With the liquidation of N. S. Khrushchev of attack aircraft as a class, writing off the existing piston Il-10M to scrap metal and refusing to release the unparalleled Il-40 jet attack aircraft, this niche was occupied by the MiG-15 and MiG-17 jet fighters. These aircraft had a fairly powerful cannon armament and a good view from the cockpit, but did not meet the requirements of the Air Force in terms of flight speed and mass of the missile and bomb load.
The Su-7 supersonic front-line fighter, later converted into the Su-7B fighter-bomber, despite the increased characteristics, also did not fully satisfy the military. At the same time, its combat load, taking into account the new designation, increased fourfold and reached 2000kg.
The specified specialization of the aircraft, as the test results and operating experience were generalized, determined the direction of further continuous improvement, which continued until the early 1970s. In total, from 1957 to 1972 at the plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, 1,874 aircraft of the following modifications were built:
-Su-7BKL (product "S22KL") - a wheeled-ski modification of the aircraft to improve the conditions for basing on unpaved runways (1965-71).
-Su-7BM (product "S22M") - modification of the Su-7B with new onboard equipment and an AL-7F-1 engine with an increased service life (1962-64).
-Su-7BMK (product "S22MK") - export version of the SU-7BM, with some design improvements implemented on the Su-7BKL; the last series of the aircraft were equipped with an additional pair of suspensions (1966-71).
-Su-7U (product "U22") - a training aircraft modification based on the SU-7B (1965-71).
-Su-7UMK (product "U22MK") - export version of the Su-7U (1965-71).
Link Su-7B
The increase in the combat effectiveness of the vehicle was accompanied by an increase in its take-off weight and a deterioration in take-off and landing characteristics. The beginning of the operation of the Su-7B by combat units fell on the years when the adoption of tactical nuclear weapons exacerbated the problem of the vulnerability of front-line aviation airfields. The solution to this problem was seen in the dispersal of front-line aviation during the threatened period and the related requirement to ensure combat operations from runways of limited size. This problem could be solved by the use of lifting motors, or a variable sweep wing system.
In May 1965, the OKB, together with TsAGI, began developing the C-22I or Su-7IG (variable geometry) aircraft. In the experimental car, only the outer parts of the wing, located behind the main landing gear, turned.
This arrangement improved takeoff and landing characteristics and increased aerodynamic quality at subsonic levels. The choice of the Su-7B as a prototype for the experimental vehicle paid off. This supersonic fighter-bomber was produced in large series, a relatively inexpensive upgrade turned it into a multi-mode aircraft.
The wing was structurally divided into fixed, docked to the fuselage and movable parts (PChK) with a single profile, providing uninterrupted flow around the root part, which favorably influenced the operation of the tail. The wingspan at maximum sweep increased by 0.705 m, and its area - by 0.45 m2. The combination of three-section slats on the swing arms with full-span flaps significantly improved takeoff and landing performance. But this had to be paid for by reducing the capacity of the wing fuel tanks-caissons by 440 liters, increasing the wing mass by 400 kg due to the swing mechanism (hinges, hydromechanical drive, synchronizing shaft and hydraulic system elements) and complicating the wing design.
The result of the successful completion of the S-22I tests was the release in November 1967 of the government decree on the development of the Su-17 fighter-bomber with variable wing geometry and launching it into serial production at the Far Eastern Machine-Building Plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
Su-17 assembly line
In October, the 523rd Red Banner IAP of the Far Eastern Military District was the first to start mastering the Su-17, this was the official name given to the serial S-32.
Su-17
The aircraft was in serial production from 1969 to 1990, during which time 2867 fighter-bombers of the following modifications were built:
-Su-17 is the first serial version, several dozen were produced before 1972.
-Su-17M modification with TRDF AL-21F3, increased fuel capacity, more advanced avionics, extended range of weapons and some other changes; produced since 1972;
-Su-17M2 version with a fuselage nose section lengthened by 200 mm, new avionics and an expanded range of guided weapons; made its first flight at the beginning of 1974, serial production was carried out in 1975-79;
-Su-17M3 further development of M2; new sighting equipment was installed, fuel supply was increased; produced since 1976;
-Su-17M4 variant with new avionics, unregulated air intake and some design changes in the fuselage; the prototype appeared in 1980, serial production was carried out in 1981-90;
-Su-17UM two-seater combat training aircraft equipped with avionics used on the Su-17M2; the prototype appeared in 1975, serial production was carried out in 1976-78; the design of the aircraft served as the basis for the creation of the Su-17M3;
-Su-17UM3 two-seater combat training aircraft equipped with avionics used on the Su-17M3; produced since 1978;
-Su-20 export version of the Su-17M with a simplified avionics and a reduced range of weapons; released in 1972;
-Su-22 export version of the Su-17M2, equipped with the R-29BS-300 turbojet engine, which was later installed on aircraft of other export modifications; produced since 1976;
-Su-22M export version of the Su-17M3; released in 1977;
-Su-22M3 export version of the Su-17M3 with more advanced avionics compared to the Su-22; produced since 1982;
-Su-22M4 export version of the Su-17M4; AL-21F3 engine; produced since 1984;
-Su-22UM export version of the Su-17UM; produced since 1976;
-Su-22UM3 export versionSu-17UM3; the release was carried out since 1982;
-Su-22UM3K combat training version of the Su-22M4, also intended for export supplies; produced since 1983
One of the early Su-17s turned into a monument on the territory of an aircraft plant
The last version of the Su-17, introduced into mass production, was the Su-17M4. Its development was carried out at the Sukhoi Design Bureau since March 1977.
