Sukhoi SU7 and SU17/SU20/SU22 Fighter Bomber Family

Following on from the collection of successful ' Famous Russian Aircraft’ titles, Yefim Gordon has teamed up with Keith Dexter and Dmitriy Komissarov to produce this insight into the Sukhoi fighter bomber family.

In the early 1950s the reborn aircraft design bureau headed by Pavel O. Sukhoi started its renewed activities by creating two aircraft sharing the same fuselage design and powerplant – the delta-wing T-3 and the swept-wing S-1. The former became the progenitor of several interceptors, starting with the Su-9; the other aircraft became the Su-7 tactical fighter but soon evolved into the Su-7B fighter-bomber. Known to the West as the Fitter, the Su-7B and its improved Su-7BM and Su-7BKL versions formed the backbone of the Soviet fighter-bomber aviation. They were also exported to many “friendly nations” — first and foremost to some Warsaw Pact member states (Poland and Czechoslovakia), as well as to non-aligned nations like India, Algeria, Egypt, Iraq and others. The Fitter saw action in quite a few wars — the Indo-Pakistani border conflict of 1971, the Arab-Israeli wars.

The initial Su-7 Fitter-A was superseded by the Su-17 which differed primarily in having variable-geometry wings. The prototype made its maiden flight in 1966; the production version completely supplanted the original Su-7 in Soviet Air Force service in the 1980s. The “swing-wing” Su-17 proved highly efficient in the Afghan War, earning the affection of the pilots who flew it. Its high combat capabilities were duly recognized abroad; apart from the Warsaw Pact (Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary and Bulgaria), the Su-20 and Su-22 export variants were delivered to Egypt, Iraq, Peru, Yemen, Afghanistan and other nations. Iraq used its Su-22s against Iran in the war of 1980-88, and the ultimate Su-22M4 is still in service with the Polish Air Force — albeit with upgrades to make it compatible with NATO operational standards.

This new title written by three aviation enthusiasts, including expert in the field Yefim Gordon, and is illustrated with a whole host of unpublished photos, as well as numerous line drawings and colour side views, which will undoubtedly be of interest to aviation enthusiasts and scale modellers alike. The “in service” and “operators” chapters feature insignia and unit badges/nose art worn by individual aircraft, making this a must have for any aviation and scale model enthusiast's collection.