This year marks the 45th anniversary of the first flight of the prototype Su-27 fighter. The "Twenty-seventh" is rightfully recognized as one of the main symbols of domestic aviation. The fighters created on its base are among the most popular in the world. Since 2000 alone, about 700 aircraft of this family have been delivered abroad.
Interesting facts about the legendary Su-27 are in our material.
"It was worth becoming a pilot for this plane!"
The first prototype of the Su-27 aircraft (called the T-10-1) took off on May 20, 1977. At the helm is the Honored test pilot Vladimir Ilyushin, the son of the famous aircraft designer Sergei Ilyushin.
After a successful flight, Vladimir Sergeevich highly appreciated the new car. Later in an interview, he admits: "When I tore the wheels of this car off the concrete, lifting it into the air for the first time, I realized: he can do more, this plane, than a pilot can. And in order to use all its wonderful features, you need to improve yourself, that this is the plane that you can expect all your life. It was worth becoming a pilot for this plane!".
Vladimir Ilyushin prophesied the Su-27 "a long and glorious life", and in this the "twenty-seventh" did not disappoint: "And in the future, all its modifications will delight and surprise everyone, even those who should be afraid of them."
The record holder among the "dryers"
In total, 70 records have been set on Su-branded aircraft, some of which have not been broken so far. The Su-27 fighter is the most important record holder among the "dryers". It accounts for the largest number of achievements – 51.
Even at the very beginning of his career, the Su-27 achieved several records of high-speed ascent at once. In October 1986, test pilot Viktor Pugachev, using a modification of the P-42, set a world record for the time of ascent to a height of 3000 meters - 25.4 seconds. Just a couple of weeks later, he reached 6000 meters in 37 seconds, 9000 meters in 47 seconds, 12,000 meters in 58 seconds. In March 1987, pilot Nikolai Sadovnikov lifted the Su-27 to an altitude of 15,000 meters in 76 seconds.
Master of aerobatics
Some famous aerobatics were performed for the first time on the Su-27 and were named after our pilots. It all started in 1989 at the Le Bourget Air Show, where Viktor Pugachev first showed "dynamic braking" in the sky, which was later nicknamed "Pugachev's Cobra". Later, the "Frolov Chakra" appeared, first performed by test pilot Evgeny Frolov on the Su-37, an advanced version of the Su-27M.
Aerobatics in Russian – legendary elements named after our pilots
Su-27 planes have surprised the spectators of the world's air shows more than once – since 1991, pilots of the Russian Air Force aerobatics group "Russian Knights" have performed at them.
Photo: Oleg V. Belyakov / wikimedia.org
High maneuverability, the performance of the most complex aerobatics became possible thanks to the electric control system (EMU). The Su-27 became the first domestic fighter to have such a system on board.
The Winged Titan
When creating the Su-27, composite materials were not used, but 30% of the airframe and consoles are made of titanium.
Photo: Fedor Leukhin / wikimedia.org
It can be argued that titanium is used in any domestic aircraft. Its main supplier for the country's aerospace complex has been the VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation for many years. In the 1970s and 1980s, the company took an active part in almost any project of the aerospace industry. It was then, together with specialists of the All-Russian Institute of Light Alloys (VILS), the All-Russian Institute of Aviation Materials (VIAM), aircraft designers, products based on titanium alloys for airframes and chassis of the Su-27 fighter were created.
A new family and a Chinese "relative"
The Su-27 project turned out to be so successful that it was used for the further development of Russian fighter aviation. On the basis of the twenty-seventh, the super-maneuverable Su-37, the multi-purpose Su-30, as well as the multifunctional Su-35 fighter and the Su-34 fighter-bomber were developed, which in their characteristics came close to the fifth-generation aircraft.
Multifunctional Su-35 fighter. Photo: Dmitry Terekhov / wikimedia.org
About the five most interesting successors of the Su-27 – in our material
The Su-27 was in demand all over the world. Since 1991, export modifications have been made – Su-27SK and Su-27UBK, and since 1998, licensed production of Su-27SK under the designation F/J-11 began in China. Chinese specialists independently engaged in the development of the basic model. The modified J-11 has become one of the main front-line fighters of the Chinese Air Force for many years.
At the same time, the Chinese continued to purchase more modern versions of the Su-27 from Russia. So, in 1999, a two-seat Su-30MKK fighter was developed specifically for China. This model, as well as the modification of the J-11B, served as the basis for the new Chinese fighter J-16, which has been produced since 2012.