Ukrainian Sukhois

now train with their

erstwhile enemies.
In 2011, the
Alabama Air
National Guard
sent F-16s to the
Safe Skies exercise
in Myrhorod,
Ukraine. Even
pilots of the nimble
F-16 were
impressed by the
big Sukhoi’s
maneuverability in
a knife fight.

Su-27. It accelerates faster than the twin-seater
and is more powerful. The most difficult part of
that flight was the landing—nobody was there to
assist and monitor me from the rear cockpit, and
that was unnerving.
We often flew against the MiG-29 during
exercises. It was really interesting to observe how
fighters of two very different categories compare:
The Fulcrum is light and small, and our Flanker is
A Ukrainian Su-27 considerably bigger. The Fulcrum is good in the
cockpit in 2010.
For all their
vertical plane, it can jump up to a higher altitude
maneuverability, quickly. The Flanker has more powerful engines,
Ukraine’s Sukhois but it is also heavier. The Flanker’s advantage is that
lack the modern it can drag the Fulcrum into horizontal and oblique
electronics and maneuvers, and conduct these at high angles of
missiles that have
become standard
attack and speeds, with which the Fulcrum pilots
among frontline simply won’t be able to cope for long. For example,
fighters. the same maneuver might require a pilot to pull
5Gs in a Flanker, but requires 7Gs in a Fulcrum.
However, altitude was an important additional
factor. The Su-27 is more nimble at sea level and
medium altitude than it is above 8,000 meters (26,200
feet), while the MiG-29 is better at higher altitude.
The maneuvering capabilities of the Flanker are
excellent, of course. For example, during air combat
maneuvering training at the Clear Sky 2018 exer-
cises—with the F-15C Eagles of the 144th Fighter
Wing of the California Air National Guard—we
won in three out of four engagements. Naturally,
you need to survive long enough to close to visual
range, because the Eagle’s electronic equipment and
armament are much better. Ukraine has factories
that manufacture air-to-air missiles, but we are
not quite at the level of modern technology. We
need fire-and-forget missiles, because illuminat-
ing a target with your radar after launch (with
semi-active radar homing) is now a relic of the
past. The Russians have the R-77 missile with
active homing, while our R-27 is still semi-active. TOP: USAF/TECH SGT CHARLES VAUGHN; BOTTOM: TAMÁS MARTÉNYI

A significant advantage of the Flanker is its long

range. It is as if we are carrying extra fuel tanks,
but internally, rather than under the wings. This
allows us to carry more weapons on the under-
wing hardpoints.

Colonel Oleksandr Oksanchenko (retired), former

deputy commander for pilot training of the 831st
Galatska Tactical Aviation Brigade.
I finished the Kharkiv military pilot school in
1989, and remained there as an instructor on the
L-39 aircraft until 1995. Once, an Su-27UB twin-

24 AIR & SPACE airspacemag.com

 seater overflew our airfield on a weather recon-
naissance flight. The crew performed a pull-up at
low altitude and it captivated us. I did not think
then that I would fly a Flanker. Then, in October
1996, I was transferred to the 831st Regiment,
and from 1997, flew the Su-27.
My first solo on an Su-27 took place on 15 May
1998. It was a difficult time for the air force, and
we flew very little. That didn’t prevent me from
gaining a distinct first impression of the Flanker.
It’s powerful and accelerates well, especially on
take-off. The Flanker is very sensitive in the rolling
plane—you pull the stick to the side just a little, and
it already wants to perform a barrel roll. When you
pull up vertically, the Su-27 zooms across the sky,
because of the great amount of available thrust.
Once the air force training budget increased,
we strafed real ground targets and launched live
missiles. I got a surprise when firing the cannon the
first time. The recoil is really strong. The equivalent
of seven tons, as it says in the technical manual.
The rear-view windows in the cockpit twisted out
of position, while the plastic holders for various
information sheets started flying around the cockpit.
That’s not pleasant at all. Sometimes, firing the gun
CHRIS LOFTING
even caused some radio systems to fail.
Not all the flights were uneventful. Once,
during a training combat against another Su-27,
October/November 2020
an AC generator failed on my aircraft. I switched
to the second generator, but it cut out due to the
high load—all the aircraft’s systems, including the
fly-by-wire controls, weapons management, and
gunsight were switched on. Once such a failure
happens, the remaining flight time is just 10
minutes, as the voltage in the onboard electri-
cal circuits is maintained only by the batteries. I
rapidly returned to home base from a distance of
40 kilometres (25 miles) and landed successfully.
The engineer then told me, “You were lucky, the
batteries were new!” That was the most dangerous
failure I ever experienced.
Colonel Dmitry Fisher (retired), former squad-
ron commander in the 831st Galatska Tactical Ukraine manages
Aviation Brigade. to keep the Sukhois
Back when I was in Chernihiv flight school, I airborne despite a
complete cut-off of
wanted to become a Flanker pilot. It so happened spare parts from
that in 1990, the flight school restarted training on the original Russian
fourth-generation combat aircraft, and we began manufacturers.
studying the MiG-29. My goal was the Flanker Ukraine’s air
though, and I deliberately went to the Su-27 industry punches
above its weight,
base at Myrhorod before our assignments were and can conduct
announced, to get a personnel request letter from even heavy
the unit. Eventually I was assigned to the unit, as maintenance.
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