Movatterモバイル変換

83 captures

28 Sep 2012 - 01 Dec 2024

Oct	FEB	Oct
	22
2012	2014	2015

success

fail

About this capture

COLLECTED BY

Organization:Internet Archive

These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.

Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.

The goal is tofix all broken links on the web. Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites.

Collection:Wikipedia Near Real Time (from IRC)

This is a collection of web page captures from links added to, or changed on, Wikipedia pages. The idea is to bring a reliability to Wikipedia outlinks so that if the pages referenced by Wikipedia articles are changed, or go away, a reader can permanently find what was originally referred to.

This is part of the Internet Archive's attempt torid the web of broken links.

TIMESTAMPS

[2.0] Second-Generation Su-27s & Derivatives

* Although the Russian aerospace industry fell on hard times after thecollapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the Su-27 has proven to be apromising success story for the Sukhoi organization. New variants of theFlanker are being developed and the type promises to stay in service fordecades into the 21st century.

[2.1] SU-27PU (SU-30) / EXPORT SU-30MK DEMONSTRATORS

* The fact that the Sukhoi organization referred to the Su-27K naval Flankeras the "Su-33" reflected changes in Russian society since the end of theUSSR. The Sukhoi OKB pursued new variants of the Su-27 family and gave thema bewildering range of new designations, partly as marketing ploys, and theyweren't taken too seriously. One Western observer commented on the SukhoiOKB in 1995: "They produced more new designations than airframes this year."

Given the difficult economic and political environment of the new Russia,unsurprisingly many of these new variants did not go farther than prototypes,or even just models and mockups. However, Sukhoi was healthier than itscompetitors, apparently largely due to the political skills and influence ofDirector General Mikhail Simonov, who succeeded Pavel Sukhoi after his deathin 1975, and the organization would demonstrate a surprising ability to risein the face of adversity.

* While the original Su-27 had good range, it still did not have enough rangefor certain air-defense tasks required by the PVO, and so prototypes werebuilt of Su-27s featuring a retractable inflight refueling probe, similar tothat fitted on the Su-27K. The probe was offset to the left side of thenose, and to accommodate it the IRST was offset to the right. Onesingle-seat prototype was built and designated "Su-27P", and one twin-seatprototype was built and designated "Su-27PU".

The two-seat Su-27PU was felt to offer more promise, since long-rangemissions really require two crewmen, and so two improved Su-27PU prototypeswere built with dual controls; long-range navigation avionics and improvedcommunications; and an updated N001 radar, providing some air-to-groundattack capability and the ability to track and engage multiple aerial targetsat one time. The first of these two prototypes flew at the end of December1989.

Sukhoi offered an option to allow an Su-27PU to be used as a "fightercontroller", sort of a mini-AWACS, with the back-seater using the radar anddata links to control other fighters. However, the PVO wasn't buying. Theservice was in a difficult financial situation and preferred to stay with theproven MiG-31 for the long-range interception role. Five Su-27PUs, glorified with the designation of "Su-30", ended up in PVO service in thetraining role, though some sources suggest the only advanced equipment theyhad were the inflight refueling probes.

* The Sukhoi OKB did not give up on the idea and began to market variationson the concept. An "Su-30M" two-seat multirole variant was proposed forRussian use, and a few may have been built in the mid-1990s for evaluation,though details are very unclear. More significantly, the Sukhoi organizationproposed an export variant, the "Su-30MK", where "MK" stood for"Modernizirovannyi Kommercheskiy / Modernized Commercial".

An Su-27UB dressed up as a demonstrator for the Su-30MK was displayed at theParis Air Salon in 1993. It featured twelve stores attachments, includingwingtip AAM launch rails, three pylons under each wing, a pylon under eachengine nacelle, and two pylons in tandem in the "tunnel" between the engines.It was advertised as being able to carry 8 tonnes (8.8 tons) of externalstores. Along with conventional dumb high-explosive and fuel-air explosivebombs, cluster munitions, and unguided rocket pods, it was to be able tocarry:

• Electro-optic guided munitions, such as the Kh-29T long-range air-to-surface missile (ASM); the Kh-59T short-range ASM; and the KAB-500Kr or KAB-1500Kr glide bombs.
  
  
• The Kh-31P ramjet-powered antiradar missile, and potentially the Kh-31A antiship variant.
  
  
• Laser-guided munitions, such as the Kh-29L ASM and the KAB-1500L glide bomb, with the aircraft carrying a targeting pod to guide these weapons.

Typical warloads would be four Kh-29, Kh-31, or KAB-500 class munitions; or asingle KAB-1500 class munition.

A much more optimized Su-30MK demonstrator, rebuilt from the first productionSu-27PU, was displayed in 1994, sporting a snazzy desert camouflage paintscheme. Some Western observers shrugged it all off as an attempt to sell"old wine in new bottles", but Sukhoi's marketing blitz would pay offhandsomely.

