Ukrainians turn the tide in Kursk: Su‑27s hunt drones and helicopters
Ukrainians have occupied a large area of the Kursk region in Russia, and besides ground forces, Ukrainian aviation is actively operating there despite very limited capabilities. An example is a patrol of a Ukrainian Su-27 aircraft likely hunting for drones or helicopters. Here is what this aircraft can do.
Ukrainians are performing very well on the ground in the Kursk region, but the situation in the air presents a different challenge, with the Russians holding the advantage. One could say that the high activity of Ukrainian air defence is crucial in keeping the Russians at bay.
However, air defence has problems dealing with low-flying targets such as helicopters or drones, for which their own aircraft are the best "hunters." In the footage below, you can see a Ukrainian Su-27 from the 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade searching for targets. Alternatively, the Su-27 may also serve as a decoy for Russian planes, luring them into a trap set by anti-aircraft systems.
Su-27 - a nightmare for NATO pilots from the Cold War times
The Su-27, developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau, first flew in May 1977. It was the Soviet Union's response to the American F-15 fighter jets. As a result, a heavy twin-engine machine with an empty weight of 16 tonnes and a maximum weight of 30 tonnes was created.
Most of the weight is occupied by the fuel reserve in the internal tanks, amounting to 9.4 tonnes, while the weapon payload possible to be distributed on 10 pylons is 4.4 tonnes. This translates to a much greater operational range than the MiGs, amounting to approximately 2,175 miles and an altitude of up to 62,000 feet.
This, combined with excellent aerodynamics and a maximum speed of Mach 2.35, made it the most dangerous aircraft NATO pilots could encounter during the Cold War. After the fall of the USSR, the planes were acquired, among others, by China, where they were copied and introduced into service as the J-11. The Russians further developed the design of the Su-27 into the Su-30, Su-34 and Su-35, which found quite a few buyers among countries not inclined to purchase aircraft from the USA (mainly African and some Asian countries).
The armament of the Su-27 includes mainly short-range R-73 air-to-air missiles or obsolete medium-range R-27 missiles and aerial bombs weighing up to 1,102 pounds or rocket launchers for unguided missiles. An exception is the mid-range missile Vympel R-77, developed only at the end of the USSR, with a range of up to 50 miles, conceptually similar to the AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles from which it got its nickname Amraamski.
It was the first Soviet/Russian air-to-air missile with an active radar homing head type "fire-and-forget", which, thanks to the onboard radar, could track the target itself from a distance of about 12 miles. Ukraine possesses an unknown number of these missiles.
The few Ukrainian Su-27s were integrated with Western weapons
Furthermore, Ukrainians improvised to integrate the Su-27 with Western weapons, as recordings of the use of, among others, AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles or JDAM-ER guided bombs have appeared. It is worth noting that Ukraine probably already has a very small number of Su-27 aircraft capable of flying.
Before the war, Ukraine had just over 30 units, and at least 16 were destroyed. A significant portion of the remaining units may have been taken out of service due to wear and tear and issues with spare parts. Unlike MiGs, Ukraine did not receive new Su-27 aircraft.
