Su-27SM
| This page is about the Russian jet fighter Su-27SM. For other versions, see Su-27 (Family). |
Contents
Description
After the dissolution of the USSR, the Russian Federation cancelled many future aircraft projects meant to replace the existing inventory, such as the Su-37 and MiG-1.44. Due to the tight budget of the post-Soviet era, it was instead decided to upgrade existing aircraft with modern avionics and weaponry. The first of such upgrades was the Su-27SM (NATO reporting name: Flanker-B). The Su-27SM upgrade focused primarily on avionics, fire control, and flight control systems, with the primary upgrades being a new cockpit overhaul featuring HOTAS controls, multiple new multi-function displays replacing the old analog instruments, an entirely new navigation system using GLONASS (the Russian equivalent to GPS), a new fire-control system with an improved radar and electro-optical sighting system (IRST) allowing compatibility with new missiles such as the R-77 and slaving of weaponry such as the Kh-29 to the air-to-ground modes in the radar, and a far more advanced mission computer. Finally, the defensive suite was also overhauled, with the SPO-15 Beryoza being replaced by the modern Pastel radar warning receiver, and the famous Sorbtsiya wingtip jamming pods were also replaced by the more modern Khibiny system. The first Su-27SMs began trials in the late '90s and started entering service shortly after the turn of the century. The Su-27SM standard would receive various upgrades throughout its life, culminating in the modern day Su-27SM3 variant.
Introduced in Update "Seek & Destroy", the Su-27SM will be very familiar and is in most aspects similar to the previous Su-27 in the tech tree. The primary differences are its armament, as the Su-27SM has access to the new R-77 Active Radar Homing missile to increase its lethality in air combat. More importantly, the Su-27SM offers guided ordnance options over its predecessor, in the forms of the KAB-500 TV guided bombs, the Kh-29TD medium range TV guided missiles, and the unique KAB-1500Kr, one of the largest TV guided weapons in-game. The Su-27SM unfortunately does not fix the main shortcomings of its predecessor against its contemporaries, such as the insufficiently low amount of countermeasures, the sub-par radar system, or the unstable flight dynamics. All in all, the Su-27SM serves as a step up from its predecessor, and in the right hands, can prove to be a dangerous aircraft in both air-to-air and air-to-ground engagements.
General info
Flight performance
Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.
| Characteristics | Max speed (km/h at 12000 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 2401 | 2357 | 16000 | 24.5 | 25.0 | 186.7 | 174.6 | 750 |
| Upgraded | ___ | ___ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | ||
Details
| Features | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear | Drogue chute |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | ✓ |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 0 | 700 | ___ | ___ | ___ | ~__ | ~__ |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < ___ | < ___ | < ___ | - |
Engine performance
| Engine | Aircraft mass | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine name | Number | Basic mass | Wing loading (full fuel) | |||
| Saturn AL-31F | 2 | _,___ kg | ___ kg/m2 | |||
| Engine characteristics | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) | Max Gross Weight | ||||
| Weight (each) | Type | _m fuel | __m fuel | __m fuel | ||
| 1,520 kg | Afterburning low-bypass turbofan | _,___ kg | _,___ kg | _,___ kg | _,___ kg | |
| Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB) | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (___%/WEP) | |||||
| Condition | 100% | ___%/WEP | _m fuel | __m fuel | __m fuel | MGW |
| Stationary | ___ kgf | ___ kgf | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
| Optimal | ___ kgf (_ km/h) |
___ kgf (_ km/h) |
_.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
Survivability and armour
Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
| Ballistic Computer | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCIP (Guns) | CCIP (Rockets) | CCIP (Bombs) | CCRP (Bombs) | EEGS |
 |
|
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Offensive armament