[2.2] INDIAN SU-30MKI / CHINESE SU-30MKK

* In 1996 the Indian Air Force (IAF) ordered 40 "Su-30MKI" fighters at a costof $1.8 billion USD. The Su-30MKI was to be based on the Su-30MKdemonstrators, but with major enhancements, such as further updated avionics,including a much improved radar and a high proportion of non-Russian kit;canard fins; and thrust-vectored engines. The Su-30MKI would definitely be"new wine in new bottles", amounting to a true next-generation Su-27. Thedeal also included the latest Russian missiles for the new fighters.

The sales agreement was complicated in form and implementation. Thefull-specification Su-30MKI did not even exist at the time the deal was cut,and so the 40 aircraft were delivered in what amounted to "blocks" ofincreasing capability, with early aircraft to be upgraded to fullspecification later. The initial block was punctually delivered in 1997 andconsisted of eight "Su-30K" machines, which were basically similar to theRussian Su-27PU and no relation to the navalized Russian Navy Su-27Kcarrier fighter. The Su-30Ks were brought in by Antonov An-124jumbo jet cargolifters, with each flight carrying two Su-30Ks in knocked-downform. The IAF accepted the first Su-30K into formal service on 11 July 1997.

While these deliveries were in progress, the Sukhoi organization was puttingtogether the first Su-30MKI prototype, a conversion of an Su-27PU, with thisaircraft performing its first flight on 1 July 1997. It was essentially anairframe demonstrator, featuring:

• Canards along with the appropriate leading-edge wingroot extension. The canards could move from +10 to -50 degrees and provided much improved control authority at high angles of attack.
  
  
• New "AL-31FP" engines with 142.2 kN (14,500 kgp / 32,000 lbf) afterburning thrust each, and two-dimensional thrust vectoring. The exhausts were able to move 15 degrees above and below the central thrust line.
  
  
• A new FBW system that made the best use of the canards and thrust vectoring.

The original Su-27 was agile for its size, but these improvements took theagility to a new level. Test pilot Vyacheslav Averyanov flew the prototypeat an airshow in Bangalore in December 1998, wowing the crowd with itsthrust-vectored maneuverability, but the demonstrator was lost in an accidentin June 1999 in an appearance at the Paris Air Salon. Averyanov got a littleconfused in his maneuvers and bounced the aircraft off the turf. It wentback into the sky, but not for long; Averyanov and his back-seater, VladimirShendrick, ejected safely before the aircraft fell back down and wasdestroyed. However, a second Su-30MKI prototype, another conversion of anSu-27PU, had performed its first flight on 23 March 1998, and the loss of thefirst prototype did not delay the program. Averyanov performed a magnificentdisplay in the machine at the Moscow MAKS airshow in August 1999.

Delays were accumulating on the Indian side, however, since the IAF was slowto determine the exact configuration of the avionics suite for the Su-30MKI.The avionics specification was finalized in March 1998, with the primaryelements including:

• Russian-built weapons control systems, including a new Tikhomirov NIIP Bars (Panther) N011M multimode radar; an OLS-301 optronic sighting system, basically a glorified IRST; and a Sura-K helmet-mounted sight. There was really no choice but to use the Russian systems in these cases, as they were tied closely to the airframe and armament. Changing them would have been difficult and expensive, and since they seemed capable enough there was no need to do so.
  
  The Bars N011M radar had an electronically steered phased array antenna and a range of 150 kilometers (93 miles). In air combat, it could track 15 targets simultaneously and engage four of them at once. In surface attack, it could spot and track ground or naval targets, and guide terrain following flight. The electronically steering beam could track air and ground targets simultaneously.
  
  
• A cockpit display system developed by Sextant Avionique of France, with the front cockpit featuring a wide-angle HUD and three 12.7 x 12.7 centimeter (5 x 5 inch) color flat panel displays; and a 15.2 x 15.2 (6 x 6 inch) color flat panel display and three 12.7 x 12.7 centimeter color flat panel displays in the rear cockpit. Sextant Avionique was to also integrate a Totem inertial navigation system / global positioning satellite receiver system.
  
  
• A central processor system supplied by DRDO of India.
  
  
• A countermeasures system supplied by Elta of Israel and built around the Elta EL/M-8222 jammer system. The Su-30MKI would also be able to carry the Israeli Rafael Litening external targeting pod.

The rest of the avionics was Russian, and overall integration of the avionicssuite was to be performed by a Russian subcontractor, RPKB Ramenskoye.