The first prototype appeared at the airfield in 1980, and in the same year, three prototypes were presented for state tests, which were successfully completed in November 1982.
Su-17M4
A K-36DM ejection seat was installed on the plane. Taking into account the main purpose of the machine - attacking ground targets, they abandoned the adjustable air intake, fixing the cone in the optimal position for transonic low-altitude flight. The maximum speed at altitude was limited to a value corresponding to the number M = 1.75.
Externally, the S-17M4 differed from the Su-17M3 by a small air intake on the tailgate in front of the keel, but in terms of "stuffing" it was a completely different machine. On the Su-17M3, the joint operation of various onboard systems was provided by the pilot. During the tests of the aircraft with the ASP-17B sight with an analog-digital computer, the need to include an on-board computer was revealed. For the S-54, the PNK-54 was developed on the basis of the Orbita-20-22 on-board computer, the SAU-22M2, and the SUO-54. The use of guided weapons with semi-active laser guidance was provided by the Klen-PS laser rangefinder-target designator, and the IT-23M TV indicator. On the S-54, when the UR was launched, the central mark of the sight was applied to the target by the joystick, and not by maneuvering the aircraft, as on the Su-17M3, in which the mark was moved by the joystick after the missile left the guide.
The armament consisted of Kh-25ML missiles, and the KAB-500Kr corrected bombs, requiring large pumping angles of the laser beam of target illumination due to the significant lag of the bomb from the aircraft at the time of the fall, were replaced by the KAB-500T with a television seeker. The lack of automatic target tracking required such a choice of dynamic characteristics of the target contour - the pilot-operator - the Klen-PS station, so that when manually correcting the Klen-PS line of sight, the required guidance accuracy of the X-25ML was ensured. This task was brilliantly solved, and the Kh-25ML did not lose its effectiveness. The Kh-29T missile was also included in the armament of the aircraft. State tests were successfully completed in November 1982, under the designation Su-17M4, the aircraft was put into service in September 1983. The same order was adopted for service with the Su-17UM3.
To solve reconnaissance tasks, some of the aircraft, designated Su-17M4-R (Su-17M3-R), were equipped with KKR-1/54 suspended containers for conducting integrated reconnaissance (radio, photo, infrared and television).
Almost simultaneously with the appearance of the Su-17, on the basis of the front-line fighter with a variable geometry wing MiG-23, its strike version of the MiG-23B was developed and launched into series.
The creation of the aircraft was officially confirmed by the Decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the USSR Council of Ministers of February 4, 1970.
The characteristic outlines of the bow were determined according to the operating conditions of the ASP-17 sight. The automatic rifle sight was developed at the Leningrad enterprise "Arsenal" for promising attack aircraft and provided accurate aimed bombing, launching of NAR and firing from level flight and dive. In the course of sighting the target, its movable aiming mark could deviate downward by an angle of up to degrees, projecting onto the reflector glass of the sight. To prevent the nose of the aircraft from obscuring the target, its contours were determined by the appropriate angle, which set the generatrix of the upper part of the nose, sloping downward immediately from the canopy of the canopy, and the field of view from the cockpit was just degrees. The layout was not only successful, but also expressive, literally emphasizing the purpose of the aircraft.
MiG-23B
The fighter-bomber acquired an unusually functional and impressive predatory appearance, which became characteristic of all subsequent modifications, simultaneously securing the popular nickname "Crocodile Gena".
In addition to the absence of a radar, beveled for a better forward and downward view of the nose and the installation of special target equipment, the airframe differed little from the MiG-23S fighter, which has been in serial production since the beginning of 1970.
In 1973, the MiG-23BN appeared with a more economical R29B-300 engine. Despite the fact that the MiG-23BN remained in production until 1985 (for export deliveries), it was an intermediate solution that did little to satisfy both the creators and the customer. The military made demands on improving the combat effectiveness of the aircraft, which was inferior to the Su-17 similar in purpose, both in terms of combat load and range of weapons, and in a number of flight performance characteristics, including take-off and landing qualities and ease of piloting. The car needed a qualitative improvement, especially since the designers had a number of thoughtful proposals for the modernization. A set of measures to improve the strike MiG proposed modernization in three directions: constructive improvements to the aircraft, the introduction of new target equipment and the strengthening of weapons. The radical path with the simultaneous introduction of innovations into most of the systems and assemblies contradicted the usual practice of gradual improvement of the machine on the principle of "no more than one serious innovation in the next modification" (a time-tested rule). It happened more than once that the technical risk of many still "raw" novelties endlessly delayed the development.
