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

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 defense 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 license-built version of the Su-27.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-27 "Flanker-B" multirole fighter that was attached to the 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade, then deployed to Mirgorod, Ukraine, during 2022. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 8-inches
Length: 12-inches

Release Date: November 2022

Historical Account: "Clear Sky 2018" - Ukraine inherited about 66-70 Su-27 aircraft after the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, due to poor modernization and maintenance efforts, only 32 remained in service as of 2019.

The Zaporizhzhya Aircraft Repair Plant MiGremont in Zaporizhia began modernizing the Su-27 in 2012, which involved a minor overhaul of the radar, navigation and communication equipment. Aircraft with this modification are designated Su-27P1M and Su-27UB1M. The Ministry of Defence accepted the project on August 5th, 2014, and the first aircraft was officially handed over to the 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade in October 2015.

During the post-Euromaidan Ukrainian crisis of 2014, a Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 was scrambled to intercept Russian fighter jets over Ukraine's airspace over the Black Sea on March 3rd. With no aerial opposition and other aircraft available for ground attack duties, Ukrainian Su-27s played only a small role in the (ongoing) War in Donbass. Ukrainian Su-27s were recorded performing low fly passes and were reported flying top cover, combat air patrols and eventual escort or intercept of civil aviation traffic over Eastern Ukraine. On April 15th, 2014, a video purportedly showing a Ukrainian Su-27 being shot down was released, but the video proved to be a hoax, taken from a previous video of the Syrian Civil War involving a different aircraft model. Videos taken of low-flying Su-27s involved in the operation revealed they were armed with R-27 and R-73 air-to-air missiles.

On October 16th, 2018, a Ukrainian Su-27UB1M flown by Colonel Ivan Petrenko crashed during the Ukraine-USAF exercise "Clear Sky 2018" based at Starokostiantyniv Air Base. The second seat was occupied by Lieutenant Colonel Seth Nehring, a pilot of the 144th Fighter Wing of the California Air National Guard. Both pilots died in the crash that happened about 5:00 p.m. local time in the Khmelnytskyi province of western Ukraine.