JC Wings 1/72 JCW72SU27016 Wings Su-27 Flanker Ukraine Air Force, Ukraine War, 2023

Limited Edition

The Sukhoi Su-27 (NATO reporting name: Flanker) is a Soviet-origin twin-engine supermanoeuvrable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was intended as a direct competitor to the large United States fourth-generation fighters, such as the Grumman F-14 Tomcat and F-15 Eagle, with a 3,530-kilometre (1,910 nmi) range, heavy aircraft ordnance, sophisticated avionics, and high manoeuvrability. The Su-27 was designed for air superiority missions, and subsequent variants can perform almost all aerial warfare operations. It was designed to complement the Mikoyan MiG-29.

The Su-27 entered service with the Soviet Air Forces in 1985. The primary role was long-range air defence against American SAC B-1B and B-52G/H bombers, protecting the Soviet coast from aircraft carriers and flying long-range fighter escort for Soviet heavy bombers such as the Tu-95 “Bear”, Tu-22M “Backfire” and Tu-160 “Blackjack”.

There are several related developments of the Su-27 design. The Su-30 is a two-seat, dual-role fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions. The Su-33 ‘Flanker-D’ is a naval fleet defence interceptor for use on aircraft carriers. Further versions include the side-by-side two-seat Su-34 ‘Fullback’ strike/fighter-bomber variant, and the Su-35 ‘Flanker-E’ improved air superiority and multi-role fighter. The Shenyang J-11 is a Chinese licence-built version of the Su-27.