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Su-27: Feisty Flanker!
14 December 2023 Development

One of the world’s best jet fighters, the Su-27 has arrived to War Thunder in the Air Superiority major update for the USSR and China, and today we’ll be explaining it all.

Su-27 and J-11: A Jet Fighter for the USSR and China at Rank VIII

Features:

  • Excellent maneuverability.
  • High top speed.
  • 10 weapon hardpoints.
  • Advanced air-to-air missiles.
  • No guided weapons against ground targets.
Vehicle History▼

Development of the Su-27 began at the Sukhoi Design Bureau in early 1971. In 1977, the first prototype was built for testing. Due to a change in the concept of future aircraft, the team of aircraft manufacturers had to design an essentially new aircraft, only partially using the developments of the original project. The new prototype was ready by the end of 1980, and its flight tests began in the spring of 1981. The first Su-27s began to enter service with the armed forces in 1984, even though tests of a number of systems had not yet been completed. Today, Su-27 fighters of various modifications are in service with Russias, China, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other countries.

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Meet the Su-27!

In the Air Superiority major update, the USSR and Chinese aircraft tree will receive this new top-end jet fighter, the Su-27! What type of aircraft this is, what features it has and how it differs from other Rank VIII is explained below, so let’s take a look.

Interesting: The Su-27 is more commonly known through its NATO reporting name of “Flanker”, with this identification mostly used.

Coming in the next update, the Su-27 is one of the main top-tier jet aircraft that does the update name “Air Superiority” justice! Let’s start with its flight characteristics. This aircraft itself is quite large and heavy, but its powerplant, consisting of the powerful Saturn AL-31F engines accelerate the Su-27 at altitudes to speeds close to 2500 km/h. Combined with an integrated airframe design with a lifting fuselage, this turns the Su-27 into a true aerial acrobat — it’s not for nothing that maneuverability is rightly considered the calling card of a fighter aircraft!

Download Wallpaper:

You’re going to appreciate the Su-27’s large payload of varied weapons, where it’s worth noting right away that this aircraft has as many as 10 weapon hardpoints, most of which can be allocated with air-to-air missiles. The main armament of the Su-27 in the dogfighting role is the maneuverable R-73 for close combat, the all-aspect R-27T and the R-27ET that has an infrared seeker, as well as the radar R-27R and R-27ER for medium distances. The combination of these missiles allows you to fine-tune the Su-27 for any style of combat situation, from long-range launches to short-range ones. There’s no additional countermeasure pods on this aircraft, but 96 large-caliber countermeasures do their job and are usually enough for medium-range engagements in battle.

Did you know? In 1987, Su-27 pilot Vasily Tsymbal struck a Norwegian P-3 Orion. The Su-27 was at an extremely low speed directly under the Norwegian aircraft, and ended up knocking the Su-27 against the propeller of one of the P-3’s engines, causing it to collapse, hit the airframe and depressurize the aircraft. Thankfully, there were no casualties.

To engage with ground targets in ground battles, the Su-27 can only operate with regular bombs: it doesn’t have any laser-guided ground weaponry. This aircraft can carry a large mass of bombs in general, ranging from free-fall, incendiary or regular. There’s also rockets, ranging from the small S-8 and medium S-13OF to the large S-25O. Naturally for top-tier aircraft, the launch of rockets and bombs is backed up by a ballistic computer, ensuring you don’t miss.

In your matches by Mike, Official WT Streamer & Marketing Manager: “Despite its large size, the Su-27/J-11 excels as a dedicated air superiority fighter. A full fuel tank will heavily affect your flight performance, so it's best to avoid close-range dogfights in the initial stages of the match and rely on your excellent R-27ER and R-27ET missiles for long-range splashes. Once you’ve lost some weight, closing the range and using the thrust vectoring R-73 missiles in combination with HMD aiming, are sure to make you feel like an Ace. Don’t get tunnel vision however, or you’ll quickly find that a slow Su-27/J-11 invites lurking enemies to put several holes in all of your wings.”

The Su-27 has arrived to the USSR’s and China’s aircraft tree with the release of the major update, Air Superiority. China’s J-11 is an export model, and both the Su-27 and J-11 characteristics and weapons are identical. Enjoy and see you soon!

You can greatly speed up the research of the Soviet Su-27 with this pack:

MiG-23ML Pack
MiG23ML Pack
The Kit Includes:
  • MiG-23ML (Rank VII, USSR)
  • Premium account for 20 days
  • 2500 Golden Eagles

You can greatly speed up the research of the Chinese J-11 with this pack:

J-7D Pack
J-7D Pack
The Kit Includes:
  • J-7D (Rank VII, China)
  • Premium account for 20 days
  • 2500 Golden Eagles
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