There was also a change in the delivery plan. Instead of moving throughsuccessively improved blocks of machines, the IAF wanted to go straight fromdeliveries of the Su-30K configuration to deliveries of the full Su-30MKIconfiguration. Since the full configuration wasn't ready at that time, inthe fall of 1998 India ordered another ten Su-30Ks, similar or identical tothe original batch of eight, with the new batch delivered in 1999. Thatmeant India acquired 18 Su-30Ks as a stepping stone to obtaining 32Su-30MKIs.

The first preproduction Su-30MKI performed its initial flight on 26 November2000, with three more preproduction machines completed in 2001, with all fourused in test, trials, and evaluation. A fifth preproduction machine wasbuilt but only used for ground tests. The first full production Su-30MKIperformed its initial flight in late 2001, and the first batch of ten wasdelivered by An-124 in the summer of 2002. Deliveries of all 32 Su-30MKIsare now complete. It wasn't entirely clear from reports what happened to theSu-30Ks for some time; as it turned out, instead of being upgraded toSu-30MKI spec, they were returned to Russia in 2007, to be refurbished andsold to Angola in 2013.

On 28 December 2000, well before the delivery of the first Su-30MKI to India,the Russians signed an agreement with India giving Hindustan Aircraft LTD(HAL) the right to license-build up to 140 Su-30MKIs. Initial productionwill be from kits provided by the Russians, but HAL intends to eventuallyhandle complete fabrication of the aircraft. By 2020, ignoring attrition,the IAF will have 190 Su-30MKIs in service, giving India a formidable aircombat capability, based on first-class combat aircraft that combineexcellent performance with tactical flexibility and, with inflight refueling,long range.

The deal, which also included 200 T-90 main battle tanks, was worth $3.3billion USD, and was the biggest single arms agreement ever signed betweenRussia and India. By 2010, India had about 100 Su-30MKIs in service, and inthat year awarded a contract to Sukhoi to update the oldest machines to amore modern spec, with the latest radar and support for advanced weapons likethe Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.

* There have been other export successes for the modernized Su-27s. The tenSu-30MKK / J-11 machines obtained by China in 2000 were mentioned earlier.These machines are not actually all that similar to the Indian Su-30MKI,amounting to something of a separate and more conservative branch from theoriginal Su-30MK demonstrators.

The Su-30MKK is a two-seater multirole aircraft with inflight refueling,twelve stores attachments, and the capability of carrying the latest RussianAAMs and smart weapons, but it does not have the canards or vectored-thrustengines of the IAF Su-30MKI. The Su-30MKK has a modernized Russian-builtavionics suite, including:

• A Tikhomirov NIIP N001VE radar, an updated export version of the original N001 radar with air-to-air, air-to-ground, and navigation modes.
  
  
• An OLS-30 optical sensor system and Sura-K helmet-mounted sight.
  
  
• An L-150 Pastel RWR set to provide radar warning and emitter targeting capabilities. Incidentally, one of the few distinctive recognition features of the Su-30MKK is that the tailfins have been increased in height and have flat, not angled, tips, with antennas for the Pastel set mounted near the top rear of the tailfins.
  
  
• An A-737 satellite navigation receiver, compatible with both the US GPS and Russian GLONASS satellite navigation systems, linked into a comprehensive navigation system. The Su-30MKK also carries modern radios, a datalink, and a video recorder system.
  
  
• A glass cockpit, with a wide-angle HUD and two 15.8 x 21.1 centimeter (6.2 x 8.3 inch) flat panel displays for the pilot, and two similar flat-panel displays for the back-seater.

The avionics are linked together with considerable processing power using adigital databus scheme, with the aircraft's fire-control system integratingthe radar, optical sensor system, helmet-mounted sight, and IFF interrogator.The Su-30MKK also has slightly increased internal fuel tankage, as well asstronger landing gear and airframe reinforcement to handle increased takeoffweight.

Following the flight in March 1999 of a modified Su-27PU prototype toevaluate the new avionics suite, the first production Su-30MKK performed itsinitial flight on 19 May 1999, with Averyanov at the controls. The first tenmachines were delivered in a block on 20 December 2000, being ferried toChina and greeted with considerable fanfare. The remaining 28 in the orderwere delivered through 2001. The Chinese were very impressed with the factthat the contract had been fulfilled so well and quickly, and a year laterChina ordered 38 more Su-30MKKs, which were delivered during 2002 and 2003,

These 76 Su-30MKKs were for the Chinese air force. In January 2003, theChinese navy ordered 28 more, with a modified radar and fire-control systemfor launching the Kh-31A antiship missile. These machines were given thedesignation of "Su-30MK2". Deliveries may have begun in 2003 and more mayhave been ordered. All the Chinese Su-30MK derivatives are candidates forupgrades, such as improved radar or engines.

Other foreign sales include:

• In the spring of 2003, the Malaysian government signed an agreement to obtain 18 "Su-20MKM" fighters similar to the Indian Su-30MKI, with deliveries from 2006. They are much like the Su-30MKI, with canards and thrust-vectoring engines, but with a largely or completely Russian-built avionics suite.
  