The Su-27SM is armed with:
- 1 x 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon, wing root-mounted (150 rpg)
- 96 x large calibre countermeasures
Suspended armament
The Su-27SM can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 1 | |||
| 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs | 1, 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1, 2 | |||||
| 250 kg OFAB-250-270 bombs | 1 | 1, 2, 6 | 1, 5 | 1, 4 | 1, 2 | 1, 5 | 1, 2, 6 | 1 | |||
| 250 kg OFAB-250Sh bombs | 1, 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1, 2 | |||||
| 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs | 1, 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1, 2 | |||||
| 500 kg FAB-500Sh bombs | 1, 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1, 2 | |||||
| 500 kg KAB-500Kr bombs | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| 1,500 kg KAB-1500Kr bombs | 1 | ||||||||||
| ZB-500 incendiary bombs | 1, 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1, 2 | |||||
| S-8KO rockets | 20, 40 | 20, 40 | |||||||||
| S-13OF rockets | 5, 10 | 5, 10 | |||||||||
| S-25O rockets | 1, 2 | 1, 2 | |||||||||
| S-25OF rockets | 1, 2 | 1, 2 | |||||||||
| S-25OFM rockets | 1, 2 | 1, 2 | |||||||||
| Kh-29TD missiles | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| R-27ER missiles | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| R-27ET missiles | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| R-27R missiles | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| R-27T missiles | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| R-73 missiles | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| R-77 missiles | 1 | 1 | 1, 2 | 1, 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 1,500 kg | |||||||||||
| Default weapon presets | |
|---|---|
| |
Usage in battles
Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Very effective dorsal airbrake
- Has access to the large KAB-1500Kr guided bomb
- Can carry four Kh-29TD missiles
Cons:
- Extremely low energy retention, effective turn rate between 400-850 km/h below ≈3,500 m
- R-77s can only datalink two targets, hard to keep up with its contemporaries at its BR
History
Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).
Devblog
The modernization program for the aging Su-27s in the Russian Air Force fleet was developed at KnAAPO at the end of 2002. This program aimed to qualitatively improve the combat qualities of the aircraft, improve flight performance and expand its capabilities. The Su-27 received a new RWR, an updated weapons control system and an updated radar for operating R-77 missiles, air-to-surface missiles and KAB-500Kr and KAB-1500Kr guided bombs. The first serially modernized Su-27SM were put into service in 2003, where it's currently in service with the Russian Air Force.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the aircraft;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
| Sukhoi Design Bureau (Сухого Опытное конструкторское бюро) | |
|---|---|
| Jet fighters | Su-9 · Su-11 |
| Su-27 | Su-27 · Su-27SM |
| Strike aircraft | |
| Su-2 | BB-1 · Su-2 (M-82) · Su-2 MV-5 · Su-2 TSS-1 |
| Su-6 | Su-6 · Su-6 (AM-42) · Su-6 (M-71F) |
| Su-7 | Su-7B · Su-7BKL · Su-7BMK |
| Su-8 | Su-8 |
| Su-17 | Su-17M2 · Su-17M4 · Su-22M3 |
| Su-24 | Su-24M |
| Su-25 | Su-25 · Su-25BM · Su-25K · Su-25T · Su-25SM3 · Su-39 |
| Su-34 | Su-34 |
| Export | ◊Su-22UM3K · ◔Su-22M3 · ◊Su-22M4 · ◄Su-22M4 WTD61 |
| J-11* | |
| *CKD and SKD kits assembled by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation | |
| USSR jet aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Bereznyak-Isayev | BI |
| Yakovlev | Yak-15 · Yak-15P · Yak-17 · Yak-23 · Yak-28B · Yak-30D · Yak-38 · Yak-38M · Yak-141 |
| Mikoyan-Gurevich | MiG-9 · MiG-9 (l) · MiG-15 · MiG-15bis · MiG-15bis ISh · MiG-17 · MiG-17AS · MiG-19PT |
| MiG-21F-13 · MiG-21PFM · MiG-21S (R-13-300) · MiG-21SMT · MiG-21bis | |
| MiG-23M · MiG-23ML · MiG-23MLD · MiG-27M · MiG-27K | |
| MiG-29 · MiG-29SMT | |
| Lavochkin | La-174 · La-15 · La-200 |
| Sukhoi | Su-9 · Su-11 |
| Su-7B · Su-7BKL · Su-7BMK · Su-17M2 · Su-17M4 · Su-22M3 | |
| Su-24M | |
| Su-25 · Su-25BM · Su-25K · Su-25T · Su-25SM3 · Su-39 | |
| Su-27 · Su-27SM | |
| Su-34 | |
| Ilyushin | IL-28 · IL-28Sh |
| Tupolev | Tu-14T |
