SUKHOI SU-27 FLANKER

Su-27 Flanker 

The Su-27 (Nato designation Flanker) is the front-line fighter aircraft designed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau and manufactured by Irkut Corporation. The export version is the Su-27SK.

The aircraft is equipped to operate autonomously in combat over hostile territory, in escort of deep-penetration strike aircraft and in the suppression of enemy airfields. The aircraft provides general air defence in cooperation with ground and airborne control stations. its naval version is known as su33.

Design

The Su-27 is a highly integrated twin-finned aircraft. The airframe is constructed of titanium and high-strength aluminium alloys. The engine nacelles are fitted with trouser fairings to provide a continuous streamlined profile between the nacelles and the tail beams. The fins and horizontal tail consoles are attached to tail beams.

The central beam section between the engine nacelles consists of the equipment compartment, fuel tank and the brake parachute container. The fuselage head is of semi-monocoque construction and includes the cockpit, radar compartments and the avionics bay.

the large air brake, which is used in landing and in combat manoeuvres, is located on top of the fuselage.

Weapons

The fixed weapon includes a GSh-301 30mm cannon fitted internally with 150 rounds of ammunition. The aircraft has ten external hardpoints (2 tandem under the fuselage centerline; 2 under the air ducts; 4 under the wings; 2 on the wingtips) to carry up to 8,000kg weapon payload.

For visual-range air-to-air combat, the Su-27 is equipped with the then revolutionary Vympel R-73 (NATO codename: AA-11 Archer) IR-homing short-range air-to-air missile. Coupled with the aircraft’s RLPK-27 helmet-mounted sight (HMS), the missile poses a serious threat to any modern fighter in close-in combats. For beyond-visual range (BVR) combat the aircraft is equipped with the R-27 (NATO codename: AA-10 Alamo) semi-active radar-homing medium-range air-to-air missile, in both long and short burn variants.

In a typical interception mission, the aircraft carries four R-73 and six R-27 missiles. Alternatively, the aircraft could carry two R-73 missiles, six R-27 missiles, and two KNIRTI SPS-171/L005 Sorbtsiya active jamming electronic countermeasures (ECM) pods on the wing-tips for self-defence.

The Su-27 was originally designed as an air-superiority/interceptor fighter, with ground attack only as a secondary role. The aircraft currently does not possess the capability of delivering precision-guided weapons. When used for ground attack missions, the Su-27 carries free-fall bombs and unguided rocket launchers. The PLAAF was frequently spotted using the Su-27 fighter this type of mission in exercise, a practice which would expose the expensive fighter unnecessarily in combat.

8	6	4	10	1/2	9	3	5	7
Internal: GSh-301 (150 rounds)
AAM: R-73 (AA-11) R-27ER R-27ET	1X	1X	1X 1X 1X	1X 1X	2X 2X	1X 1X	1X 1X 1X	1X	1X
Ground Attack: FAB-500/RBK-500 500kg bomb FAB-250 250kg bomb B-8MI/B-13L/S-25 rocket			2X 6X 2X	1X 6X	2X 12X	1X 6X	2X 6X 2X

Engines

The Su-27SK is powered by two AL-31F turbofan engines, designed by the Lyulka Engine Design Bureau (NPO Saturn). Each engine has two air intakes: a primary wedge intake and a louvred auxiliary air intake.

The twin-shaft, turbo-fan engine has after-turbine flow mixing, a common afterburner, an all-mode variable area jet exhaust nozzle, an independent start and a main electronic control, and a reserve hydromechanical engine mode control system. The high-temperature sections of the engines are made of titanium alloy.

An Su-27 fitted with AL-41F1 engines being developed by NPO Saturn took its first flight in March 2004. The uprated engine provides a thrust of 145kN (33,000lb).

 AL-31F turbofan engine

Sensors

The Su-27 is equipped with a Phazotron N001 Zhuk coherent pulse Doppler radar with track-while-scan and look-down / shoot-down capability.

The range of the radar against 3m² targets is over 100km in the forward hemisphere and 40km in the rear hemisphere. The radar has the capacity to search, detect and track up to ten targets with automatic threat assessment and proritisation.

Zhuk-ME Antenna at MAKS 2007

The aircraft has an OEPS-27 electro-optic system, which includes an infrared search-and-track (IRST) sensor collimated with a laser rangefinder. The range of the electro-optical system is 40-100km, depending on the aspect angle presented by the target.

The powerful airborne pulse-Doppler radar enables the aircraft to detect and simultaneously track up to ten air targets of the "tactical fighter" type at ranges of up to 120 km. The fighter is also armed with a state-of-the-art optronic fire control system comprising an infrared direction finder with a high-altitude effective range compared to that of the airborne radar, laser range finder, head-up display and helmet-mounted target designator sending virtually instant inputs into the missile homing heads as the pilot turns his head within a wide range of angles. The airborne radar operates in conjunction with the optronic fire control system to exchange the target designation data, which markedly improves the target detection probability and target tracking reliability, especially in enemy ECM environment. The WCS software enables the crew to identify air threats, classify each threat, and select the right weapon to destroy the air target that is the most dangerous in a given tactical situation.

AVIONICS

Avionics. The avionics of the Su-27SK comprises an airborne radar, optronic fire control system, flight-navigation complex, ECM and communications facilities allowing the aircraft to perform its missions both during the day and at night, in all weathers and in the face of enemy ECM background. Compared to its main foreign counterpart, the F-15C "heavy" tactical fighter, the Su-27SK is on a par with the latter in avionics and surpasses it in composition and capability of the optronic fire control system. The Russian fighter's avionics offers an equal and, in some cases, better performance than similar European new-generation fighters.

The high effectiveness of the Su-27SK is largely due to its advanced weapon control system (WCS) assuring automatic all-aspect detection and tracking of air targets in a free space and against the earth background, engagement of the targets by its air-to-air missiles and gun fire from short and long distances, and destruction of ground targets by its unguided weapons.

FLANKER AT GLANCE

W. (tons):	23- 33,0
Max. military load (kg):	6'200
Speed (km/h):	1400/2'35 mach min. indicated speed:  200
Acceleration time at H=1000 (sec):	from speed 600 to 1100:   14.1 from 1100 to 1300:   9.8
Dimensions (m):	14,7 x 21,9 x 5,9
Service seiling (m):	18'500
Range (km):	1370/3'700
M./Engine:	2 twin shaft DTRD- AL31-F2, 2 x 13'600 kgs
Man./Crew:	1
Armament:
Missiles:		4 AA R-27 (R-27R, R-27T, R-27TE) 6 AA R-73 AS total: 10
Artillery:		30 mm DP GSh-301
Other:		RBK cluster bombs (25, 500 kg) retarded aerial bombs (100, 250, 500 kg) unguided aerial missiles (C-8, C-25)
Controls:		countermeas.: pilot illum.radar warning receiver (bearing data host.radar emissions, chaff and infra red decoy dispensers, active multirole jammer) - optronic infra-red search and track sensor, laser range finder(40 -100 km range) - jam-proof coherent pulse Doppler radar, Phazatron N001 Zhuk, with track-while-scan and look-down/shoot-down capability (range: target 3sq.m - 40/100 km; search, detect and track up to 10 targets with automatic threat assesment and prioritization) fly-by-wire controls