  
• Also in 2003, Vietnam ordered four Su-30MK2 fighters, followed by orders for 8 in 2009, 12 in 2010, and 12 in 2013.
  
  
• A deal to sell Indonesia an improved single-seater, the "Su-30KI", with much of the new kit of the Su-30MK, fell through. This configuration had been evaluated with an Su-27S modified as a "Su-27SMK" demonstrator in the mid-1990s. Indonesia did obtain four Su-27-type aircraft in 2004, and followed it up with buy of three single-seat Su-27SKMs -- same as the Su-27SMK, just with a modified designation -- and three two-seat Su-30MK2s, with deliveries in 2008 and 2009. Six more Su-30MK2 machines were ordered in 2011.
  
  
• In 2006, Venezuela ordered 24 Su-30MK2s, generally identical to the Chinese Su-30MK2, with initial delivery in that year and all aircraft delivered by 2008.
  
  
• In 2010, Uganda ordered six Su-30MK2s, the aircraft being delivered in 2011 and 2012, while Algeria ordered 16 "Su-30MKI(A)" machines, deliveries beginning in 2011. As mentioned above, Angola obtained the 18 ex-IAF Su-30K fighters in 2013.

[2.3] SU-27M (SU-35) DEMONSTRATORS / SU-27SM & SU-27UBM UPGRADE

* Many of the sophisticated features of the Su-30MKI were to be derived fromanother advanced Su-27 variant, the single-seat "Su-27M", designed by a teamunder Nikolai Nikitin of the Sukhoi OKB beginning in the early 1980s. Theidea was to build a single-seat multirole fighter that could excel as aninterceptor, an air-superiority fighter, and a strike aircraft, to complementor replace the first-generation Su-27S in VVS service.

That was a demanding requirement, particularly because in many cases aircraftdesigned for multiple roles don't necessarily excel at any one of them. TheSu-27M needed to carry avionics for air combat, strike navigation, andtargeting of laser or TV guided smart munitions, and was to have an advancedFBW system for high agility. It was also to be fitted with canards and "wet"tailfins for additional fuel. The new kit meant an increase in empty weightand a corresponding degradation in performance. The Sukhoi OKB felt theweight increase could be dealt with though improved AL-31FM or AL-35 engines,and through reductions in weight using composite materials andlithium-aluminum alloys.

In reality, the Su-27M ended up to be not so much a particular variant ofSu-27 as a series of increasingly refined demonstrators. The first in theseries, a conversion from an Su-27S, flew on 28 June 1988 with Oleg Tsoi atthe controls. This machine, the "T10M-1", was apparently was littledifferent from a standard Su-27 except for addition of a refueling probederived from the Su-27P, plus a new "glass cockpit".

It was followed by four more conversions and six preproduction Su-27Ms, withthese machines designated "T10M-2" through "T10M-12", the designation"T10M-11" being skipped in the sequence. They added features such astwin-wheel nose gear; a new wing with eight stores pylons plus increased fuelcapacity; canards; square-topped larger tailfins like those of the Su-30MKK;and the Bars N011 radar. The type was designated "Su-35" for the exportmarket. In 1992, the T10M-3 aircraft was publicly flown at the FarnboroughAir Show in the UK, where OKB chief Mikhail Simonov claimed it would beproduction by 1995. Apparently other Sukhoi OKB officials present at thisannouncement went pale. It couldn't happen.

The Sukhoi OKB further modified the T10M-11 machine, consolidating thevarious improvements of the Su-27M, most particularly AL-31FU engines withtwo-dimensional thrust vectoring. This demonstrator, given the designationof "Su-37", also featured an advanced glass cockpit, with three multifunctiondisplays, a sidestick controller, and a nonmoving, pressure-sensitivethrottle. Initial flight was on 2 April 1996 with Yevgeny Frilov at thecontrols. Frilov flew the Su-37 at Farnborough in September 1996, performingmaneuvers that dazzled the crowd.

The thrust vectored engines were prototypes with a limited operational life,and the T10M-11 was then refitted with conventional engines, plus newavionics and a new FBW system that made it as maneuverable as had been withthe AL-31FU powerplants. The "Su-37" designation was abandoned -- there werestill some limits to the willingness of the Sukhoi organization to making upnew designations -- the aircraft being described once again as an "Su-35".This machine was lost in an accident on 19 December 2002, pilot Yuriy Vaschukejecting safely. A two-seater "Su-35UB" demonstrator, which was essentiallyan Su-30MKK with some modifications, was flown in August 2000.

Mockups of more advanced Su-35 concepts have more recently been displayed,featuring the latest glass cockpits, with large color flat-panel displays, awide-angle HUD, "hands on throttle and stick (HOTAS)" controls, and acomplete avionics system upgrade.

