Su-7 Fitter

Su-7 Fitter. Second-Generation Fighter. , The Su-7 is a single-seat, swept-wing, supersonic fighter aircraft developed by the Soviet Union in 1955. Originally designed as a tactical, low-level dogfighter, it found greater success as a fighter-bomber and ground-attack aircraft. , , Origin: Russia , IOC: 1959 , IADS Role: Weapons Control , , Failure to Flagship , Originally developed as a tactical fighter, but was limited by short range. It was redesigned for ground-attack, where it became the flagship fighter-bomber of the Soviet Air Force. , , High Fuel Consumption , The Lyulka AL-7 engine had notoriously high fuel consumption, limiting the aircraft's payload. Even short-range missions required that at least two hardpoints be used to carry drop tanks rather than ordnance. , , Developed by USSR , Used extensively by India in the 1971 Indo- Pakistani war, flying over 1500 strike sorties. Its rugged simplicity gave the aircraft high survivability, being able to fly home safely despite receiving heavy damage. , , Mostly Decommissioned , Exported to over 10 countries, such as Syria, India, and Egypt. Still operated by North Korea. , , , Lyulka AL-7F-1 Engine , Single afterburning turbojet engine , Max Speed: 1340 mph , Mach: 1.74 , Combat Range: 890 NM , , Poor Cockpit Visibility , Poor cockpit design and lack of an instrument landing system made operating very difficult, and is attributed to at least one death and striking wrong targets. , , Swept Wings , Wing design supported its record-breaking speed, but also required a high landing speed of 220 mph, necessitating a long runway. , , Armament - 8 Hardpoints , Can carry a combination of: , Rocket Pods , AA-2 and AA-8 IR missiles , 250-750 lb bombs , 8U69 nuclear bomb , 2x 610 gal drop tanks , , Movable Shock Cone Nose , This design helps to manage airflow into the engine at supersonic speeds, allowing the aircraft to achieve Mach 2 performance. , , All information is unclassified. , Scan QR code for more information and sources.