Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker

Twin Jet

The Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker stands as one of the most formidable air superiority fighters ever built, designed in the Soviet Union during the late Cold War to counter the American F-15 Eagle. First flown in 1977 and entering service in 1985, this twin-engine heavyweight fighter was engineered for long-range interception and dogfighting supremacy, featuring exceptional maneuverability that shocked Western observers when publicly demonstrated in the late 1980s. The Su-27's distinctive design—with its blended wing-body layout, widely spaced engines, and twin tail fins—enables sustained high-alpha flight and the execution of dramatic post-stall maneuvers like the Pugachev Cobra that remain signature capabilities of the Flanker lineage. Powered by two Saturn AL-31F turbofans producing 27,560 pounds of thrust each with afterburner, the Flanker can reach speeds exceeding Mach 2.35 and operate at altitudes above 59,000 feet. Its combat radius of approximately 900 nautical miles without external tanks made it one of the longest-legged fighters of its generation, addressing the Soviet requirement for vast territorial defense. The aircraft's weapons suite includes a 30mm cannon and ten hardpoints capable of carrying air-to-air missiles, guided bombs, and rockets, with the N001 radar providing beyond-visual-range engagement capability. The Su-27 spawned an entire family of variants including the carrier-capable Su-33, the strike-optimized Su-30, and numerous export versions that serve with air forces from China to Indonesia to Ethiopia. Its airframe proved so successful that modernized derivatives like the Su-35 remain in frontline production today, more than four decades after the original prototype flew. The type has seen combat in multiple conflicts and continues to serve as an aggressor aircraft in Western military training programs, where its performance envelope provides realistic simulation of advanced threat aircraft. SkyMeter has tracked flights across airframes and operators, with distinct routes observed.