Sukhoi Su-37
Sukhoi · Russia · first flew 1996 · fighter
The Su-37 'Berkut' was a one-off Sukhoi demonstrator combining the Flanker family's canards with thrust-vectoring engines, built to showcase extreme supermanoeuvrability.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turbofan, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 21.935 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Twin fin |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Su-27/35 Flanker airframe with forward-mounted canards ahead of the wing
- Twin canted fins and thrust-vectoring engine nozzles
- Extreme high-alpha aerobatic manoeuvres like the 'Cobra' and 'Kulbit' at airshows
The canards ahead of the wing, twin canted fins and its signature tail-slide and Cobra manoeuvres at airshows made it instantly recognisable in its short flying career.
Specifications
- The Sukhoi Su-37 has a length of 21.935 m (72 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 14.698 m (48 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 2500 km/h (1553 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Converted from a Su-27M airframe and first flown in 1996, it wowed airshow crowds with manoeuvres impossible for conventional fighters, using vectoring nozzles on its two turbofans to hold controlled flight at extreme angles of attack.
Variants
It remained a single technology demonstrator; its thrust-vectoring and canard lessons fed into later production Su-30MKI and Su-35 variants rather than into a Su-37 production run.
Where you'll see it
It never entered operational service and was lost in a non-fatal crash in 2002 that ended the programme, but its flight-control innovations live on in later Flanker derivatives.
Related aircraft
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