Soviet Cold Warfighter, the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker, was one of the premiere non-western jets that would bring a cringe even if the opponent is an F-15. The introduction of the Flanker was a gamechanger for the Russians, which had a multi-purpose aircraft that is still in service till today.
The top dogs of the 4th generation fighters were the F-15 and F-14 Tomcat, the best heavy to medium variant in service with any air force.
The Russians should curtail the supremacy of these two fighters by designing a plane that would compete on all dimensions, if not win, in most fighting aspects.
Legacy of the Su-27 Flanker jet
About forty years ago, the Flanker came out of necessity due to the Eagle and Tomcat of the F-series. The end product is a fighter which is a brute and bristling with arms for a fight, endowed with speed and agility, reported 19FortyFive.
By today's standards, warhorse has been tried and tested, even if some mishaps have happened in air shows.
The Flanker is the go-to jet for the Russian Air Force's aerobatic team, the Russian Knights, cited the Drive. It was able to perform intricate acrobatics. There were deadly Flanker accidents between 1995 and 2009 Russian Knights operations during their air shows.
When the plane was in development, their mishaps were corrected because they killed several test pilots. The Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker was so capable that 30 world records for feats applicable for both payload and altitude.
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Specs that make the plane great
One of the reasons for it getting built is to engage the B-52 and B-1Bones long-range bombers for a good reason. These would be carrying nukes to bomb the motherland. There were ten hardpoints for various bombs and missiles and a 30-mm cannon for taking on the F-15 in life or death dogfights missions.
Automatic sights on the pilot's helmet will mark and fire Archer air to air missiles. It was a hot rod that could reach Mach 2.35, and coupled with the improved electronics that were far better than the MiG-29, it was a big plus for the Russian air force.
The Su-27 is as good as it gets but has not been as tested as the F-15. Models sold from export were used in Angola and the Ethiopia-Eritrea civil war. One incident of actual air combat involved an Ethiopian Flanker versus an Eritrean MiG-29, in which the Su-27 won.
No bombs are used because it affects the air-to-air combat quality of the aircraft.
One version for ground strike duties is the Su-27M variant that will have better qualities at attacking ground targets, which The Air Force called Su-35 later. Another naval variant is the Su-27K flown on the problematic Admiral Kuznetsov.
Rise of 5th generation fighters
The Flanker is one plane that makes the F-15 gag, but stealth-capable F-35 and F-22 is an overmatch. Russia will not upgrade it to semi stealth even. It gets battered in the weapon and avionic department, but its powerful thrust-vectoring engines can get the drop if these modern American planes commit.
Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker is the top of its class of the 4th generation fighter with enough qualities to worry any opponent, even the F-22.
