Current Status of the Su-37 and Su-47 Test Programs

Su-47 Airplane to Execute One More Stage in Test Program before Year’s End

Source: 11.10.02, Finmarket Agency

It is expected that before the end of this year, the experimental Su-47 combat airplane not only will resume tests, but even complete another stage in their program. the press and information chief for AVPK Sukhoy, Yuriy Chervakov, reported.

According to him, “The realization of the program for the creation and performance of flight tests of the Su-47 airplane have allowed the perfection of a finance scheme, leading-edge manufacturing technologies, and design calculation methodologies which will be used fully by AO Sukhoy OKB in the realization of the program for the creation of the fifth generation fighter.”

The source also confirmed that “The financing scheme being used for the Su-47 project under the conditions of insufficient receipt of funds from the state budget has allowed not only the lowering of total expenses on the program, which as of today are less than 10 million dollars, but even to organize the work with suppliers in a new way.” Explaining what he said, Yu. Chervakov noted that “The perfected financial scheme is based on the shared participation of all program participants.”

The source emphasized that “the experimental airplanes based on the Su-27 fighter with side number 711 was equipped in its time with vectored thrust engines (UVT) and demonstrated under the designation Su-37. At the present time the UVT engines have been removed from this airplane. A new fly-by-wire control system has been installed on the airplane, which has allowed sharply increasing the airplane’s maneuvering characteristics without the use of the UVT in the power plant.”

The Su-47 airplane began life in the MFI program (multirole tactical fighter) in the middle ‘80s of the last century. At the present time, the engineering, aerodynamic and other solutions in the interests of the creation of the fifth generation fighter are being perfected on the airplane. The airplane was built around two AL-41F afterburning turbofan engines, but in connection with their not being ready, two D-30F6 engines were installed on it. The airplane achieved supersonic speed during the execution of approximately 150 test flights.