Sukhoi 'Flanker' Jets

After four years of being in the political wilderness, the Sukhoi design bureau was revived on 20 May 1953, just months after Stalin's death. The team was tasked with developing two aircraft: the Mach-2 swept-wing S-1 tactical fighter and the delta-wing T-3 interceptor. Test pilot Andrey Kochetkov flew the S-1 prototype on 8 September 1955. This aircraft later evolved into the Su-7 series and eventually into the variable-geometry Su-17, Su-20, and Su-22 family. Meanwhile, the T-3 gradually developed into the Su-9, Su-11, and ultimately the Su-15. Led by designers Nikolay Polenov and Alexander Vishnevsky, Sukhoi's delta-wing interceptors served exclusively within the highly secretive Soviet Air Defence Forces, often overshadowed by more famous Soviet aircraft despite their importance. From these foundations emerged the Sukhoi Su-27, given the NATO codename of Flanker, one of the most capable air superiority platforms of the modern era. Designed as a direct answer to the American F-15 Eagle, the Flanker line grew into a versatile series that includes the Su-27, the multirole Su-30, the Su-34 strike variant, and the advanced Su-35. Together, they offer long-range engagement capability, powerful radar, and strong performance in both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. During Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched on 24 February 2022, these aircraft became central to Russian air operations. The Russian Aerospace Forces relied on Flankers to challenge Ukrainian air defences, attempt air superiority, and conduct precision strikes. Yet the air war did not unfold as many expected. Instead of swift dominance, it turned into a prolonged contest marked by standoff engagements, cautious tactics, and heavy losses on both sides. This analysis explores how Russian Flankers have fought Ukrainian aircraft - primarily MiG-29 Fulcrums and Su-27s inherited from the Soviet era. Using pilot interviews, open-source intelligence, and declassified assessments, it examines Russian reliance on superior kinematics, long-range missiles such as the R-37M, and integration with ground-based air defence networks. Spanning from the chaotic opening months of 2022 to the grinding stalemate years later, it highlights how the Flanker has evolved into a standoff hunter in a radar-saturated battlefield rather than a traditional dogfighting platform.