* The Su-35 and Su-35UB seemed to be basically similar to the Su-30KI andSu-30MKK with various differences in avionics kit, and sorting between thetwo closely parallel lines of development is confusing.

The Su-35 line did pave the way for an upgrade program for Russian Su-27s.About 700 Su-27s of all types had been built up to the time of the collapseof the Soviet Union. The dust took some time to settle, the processincluding the dissolution of the PVO and its absorption into the VVS in 1998.The Su-27 remains the first-line fighter of the VVS, serving in roughly adozen air regiments. The VVS is proud of the Su-27, and brightly colored"Cranes" are internationally prominent in Russian aerobatic demonstrationteams such as the Russian Knights.

The Su-27 promises to remain good for many more years of effective service,particularly because financial constraints have cut their flight hours,extending their airframe lives. However, to remain effective weapons, theyhave to be upgraded. The Flanker upgrade program remained murky for sometime, with the VVS considering at least seven different upgrade paths and theSukhoi organization flying a confusing set of "Su-30KN" test configurations.Initial concepts proved too ambitious, and it wasn't until 2002 that aconsensus began to emerge on a "Su-27SM" upgrade.

The prototype Su-27SM, upgraded from a late-production Su-27S, performed itsinitial flight on 27 December 2002 and made its public debut at the MAKSairshow in Moscow in August 2003. The full-specification Su-27SM upgradefeatures:

• A glass cockpit, with three color flat-panel displays and a new HUD, plus a satellite navigation receiver and a new communications set. A fully digital flight control system is fitted as well.
  
  
• The latest upgrade to the N001 radar, the "N001V", featuring a new phased array antenna and with slightly increased range, far superior processing capabilities, and air-to-ground modes.
  
  
• An updated self-defense suite, with the L150 Pastel ELINT system, a new L175 Khibiny jamming system, and chaff-flare dispensers. External jamming pods may be carried to allow the Su-27SM to operate as a "stand-off" jammer.
  
  
• The ability to carry an electro-optic targeting pod, presumably the "52Sh Sapsan". The Su-27SM is capable of carrying almost of the full inventory of modern Russian tactical air-to-surface weapons. The airframe is reinforced to handle the greater takeoff weights.

A midair refueling probe is not part of the upgrade, since the VVS didn'tspecify that as part of the requirement. Apparently not all Su-27s will beupgraded for air-to-ground capabilities.

The first 24 Su-27SM upgrades were complete by late 2006, with another batchof twelve aircraft in the pipeline and orders for more upgrades expected. Aless ambitious upgrade program is also being implemented for the naval Su-27Kmachines. The initial phase only involves fit of improved avionics, with noglass cockpit installation. A second phase would involve a radar upgrade tosupport long-range AAMs and antiship missiles.

As a follow-on to the Su-27SM upgrades, the Sukhoi organization proposed the"Su-35S", AKA "Su-27M2", to the VVS, with a demonstrator built with companyfunds flying in 2007. The Su-35S is a single-seater with NPO Saturn 117Sengines with thrust vectoring and a new, fully digital avionics system. Thethrust vectoring system improves agility and allows deletion of the canards,reducing weight and drag, thereby improving performance. The VVS wasimpressed, obtaining 48, with initial deliveries in 2011 and final deliveriesscheduled for 2015.

In 2012, the VVS also announced order of a batch of 30 "Su-30SM" two-seaters,this variant being a domestic equivalent of the export Su-30MKI. Initialdeliveries were before the end of the year, with an order for a second batchof 30 following.

[2.4] STRIKE SU-34 (SU-27IB) / SU-27KUB NAVAL TRAINER

* One of the most unusual Su-27 derivatives is the "Su-34", a dedicatedstrike variant with a completely redesigned front fuselage that providesside-by-side seating. Development of the "T-10V", as the Sukhoi OKBoriginally designated it, began in the early 1980s. The first prototype flewin April 1990, with the designation of "Su-27IB", but curiously it was kept asecret for several years.

The end result of the secrecy was a bit of confusion over the type. MikhailSimonov originally claimed it was an "operational trainer for carrierlanding", with this story reinforced by a picture of the Su-27IB coming infor a landing on the KUZNETZOV, though sharp-eyed observers noted that theaircraft did not have an arresting hook extended and was likely only making a"touch and go" for the cameraman.

When details finally became available, the story about the carrier trainerevaporated, though as discussed below it doesn't appear that Simonov waslying. The Su-27IB was revealed instead to be a strike aircraft, with the"IB" standing for "Istrebitel Bomardirvoschik / Fighter Bomber". It wasintended to replace the Su-24M "Fencer". Sukhoi OKB officials referred tothe type originally as the "Su-32" and then the "Su-34". VVS brassoriginally stuck to the Su-27IB designation, but eventually came around tothe Su-34 designation since it was, after all, visibly a different aircraftfrom the classic Su-27.

