Sukhoi
Su-35 & Su-37
PHOTO GALLERY
Country
of origin: Russia
Type: Multirole fighter
Powerplants: Su-35 - Two 125.5kN (28,218lb) with afterburning Saturn/Lyulka
AL-35F turbofans. Su-37 -Two 142.2kN (31,970lb) AL-37FUs.
Performance: Su-35 - Max speed Mach 2.35 or 2500km/h (1 350kt), max speed at sea
level Mach 1.14 or 1400km/h (755kt). Service ceiling 59,055ft. Range with max
internal fuel over 4000km (2160nm), range with in-flight refuelling over 6500km
(3510nm). Su-37 - Similar but range with internal fuel 3300km (1780nm).
Weights: Su-35 - Empty 17,000kg (37,479lb), max takeoff 34,000kg (74,956lb).
Su-37 - Max takeoff same.
Dimensions: Su-35 & Su-37 - Wing span over wingtip ECM pods 15.16m (49ft
9in), length 22.20m (72ft 10in), height 6.36m (20ft 10in). Wing area 62.0m^2
(667.4sq ft).
Accommodation: Pilot only.
Armament, Su-35 - One GSh-30 30mm gun. Twelve external hardpoints can carry
8000kg (17,655lb) of weapons, including R-27, R-40, R-60, R-73A and R-77 AAMs,
Kh-25ML, Kh-25MP, Kh-29, Kh-31 and Kh-59 ASMs, S-25 IR and laser guided rockets,
and laser guided GBU-500 and GBU-1500 laser guided bombs and GBU-500T and -1500T
TV guided bombs. Su-37 - Same options plus R-37 and KS-172 AAMs and anti
radiation Kh-15P and Kh-65S ASMs.
Operators: Russia*
History: Development of advanced Su-27s variants began in the mid 1980s.
A development Su-27 fitted with canards flew for the first time in May 1985,
while the first prototype for what would become the Su-35, the T-10S-70, first
flew on June 28 1988. For a time the improved Su-27 was designated Su-27M, it
has since been redesignated Su-35.
Changes over the basic Su-27 are numerous. Canard foreplanes were added while
power is from two upgraded Saturn AL-35F (or AL-31 MF) turbofans. Flight control
is provided by a digital fly-by-wire system with quadruplex redundancy (the
Su-27's fly-by-wire system is analog). The reprofiled nose houses a multimode
Phazotron N011 Zhuk 27 radar (with a larger diameter, flat plate antenna) which
has a search range of 100km (55nm), can track 24 targets simultaneously and has
terrain following/avoidance. The tailcone houses a rearwards facing Ryazan
radar. A new IRST set has been repositioned on the nose. The EFIS cockpit
features three color CRTs and a HUD. Other features are a retractable in-flight
refuelling probe, taller squared off fins each containing an auxiliary fuel tank
and twin nosewheels. Some have been noted with large ECM wingtip pods.
The Su-37 first flew in 1996 and is a further improvement of the Su-35 with two
dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles operated through the fly-by-wire flight
control system. Other Su-37 features include a Zhuk-PH phased array radar and an
improved cockpit with sidestick controller and four Sextant LCD multifunction
displays.
The Russian air force had hoped to introduce the Su-35 into service in the late
1990s, although these plans may have been overtaken by the availability of the
Su-37."
(source: International
Directory of Military Aircraft 1998-1999)
