanon.
In response, the USSR decided to deploy work on its promising fighter to gain air supremacy. To do this, the Soviet Union adopted in 1969 a program for the development of a promising front–line fighter (PFI) on a competitive basis, which involved three design bureaus - Sukhoi, Yakovlev and Mikoyan. The technical specification for the newly created machine was focused on superiority over the F-15, and the main method of gaining air superiority was supposed to be close maneuver combat.
Let's say right away – in the subsequent history of real battles between the F-15 and the Su-27 did not happen, but indirectly we can say that the "task of the party" was fulfilled: in the 1990s, against the background of warming relations between Russia and the United States, these two machines collided in training battles.
In August 1992, pilots of the Lipetsk Center for Combat Use and Retraining of Air Force Flight Personnel paid a friendly visit to the American Langley Air Base, and in September of the same year, American pilots paid a return visit to Lipetsk. "Joint maneuvers" of the F-15D and Su-27UB aircraft were organized, according to the results of which the Su-27 won with a "dry" score. However, the American side has never officially recognized or commented on the results of these training battles.
However, in 1972, the combat capabilities of the F-15 were still unknown to the end, and the projects of the Sukhoi, Mikoyan and Yakovlev Design bureaus competed with each other. In 1972, two scientific and technical councils were held, according to the results of which the Yak-45 and Yak-47 projects were eliminated from the competition. The project of the Mikoyan Design Bureau, the future MiG-29, turned out to be a completely different fighter, so the management of Mikoyan's "firm" came out with a proposal to divide the PFI program and create two fighters in parallel – heavy and light, with maximum unification of equipment.
Heavy, but supermaneuverable
For the prototype of the T-10, which would later become known as the Su-27, a scheme with an integrated layout was chosen, in which the wing and fuselage of the aircraft represent a single aerodynamic surface. This scheme provided maximum lift and gave additional stability in unstable flight modes. In addition, a wing with a curved leading edge and a developed root influx was used on the T-10, which gave the aircraft an advantage for supersonic flight. The twin keels of the vertical tail were placed on the upper surfaces of the engine nacelles.
A turbojet engine with an afterburner AL-21F-3 of the design OKB-165 A.M. Cradle was chosen as the power plant. Two such engines produced more than 22 tons of thrust at the afterburner, which allowed the new Sukhoi Design Bureau aircraft to work wonders in the air, including all existing aerobatics and even creating new ones, such as the later famous Cobra.
When performing the "Cobra", the aircraft, without changing the direction of movement, vigorously lifts its nose, increasing the angle of attack to 120 °, flies tail first for a while, and then quickly returns to the horizontal position. In the performance of the "Cobra" there is also an applied meaning – many radars "lose" such targets, almost stationary relative to the radar beam, which allows the use of the "Cobra" to combat air defense systems. This maneuver is also applicable for avoiding pursuit: the enemy chasing the Su-27 jumps forward and becomes a convenient target for attack.
Another unique maneuver of the Su-27 was the "Frolov Chakra", named after test pilot Evgeny Frolov. When performing this maneuver, the aircraft with the climb simultaneously reduces the speed and from this position makes a "dead loop" at very low flight speeds, bringing the angle of attack to 360 °, that is, practically turning around its tail! Such a maneuver is also of practical importance for air combat.
Interestingly, the training air battles showed the complete superiority of the heavy Su-27 over its original competitor, the MiG-29. The fact is that due to better maneuverability and thrust-to-weight ratio on turns, the Su-27 enters the tail of the MiG after one and a half to two laps, which is unexpected for a car with much more weight than the light MiG-29.
Where did the Su-27 distinguish themselves?
The Su-27's main experience of equal battles in real conditions was just against MiGs. In 1999-2000, several Su-27s took part in the Ethiopian-Eritrean war as part of the Ethiopian Air Force. In air battles, they shot down three Eritrean MiG-29s and seriously damaged another car, which was subsequently written off on the ground, without suffering any losses.
In recent times, the Su-27 also participated in combat operations. In particular, on May 7, 2022, the Ukrainian Air Force bombed Russian troops on Zmeiny Island with two Su-27s, whose work was caught on the cameras of the Bayraktar TB2 UAV. However, such use of the Su-27 as a front-line bomber cost Ukraine dearly: during the unsuccessful invasion of the island, Kiev lost at least four Su-27 units shot down, most likely by Russian air defense. Another Ukrainian Su-27 was shot down by Russian air defense systems over Kiev on February 25, and two more were lost by the Ukrainian Air Force at airfields near Zhytomyr and Kropyvnytskyi (Kirovograd) from precision weapons strikes.
Su-27 aircraft have been repeatedly used by the Russian Air Force and VKS, and very successfully. So, on October 5, 1992, four Russian Su-27s stopped the landing of Georgian reinforcements from three landing helicopters in Gantiadi, forcing them to land. In addition, the Su-27 is widely used by Russia as an interceptor fighter - in the last decade alone, more than 500 reconnaissance aircraft have been intercepted by Su–27 and Su-30 fighters.
In Syria, Russian Su-27SM3 fighters are flying sorties against terrorist targets in the country during the ongoing civil war, showing the appropriateness of their use as a front-line bomber. Currently, Su-27s are in service with 13 countries, and in the United States, several Su-27s purchased in Ukraine are in private use. However, this is pure convention – these machines are part of the "Aggressors" squadron, which is constantly used by American pilots to practice actions against a likely enemy. So even half a century after its first flight, the Su-27 is perceived by NATO countries as a formidable opponent.
However, the value of the Su-27 is much more than just a magnificent combat vehicle. The Su-27, first of all, became the basic platform for the development of a whole family of heavy fighters with their own characteristics and specializations: Su-30, Su-33, Su-34, Su-35. The popularity of this machine was highly appreciated by foreign customers, various versions of the Su-27 and Su-30 were actively exported. In fact, it was the Su-27 and its modifications (for example, the Su-30MKI) that made it possible to save the domestic military aviation industry in the hardest 1990s. The sale of hundreds of these machines has brought tens of billions of dollars to Russian factories and strengthened the prestige of Russian weapons around the world. The original Su-27 is gradually retiring, but much more advanced machines created on its platform are likely to serve Russia for many years to come.
Mikhail Bolshakov