The initial prototype was an SU-27UB mated with the new forward fuselage foraerodynamic validation, with a full-specification prototype flying in 1993.Su-27 wings, tail, and engines are retrained, though canards have been added.The Su-34 has fixed-geometry engine inlets, meaning it is not capable of highsupersonic speeds, but that was apparently not regarded as important for thestrike role. A retractable inflight refueling probe was added, while thedorsal airbrake was deleted.

The aircrew fly the aircraft using a modern glass cockpit with wide-angle HUDand color flat-panel cockpit displays. The seats have a massage function toreduce crew discomfort and fatigue on long flights. The new side-by-sidecockpit is said to be roomy and comfortable, giving enough headroom to allowa crewperson to stand up. It even has a toilet and a galley, though it isalso said that its cockpit visibility is unsurprisingly inferior to that offighter Su-27 variants. The cockpit is protected from ground fire by atitanium "bathtub", and titanium armor is also used to protect fuel tanks.Entry to the cockpit is through a ladder in the nosegear well.

The total weight of added armor is estimated at about 1.5 tonnes (1.65 tons).The SU-34 has the twelve stores attachments of the SU-30MK series and a totalwarload capacity of up to 8,000 kilograms (17,635 pounds), including unguidedbombs and rockets plus the latest Russian smart air-to-ground munitions. TheGSh-301 cannon is retained, and the Su-34 can carry short range and longrange AAMs, allowing it to take care of itself if attacked by adversaryfighters.

The maximum takeoff weight has increased by 50% compared to the Su-27UB. Theairframe has been reinforced, and the undercarriage has been accordinglychanged completely, with the main gear having tandem wheels on longer struts,and a two-wheel nosegear that retracts backwards. Other features include:

• A digital FBW control system, plus a modern defensive countermeasures system, and comprehensive communications and navigation kit, including a navigation satellite receiver with an inertial navigation system.
  
  
• A Leninets V004 phased-array multimode radar in the broad "platypus bill" nose, the radar providing terrain-following capabilities as well as a number of other combat modes. It is complemented by a Platan optoelectronic / laser targeting system in a fairing under the nose. The offensive systems are integrated by an Sh-141 weapons control system.
  
  
• A new big tail stinger much like that of the Su-35, with a Leninets V005 rearward-facing radar.
  
  
• A Khibiny countermeasures system, integrating an ELINT receiver, active jammer, infrared missile warning system, and chaff-flare dispensers.

The appearance of the Su-34 is clearly different from that of any other Su-27variant, even to the untrained eye. Some find its appearance exotic andscience-fictional, others find it hideously ugly, but all agree that it has avery unusual appearance.

The Sukhoi organization also considered two specialized derivatives of theSu-27IB during the early years of development:

• The "Su-27R" reconnaissance platform, with "R" standing for "Razvedchik / Reconnaissance". It was to carry a BKR-3 reconnaissance suite, including a Pika (Pike) side-looking airborne radar; a Torus ELINT receiver system; infrared and TV optical systems; and film cameras.
  
  
• The "Su-27PP" countermeasures aircraft, with "PP" standing for "Postanovshchik Pomekh (Jammer Platform)", which was to carry a Kavkaz (Caucasus) ELINT receiver with a suite of active jammers.

It does not appear that prototypes were built of either variant, though it isplausible that subsystems were flight evaluated. They were to follow thebomber variant into production, but the Su-34 has been slow to enter service.The program remained generally stalled through the late 1990s, when it wasoriginally supposed to go into service. By the beginning of 2003, only twoprototypes and four preproduction machines had been completed.

The Russian Air Force ordered a batch of 32 production machines in 2008; bythe time first deliveries took place, the program had dragged on so long thatthe design had to be upgraded with a more satisfactory radar system beforeputting it into production. The first aircraft did not reach formal serviceuntil late 2011. Final deliveries of that batch were in late 2013; a secondbatch of 92 was ordered in 2012, with deliveries to 2020.

The Sukhoi organization has also tried to promote the Su-34 on the exportmarket. A preproduction machine was displayed at the Paris air show in 1995dressed up as the "Su-32FN", where "FN" stood for "Fighter Navy". This wasto be a ground-based maritime strike aircraft, built around the Sea Dragonmission system, which incorporates a sea-search radar, electro-optic system,magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) gear, and sonobuoys. External stores wouldinclude antiship and antisubmarine munitions. Similarly, in 1999 anotherpreproduction aircraft was displayed at the Moscow MAKS air show as the"Su-32MF" multirole aircraft, where "MF" stands of course for "Multi-Function(MnogoFunktsionalniy)". There has been some interest but so far no exportorders.

