The Sukhoi Su-17, Fitter-C, was a supersonic, swing-wing fighter-bomber which was used by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Developed from the Su-7 Fitter-A fighter, it was a reliable and stable aircraft that was equipped with one Lyulka AL-21F-3 jet engine, which was powerful and fuel-efficient. Sukhoi manufactured it in large numbers, with a total of 2,855 aircraft being produced until 1990, almost half of them in the export version, the Su-22. This fighter-bomber featured an additional sensor boom fitted on the starboard side of nose. Like most of the Soviet combat aircraft of the Cold War era, the aircraft jet engine air intake was located in the nose. It was the first variable-sweep wing aircraft made by the Soviet Union.
Using the Su-7B variant, the State-run firm Sukhoi had produced a small number of pre-production, variable-geometry wing model, which was a ground-attack aircraft that would be designated the Su-7IG. Thus, this ground-attack version became the prototype of the Sukhoi Su-17, which first flew on August 2, 1966. However, it would undergo four years of flight tests before finally being introduced into service with the Soviet Air Force on July 27, 1970. 'Fitter-C' was the NATO classified designation. It was used in combat during the First Chechen War in the mid 1990s to attack strike targets on land, such as enemy troops or command posts, with laser-guided bombs.
Technical Characteristics
The Sukhoi Su-17 was a single-seat, single-engine monoplane. The cylindrical fuselage was of moncoque type and all-metal construction. It was fitted with variable-sweep, mid-wing. The root of wing, or main panel, was a cantilever type wing and it did not move (it was fixed). Therefore, only wing outer panel could be swept back. This wing sweep was manually controlled and had three positions: full forward, with a 28-degree sweep; an intermediate position swept at 45 degrees; and a full back position, with a 62-degree sweep for top-speed flights. It had retractable landing gear, with the main wheels folding up into root of wing after take-off. The cockpit canopy was of the bubble type, giving the pilot an excellent all-around view.
Specifications
Type: fighter-bomber
Length: 19 m (62 feet, 5 inches)
Wing Span: 13.68 m (44 feet, 11 inches) full forward at 28 degrees.
Wing Area: 38.5 m2 (414 square feet)
Height: 5.12 m (16 feet, 10 inches)
Power Plant: one 24,700-lb, Lyulka AL-21F-3 turbojet engine.
Maximum Speed: Mach 1.13 (1,400 km/h) at low level; Mach 1.3 (1,850 km/h) at high altitude.
Combat Range: 1,150 km (710 miles)
Service Ceiling: 14,200 m (46,600 feet)
Rate of Climb: 230 m/s (meter per second)
Crew: one
Armament: two 30-mm Nudelman-Rikhter automatic cannons; R-60 or R-73 air-to-air missiles; laser-guided and electro-optical bombs plus rockets.
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| The Su-22, which was the export version of the Su-17, in service with an Eastern European country. |
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| The Su-17M version in Soviet service. |
