Sukhoi Su-33

what is it?

The Sukhoi Su-33 (Russian: Сухой Су-33; NATO reporting name: Flanker-D) is a Soviet/Russian all-weather carrier-based twin-engine air superiority-focused multirole fighter designed by Sukhoi and manufactured by Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association. Derived from the Su-27 and initially known as the Su-27K, compared with its parent design the Su-33 has a number of modifications to make it suitable for carrier operations. These include a strengthened undercarriage and airframe, larger, folding wings and stabilators, new canards, upgraded engines, and a twin nose wheel.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 jet engines · 14.7 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 2,300 km/htop speed
• range 3,000 kmwithout refuelling
• size 33 tmax take-off weight
• built 24made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 39 years ago, in 1987.
• 🏎️Top speed is 17.7× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 💥Faster than sound: up to Mach 1.9 (sea-level speed of sound ≈ 1,235 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 14.7 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 6 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 3,000 km: 17× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.9× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.

spec sheet

first flight

1987-08-17

introduced

1998

status

still flying

number built

24

role

sukhoi su-27

origin

🇷🇺 Soviet Union

makers

Sukhoi, Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association

engines

2× Saturn AL-31F3 / Saturn AL-31

crew

1

length

21.2 m

wingspan

14.7 m

height

5.9 m

max take-off weight

33 t

top speed

2,300 km/h

range

3,000 km

ceiling

17,000 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

family