* As far as the tale about the carrier-based trainer went, the Sukhoiorganization had considered a two-seat Su-27 trainer with side-by-sideseating, beginning work on the "T-10KM2" in the late 1980s. This variantactually emerged a decade later as a prototype for the "Su-27KUB" two seattrainer, which is essentially an Su-27K / Su-33 carrier-based fighter -- withfolding wings, arresting hook, and so on -- mated to a side-by-side cockpit.The initial prototype was a conversion of an Su-27K / Su-33 and performed itsfirst flight on 29 April 1999, with Pugachev and Sergey Melnikov at thecontrols. It went on to perform trials on a ground-based ski-jump beginningin September. The prototype featured slightly enlarged wings and tailsurfaces.

A side-by-side cockpit arrangement was regarded as more effective for carrieroperations training, since it gives the instructor a better view than hewould have as a back-seater, an important consideration for "hairy" carrierlandings. As the initial Su-27IB / Su-34 prototype was basically a modifiedSu-27UB with a side-by-side cockpit with few other optimizations, in a senseit could be regarded as having been a demonstrator for the Su-27KUB as well,and Simonov was probably just sounding out interest in the concept, or at thevery least trying to keep the T-10KM2 effort alive.

In side profile, the Su-27KUB looks deceptively like a single-seater Su-27,since it retains the standard large radome and the IRST in front of thecanopy, through in top profile it more resembles the Su-34 with theside-by-side cockpit. Prospects for production are actually fair, with thetype showing potential not merely for training, but in strike,reconnaissance, countermeasures, and tanker roles as well. It has even beenconsidered as a possible airborne early warning aircraft, carrying anelectronically steered radar antenna in a spine canoe fairing.

Development of the Su-27KUB has continued, with a second prototype built andboth machines being used to evaluate improved avionics and other kit. Therehas also been talk of developing an "Su-30K2" variant that features the sametwo-seat aircraft configuration but with a ground based airframe lackingfolding wings, arresting gear, and so on.

[2.5] SU-27 FAMILY: CURRENT STATUS & FUTURE PROSPECTS

* Despite the difficulties of conducting business in Russia in thepost-Soviet era, the Sukhoi organization has been able to maintain forwardmomentum on the Su-27, working with the VVS on upgrades and energeticallypursuing an aggressive program of foreign sales. The Indian Air Force dealwas a particular coup, and the IAF's possession of such powerful long-rangefighters has been a worry to other nations in the region, such as Pakistanand Australia.

The actual combat effectiveness of the Su-27 is hotly debated. In theabsence of much in the way of actual combat experience for the type, at leastin terms of confronting Western combat aircraft that could be presumed to beits peers, such arguments tend to be legalistic and tedious, with both sidessimply gathering up, or sometimes inventing, facts to justify theirprejudices and ignoring any facts that don't fit the premise. Oddly enough,in some cases Western analysts have taken an optimistic view of the Su-27'scapabilities, in order to support new Western aircraft programs to counterthe threat.

The comparison game is also played with other Russian aircraft. Manyanalysts believe that advanced versions of the MiG-29 are a better value forthe Russian state at this time, particularly in light of its lower cost, andthat the political influence of the Sukhoi OKB has led the country to adoptthe wrong solution. A well-conducted and thorough comparative flightevaluation of the Su-27 versus, say, the F-15 and F-16 would provide muchmore substantial information on the strengths and weaknesses of the Sukhoifighter.

Apparently USAF pilots in F-15Cs took on Indian Air Force Su-30MKIs incooperative training exercises in early 2004; the two aircraft detected eachother at about the same range and time, but the IAF pilots were quicker onthe draw with their AA-10 Alamo AAMs and got an edge in simulated "kills".That may have been due simply to superior training, as it turned out the IAFpilots got about 300 hours of flight time per year compared to 250 for theirUSAF adversaries. Either way, the Americans were embarrassed. Su-27 pilotswouldn't be too surprised: they love the machine.

[2.6] SU-27 FAMILY VARIANT SUMMARY

* Soviet-era Su-27 variants and derivatives include:

• T10 ("Flanker-A"): Initial prototype configuration.
  
  
• T10S: Improved prototype configuration, more similar to production spec.
  
  
• Su-27S (Su-27 / "Flanker-B"): Initial production single-seater. The "T10P" designation is sometimes used for Su-27S single-seaters stripped of secondary strike capability.
  
  
• Su-27SK: Export Su-27 single-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" prototypes and demonstrators.
  
  
• Su-27UB ("Flanker-C"): Initial production two-seat operational conversion trainer.
  
  
• Su-27UBK: Export Su-27UB two-seater.

