SUKHOI SU-7

''For the World War II mixed-power ground attack aircraft see Su-7''
The 'Sukhoi Su-7' (NATO designation 'Fitter-A') was a swept wing, turbojet-powered fighter-bomber used by the Soviet Union and its allies.

Contents

Design and development

Operational history

Variants

Operators

Specifications (Su-7BKL)

References

External links

Related content

Design and development

On 14 May 1953, the Sukhoi OKB was reopened and initially tasked with copying the American F-86 Sabre fighter.^[1] By the summer, the OKB began work on a swept-wing tactical fighter for establishing air superiority over the battlefield (''frontovoi istrebitel'', фронтовой истребитель, front-line fighter in Soviet terminology). The first prototype, designated 'S-1', was designed to use the new Lyulka AL-7 turbojet and it was the first Soviet aircraft to utilize the all-moving tailplane and a translating centerbody, a movable cone in the air intake for managing airflow to the engine at supersonic speeds.^[2] The aircraft also had a dramatic wing sweep of 60°, irreversible hydraulically boosted controls, and an ejection seat of OKB's own design.
The S-1 first flew on 7 September 1955 with A. G. Kochetkov at the controls. Fitted with an afterburning version of the AL-7 engine after the first 11 flights, the prototype set a Soviet speed record of 2170 km/h (1,170 knots, 1,350 mph, Mach 2.04) in April 1956. The prototype was intended to be armed with three 30 mm Nudelman N-37 cannon and 32 spin-stabilized 57 mm (2.25 in) unguided rockets in a ventral tray. The second prototype, 'S-2', introduced some aerodynamic refinements. Testing was complicated by the unreliable engine and S-1 was lost in a crash on 23 November 1956, killing its pilot I. N. Sokolov. The aircraft entered service as 'Su-7' in 1959, although it saw only limited operational use.
On 31 July 1958, Soviet tactical aviation (''Frontovaya aviatsiya'', фронтовая авиация) tasked Sukhoi with developing a ground-attack version of the Su-7. The resulting 'S-22' retained the basic layout of its S-2 predecessor, incorporating primarily structural refinements for high-speed low-altitude operations. It first flew in March 1959, and began entering service in 1961 as the 'Su-7B'.
A total of 1,847 Su-7 and its variants were built, of which 691 were exported.

Operational history

The Su-7 saw combat with Egypt in the Six Day War in 1967, the War of Attrition, and conflicts between India and Pakistan. The Indian Air Force had a verifiable loss of a total of 19 Su-7s in the 1971 war.^[3]
An Indian Air Force Su-7 shot down a Pakistani Shenyang F-6.
Operationally, Su-7s were hampered by high takeoff and landing speeds dictated by the thin, highly-swept wing. The landing speed of 450 km/h (245 knots, 280 mph) combined with poor visibility from the cockpit and lack of an instrument landing system made for difficult operations, especially in poor weather.^[4] In 1961-1962, Sukhoi experimented with blown flaps on 'S-25' but the benefit was too small to warrant implementation. JATO rockets tested on 'S-22-4' proved more useful and were incorporated into Su-7BKL. Attempts to improve takeoff and landing performance eventually resulted in the Sukhoi Su-17.

Variants

Su-7BKL landing gear with the unique skid, and a UB-16 57-mm rocket launcher

;Su-7
:First production version, tactical air superiority fighter, factory designation S-2. Manufactured 1957-1960 with 132 built. Remained in operational service until 1965.
;Su-7B
:Ground attack version, factory designation S-22. Manufactured 1960-1962.
;Su-7BM
:Upgraded AL-7F-1 engine, upgraded fuel system with external piping on either side of the fuselage spine, fuel tanks installed in the wings, "wet" underwing hardpoints for carrying external fuel tanks, capable of carrying tactical nuclear bombs. Manufactured 1963-1965.
;Su-7BKL
:Rough-field capable variant with skids affixed to the sides of the main landing gear, provision for two SPRD-110 JATO rockets of 29.4 kN (13,300 lbf) thrust, and twin brake parachutes. Introduced in 1965, factory designation S-22KL. Manufactured 1965-1972.
;Su-7BMK
:Export version of Su-7BM. Manufactured 1967-1971.
;Su-7U (NATO designation: ''Moujik'')
:Two-seat trainer version with reduced fuel capacity. First flight 25 October 1965. Manufactured 1966-1972 in parallel with the export version, designated 'Su-7UMK'.
;Su-7IG
:Experimental variable geometry wing aircraft which was developed into Sukhoi Su-17.
;100LDU Control Configured Vehicle
:A Su-7U modified with canards and a longitudinal stability augmentation system. It was designed as a testbed for a fly-by-wire system for the Sukhoi T-4. It was later used in 1973-1974 during the development of the Su-27's fly-by-wire system.

Operators

'Military operators of the Su-7'

Bright Red = Current	Dark Red = Former

Su-7BMK in Algerian Air Force markings

★ : 46, including 16 Su-7U trainers, were delivered to the Afghan Air Force from 1972. Substantial replacement deliveries during the 1980s may have raised the total number of aircraft to serve to about 120. None remain in service.

★ : The Algerian Air Force no longer operates the Su-7.

★ : Possible service.

★ : 60 aircraft, last Su-7s were phased out in 1990.

★

★

★ : 160 aircraft delivered, no longer in service.

★

★ : 18 are in service.

★ : 46 operated, no longer in service.

★

★ South Yemen

★

★

Specifications (Su-7BKL)

References

1. Sukhoi Su-7
2. The great book of fighters, , W, Green, MBI Publishing, 2001, ISBN 0760311943
3. http://www.pafcombat.com/combat-losses/iaf-1971-indo-pak-war.htm
4. Cockpits of the Cold War, Nijboer, Donald, and Patterson, Dan, , , The Boston Mills Press, 2003, ISBN 1-55046-405-1

External links

★ Su-7 from Global Security

★ Su-7 from Global Aircraft

★ Su-7 from Military Factory

Related content