Sukhoi Su-9

what is it?

The Sukhoi Su-9 (ASCC reporting name: Fishpot) is a single-engine, all-weather, missile-armed interceptor aircraft developed by the Soviet Union.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 jet engine · 8.5 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 2,120 km/htop speed
• range 1,350 kmwithout refuelling
• size 12.5 tmax take-off weight
• built 1,150made 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 69 years ago, in 1957.
• 🏎️Top speed is 16.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 💥Faster than sound: up to Mach 1.7 (sea-level speed of sound ≈ 1,235 km/h).
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 2 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 1,350 km: 8× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 2.3× 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

1957-10-10

introduced

1959

retired

1981

status

retired

number built

1,150

role

interceptor aircraft

origin

🇷🇺 Soviet Union

makers

Sukhoi, Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association

engines

1× Lyulka AL-7F-1-100 / AL-7

crew

1

length

16.8 m

wingspan

8.5 m

height

4.8 m

max take-off weight

12.5 t

top speed

2,120 km/h

range

1,350 km

ceiling

20,000 m

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