Post-Soviet era Su-27 variants and derivatives include:

• Su-27P: Single-seat demonstrator with improvements such as inflight refueling probe.
  
  
• Su-27PU (Su-30): Two-seat limited production machine with improvements such as inflight refueling probe, fighter direction avionics, new flight control system, and so on.
  
  
• Su-27M (Su-35, Su-37): Series of improved demonstrators for an advanced single-seat multirole Su-27S derivative. The series also included a two-seat "Su-35UB" demonstrator.
  
  
• Su-27SM: Upgraded Russian Su-27S, featuring technology evaluated in the Su-27M demonstrators.
  
  
• Su-27UBM: Comparable upgraded Su-27UB two-seater.
  
  
• Su-27KUB: Essentially an Su-27K carrier-based single-seater with a side-by-side cockpit, for use as a naval carrier trainer or multirole aircraft.

Su-30 / Su-34 series variants include:

• Su-30M / Su-30MK: Next-generation multirole two-seater, derived from the Su-27PU. Apparently a few Su-30Ms were built for Russian evaluation in the mid-1990s, though nothing much came of the effort. The Su-20MK export variant was embodied as a series of two demonstrators of different levels of capability.
  
  
• Su-30MKI: Substantially improved Su-30MK for the Indian Air Force, with canards, vectored-thrust engines, new avionics provided by several nations, and multirole capability.
  
  
• Su-30MKK: Su-30MK for the Chinese air force, with updated Russian-built avionics and multirole capability, but no canards or thrust-vectoring engines. The Chinese navy also bought similar "Su-20MK2" machines with enhanced antishipping attack capabilities.
  
  
• Su-30MKM: Su-30MK for Malaysia.
  
  
• Su-30KI: Improved single-seater with Su-30MK features for Indonesia deal that fell through, following in the steps of an "Su-27SMK" evaluation aircraft flown in the mid-1990s.
  
  
• Su-34 (Su-27IB / originally Su-32): Two-seat dedicated long-range strike variant with side-by-side seating in "platypus" nose.

[2.7] COMMENTS, SOURCES, & REVISION HISTORY

* I'm not really a great Su-27 fan myself. It's a little on the big side tobe particularly attractive as a fighter, and I much prefer the MiG-29.However, it is an impressive aircraft and Russia's premier fighter.

* Sources include:

• "Sukhoi Su-27 'Flanker' & Su-30, Su-33, Su-35" by Jon Lake, WORLD AIR POWER JOURNAL, Volume 15, Winter 1993, 36:89.
  
  
• "Variant Analysis: Sukhoi 'Flanker' Family" by Jon Lake, WORLD AIR POWER JOURNAL, Volume 28, Spring 1997, 100:125, and Volume 29, Summer 1997, 120:137.
  
  
• "Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker: Russia's Multi-Role Combat Aircraft" by Jon Lake, AIR INTERNATIONAL, September 1998. This document is built around an outline of this article.
  
  
• "Russian S-37 Accelerates Fighter Technology" by Craig Covault, AVIATION WEEK, 29 May 2000, 52:54.
  
  
• "Arms Sales To China, India Bolster Russian Industry" by Alexey Komarov, AVIATION WEEK, 5 February 2001, 51:52.
  
  
• "Sukhoi Forms Alliance For New Fighter" by Alexey Komarov, AVIATION WEEK, 28 May 2001, 37.
  
  
• "Sukhoi Wins Battle For Russian Fighter Follow-On" by Alexey Komarov, AVIATION WEEK, 6 May 2002, 24:25.
  
  
• "Funding Hurdles Hamper Flanker Bomber Program" by Douglas Barrie with Alexey Komarov, AVIATION WEEK, 12 August 2002.
  
  
• "Red Star Revival" by Douglas Barrie, AVIATION WEEK, 25 August 2003, 22:23.
  
  
• "New Life For The Flanker" by Piotr Butkowski, AIR INTERNATIONAL, January 2004, 50:53.
  
  
• "Su-27/30 Family: 'Flanker' In The 21st Century" by Thomas Andrews, INTERNATIONAL AIR POWER REVIEW, Spring 2003, 36:77.

* Revision history:

   v1.0   / 01 aug 00    v1.0.1 / 01 feb 02 / Minor corrections.   v1.0.2 / 01 jun 02 / Added comments about Sukhoi win of PAK-FA.   v1.1.0 / 01 feb 04 / Split into chapters, interim general rewrite.   v1.2.0 / 01 mar 04 / Final general rewrite.   v1.2.1 / 01 aug 06 / Review & polish.   v1.2.2 / 01 jul 09 / Review & polish.   v1.2.3 / 01 may 10 / Review & polish.   v1.3.0 / 01 apr 12 / Removed Berkut & T-50 for discussion elsewhere.   v1.4.0 / 01 mar 14 / Su-30Ks sold to Angola.