Sukhoi Su-37
| Su-37 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Role | Air superiority fighter technology demonstrator |
| National origin | Russia |
| Design group | Sukhoi |
| Built by | KnAAPO |
| First flight | 2 April 1996 |
| Status | Development ceased |
| Number built | 1 (conversion from Su-35) |
| Developed from | Sukhoi Su-35 |
The Sukhoi Su-37 (NATO reporting name: Flanker-F, unofficially nicknamed Terminator) is an experimental single-seat, supermaneuverable multirole jet fighter, designed by Sukhoi. A further development of the original Su-27 "Flanker", it was modified from the first-generation Su-35 (formerly "T10M") prototypes. The Su-37 features an upgraded avionic suite and fire-control system but its most notable additions are the thrust vectoring nozzles; only two prototypes were converted.
During the Su-35 flight test programme, active controls during dogfighting maneuvers could not be attained; thus Sukhoi explored the application of thrust-vectoring nozzles to give fighters better dogfighting attributes. The first Su-37, converted from the eleventh Su-35, made its maiden flight in April 1996 at Zhukovsky. It was joined by a second prototype in 1998. Throughout the program, the Su-37 publicly demonstrated its attributes at numerous air shows, performing maneuvers impossible to complete with normal flight control methods, among which was a 360° somersault. Despite its potential advantages, the Su-37 did not enter production; it has instead remained as a technology demonstrator for updated Su-27 family aircraft such as the export Su-30 and the modernized Su-35.
The earliest records on thrust vectoring technology research within Sukhoi began in 1983. The design bureau studied two-dimensional (2D) vector nozzle, which was believed by the West to be the best way of controlling thrust. Sukhoi modified an Su-27UB-PS twin-seater with a 2D nozzle to verify the feasibility of this kind of nozzle. However, the design bureau's General Designer, Mikhail Simonov, believed asymmetrical nozzles (3D) to be more suitable. At the request of Sukhoi, experiments on both types of nozzles were carried out by the Siberian Aeronautical Research Institute (SibNIA).
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