The new aircraft was named MiG-23BM. On it, for the sake of increasing the weight of the combat load, the maximum speed and ceiling were slightly reduced. The adjustable air intakes inherited by the MiG-23B from the "twenty-third" fighter variants were replaced with lightweight unregulated ones on the MiG-23BM. Simplifying the design by eliminating the adjustable wedge and control system saved about 300 kg. A sighting system based on an analog computer by this time no longer had sufficient efficiency, did not provide the proper accuracy characteristics, and required an excessive voltage from the pilot in flight when performing many operations. The stake was made on a new highly efficient electronics complex, which gave the machine being created serious advantages.
The aircraft's armament has undergone a number of innovations. First of all, artillery weapons were replaced by more powerful ones. The power and destructive effect of the 23-mm shells of the GSh-23L cannon, which had served on most combat aircraft for many years, was not enough to confidently defeat many ground targets and, especially, armored vehicles. New armored vehicles entered service with NATO countries, for the fight against which the armor penetration of 23 mm caliber shells was already weak. In this regard, it was decided to install a new 30 mm caliber multi-barreled cannon on the aircraft, which provides a high rate of fire and a large second salvo weight.
GSh-6-30
The GSh-6-30A artillery system had impressive characteristics, demonstrating absolute superiority over most Western models.
The production of the MiG-23BM was quickly established at the end of 1973. This was largely due to the good mastery of technological processes and solutions in production and the continuity of the design, since it had a lot in common with the "twin".
The series lasted until the spring of 1978 and a total of 360 MiG-23BMs were manufactured, which, after the entire test program, were put into service in February 1975 under the name MiG-27, although in operation and production the aircraft often continued to be called the same name.
In parallel with the MiG-23BM, two more modifications were being developed, differing in more advanced sighting equipment. The level of new technologies, microelectronics and optoelectronic technology achieved in the country made it possible to develop workable equipment for the sighting system, the analogue of which the potential enemy did not have. The name of the complex "Kaira" was chosen with the meaning: the guillemot differs in that this bird's eyes during flight can look in different directions and even "into the tail" beam backward in flight).
Guided weapons were also significantly strengthened and replenished, for which, in principle, this modification of the aircraft was created (in this case, many types of ammunition, in turn, were themselves developed "for the aircraft"). The first was KAB-500L, with its own weight of 534 kg, it had a powerful penetrating high-explosive warhead weighing 360 kg and was intended to defeat protected and especially durable stationary targets - shelters, command posts, bridges, warehouses and others. The bomb was aimed at the target by the reflected radiation using a laser target designation system. A receiving device with a photodetector and a movable focusing coordinator tracked the target by laser radiation reflected from it, and the control unit directed a bomb at it. Target acquisition range -3, 5-6 km with a meteorological visibility range of 10 km. During the tests, a circular probable deviation of 8-10 meters was achieved. Since 1975, the KAB-500L began to enter service.
KAB-500L
Later, the arsenal of the vehicle was supplemented with new bombs of the KAB-500 family, equipped with a television correlation seeker. Bombs could be dropped individually and in a salvo from level flight, dive or pitching in daytime conditions (against illuminated targets - and at night), including against several spaced targets in one attack.
The combat effectiveness of the MiG-27K has increased many times over its predecessor. So, to complete the mission, which required seven MiG-27s, it was enough only four "Kair".
However, given the complexity and high cost of the Kaira, there was a need for such a modification of the aircraft, which, with new equipment and weapons, would surpass the MiG-27 in its combat qualities, but would cost less than the MiG-27K, even to the detriment of some capabilities. The MiG-27M took over from the MiG-27K practically the entire arsenal of bombs and missiles, with the exception of corrected bombs with a semi-active laser seeker (Klen-PM could not turn the beam back). Tests and operation of the new aircraft have shown that the MiG-27M is significantly superior in its capabilities to the MiG-27 and is not inferior in many respects to the Kayre.
In 1990, the USSR Air Force had 535 Su-17 and 500 MiG-27s, most of them went to Russia. At that time, for the most part, these were fairly modern combat vehicles. However, the leadership of the "new Russia", despite the very effective use of the Su-17M4 in the First Chechen, considered the presence of fighter-bomber aircraft in the Air Force structure unnecessary. A significant part of the aircraft of the liquidated air units was immediately sent to scrap metal, the rest were sent to "storage".
The stake was made on front-line bombers Su-24 and attack aircraft Su-25. If necessary, MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters were to be involved for strikes (it is especially "wise" to re-equip the latter with NURS units). However, further events showed the erroneousness of such a decision. The Su-24 bombers, designed to destroy especially important targets in the operational rear of the enemy, turned out to be too expensive and difficult to operate for use in a "counter-terrorist operation", and the Su-25 had limited capabilities for the use of guided weapons and a short range.
During the Second Chechen War, an attempt was made to return the Su-17M4 to the Air Force, but it turned out to be impossible to implement this in practice. For several years, the airplanes "in storage" under the open sky have become completely non-flightable, their equipment has been dismantled and plundered.
Nevertheless, some of the Su-17s that survived in flight still continue to take off, mainly "twin" vehicles used for training flights.
