My Review and Build of Hasegawa 1/72 scale Kit #02134,
Sukhoi SU-34 Strike Aircraft
Latest Update: July 6, 2015 - Cockpit, Nozzles, Fuselage & Control Surfaces, Initial Painting
Introduction and What's in the Box - July 4, 2015,
The SU-35S Russian Air Superiotity Aircraft:
In the 1980s the Soviet Union developed an aircraft to compete with the very successful and capable US Air Force F-15 Eagle. This Russian aircraft has since become an entire family of successful aircraft itself that has lived throughout the intervening 30 years. This is the Sukhoi SU-27 Flanker family.
The latest, most modern version of this aircraft is the SU-35S Flanker. This single seat air superiority aircraft is officially known in the west as the Flanker-E, but is often refered to as the "Super Flanker."
This aircraft was designed to be able to go up against the latest US Air Force F-15 variants, the F-15C/D and F-15E, also to go up against the latest US Navy F-18 aircraft, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, and finally to go up against the western Euprean modern fighters, the Typhoon and the Rafael.
In addition, the Russians believe that it is capable of possibly holding its own against the vaunted, 5th generation stealth fighter, the US Air Force F-22 Raptor, although this claim is seriously in doubt. Nonetheless, the Russians are building this aircraft as a stop gap against the Raptor until their own 5th generation stealth aircraft, the Sukhoi PAK FA is able to be brought into production.
The SU-35S incorporates Russian aerodynamic refinements that increase maneuverability, improves avionics, provides longer range, and includes more powerful engines than earlier Soviet and Russian flanker aircraft in terms of air superiority and multi-role aircraft. It should be noted that the dedicated and new SU-34 Fullback aircraft also have the longer range and more powerful engines.
The first Su-35 prototype, was converted from an Su-27 and made its inital flight in June 1988. This was a very early attempt to get to what the Soviets and then later the Russians wanted in the SU-35. A dozen such aircraft were converted and built and they were intially designated the SU-27M. These aircraft were used by the Russian Knights aerobatic team. This initial design was them modified into a prototype with canards and thrust vectoring engines called the SU-37. This aircraft became an advanced technology demonstrator for the Russians.
In 2003, Sukhoi embarked on an all new modernization of the Su-27M to produce what Sukhoi called a 4++ generation fighter that would finally bridge the gap between Russian legacy Flankers and the planned Russian fifth generation fighter, the Sukhoi PAK FA. This new designed removed the canards and air brake from the SU-37, but added a reinforced airframe, much improved avionics, a new AESA radar, new thrust-vectoring engines, and a reduced frontal radar signature. In 2008 this new Flanker prototype was debuted, and began a flight test regiment that ultimately involved four new prototypes.
The fourth prototype was lost in a mishap in 2009. But the testing went on and the Russian military was very satisfied with the results. As a result, the Russian Air Force ordered 48 of these aircraft and they were designated the Su-35S. The first Su-35S took its maiden flight in May 2011, and Sukhoi delivered a second aircraft that year. Eight more were delivered in 2012, twelve each in 2013 and 2014, and the final fourteen aircraft of the initial order were expected to be delivered by the end of 2015 or early 2016. It is anticipated that a follow-on order of 48 will be made.
Known and anticipated basing for the SU-35 consists of:
Gromov Flight Research Institute - 6 aircraft
Russian Knights, Kubinka air base, Moscow - 6 aircraft
Dzemga airbase, Khabarovsk Krai - 36 Aircraft
SU-35 Specifications:
Crew: 1
Length: 72.9 ft
Wingspan: 50.2 ft, with wingtip pods
Height: 19.4 ft
Wing area: 667 ft²
Empty weight: 40,570 lb
Loaded weight: 56,660 lb at 50% internal fuel
Max. takeoff weight: 76,060 lb
Powerplant: 2 × Saturn 117S (AL-41F1S) afterburning turbofan with 3D thrust vectoring nozzle
Dry thrust: 19,400 lbf each
Thrust with afterburner: 31,900 lbf each
Fuel capacity: 25,400 lb internally
Maximum speed:
- At altitude: Mach 2.25
- At sea level: Mach 1.15
Range:
- At altitude: 1,940 nmi
- At sea level: 850 nmi
Service ceiling: 59,100 ft
Rate of climb: >55,000 ft/min
Wing loading: 84.9 lb/ft² 50% fuel
Thrust/weight: 1.13 at 50% fuel (0.92 with full internal fuel)
Maximum g-load: +9 g
Armament
- Guns: 1× 30 mm GSh-301 internal cannon with 150 rounds
- Hardpoints: 12 hardpoints, consisting of 2 wingtip rails, and 10 wing and fuselage stations with a capacity of 8,000 kg (17,630 lb) of ordnance
Rockets:
- S-25L laser-guided rockets
- S-25 unguided rockets
- B-8 unguided S-8 rocket pods
B-13 unguided S-13 rocket pods
Missiles:
- Vympel R-27R/ER/T/ET
- Vympel R-77 – the proposed R-77M, R-77T
- Vympel R-73E/M, and R-74M
- Vympel R-37M 200 km
- Kh-29T/L
- Kh-31P/A
- Kh-59ME
Bombs:
- FAB-250 250-kilogram (550 lb) unguided bombs
- FAB-500 500-kilogram (1,100 lb) unguided bombs
- KAB-500L laser-guided bomb
- KAB-1500 laser-guided bomb
The Kit:
Hasegawa builds very good 1/72 scale kits. This is a kit of the SU-35 prototype, and is alled the Limited Edition, coming with numerous options and a lot of ordinance.
Some of the options include having the exhaust nozzles of the thrust vectoring engines shown in either a straight back configuration, or oriented with downward Thrust.. Landing gear extended or retracted. Pilot in the cockpit or without. Horizontal stabilizers canted up or down, or normal. Using a flight/display stand or not. Showing the engine air intakes louvers opened or closed. And several others, including numerous armament options for air-to-air missiles, air-to surface missiles, rocket pods, bombs, etc.
The kit includes ten light gray colored sprues, one clear plastic sprue, and the upper and lower fuselage. detail on the parts is excellent.
There is a really good decal sheet for the prototype aircraft, but I intend to build production aircraft so will compliment those decals with some left over Russian production SU-27 aircraft decals to get the appropriate numbering colors and actual numbers.
The paint scheme is for the prototype aircraft as well, and it is quite good. but I will build the aircraft to a production paint scheme as shown with the production, darker blue scheme shown above.
The instructions are well laid out and straight forward. intuitive...but also a little cramped.
There are well over 200 parts included in the kit, and the usage will vary depending on the options selected. I intend to show the aircraft on the ground with the gear lowered, with the vectored thrust angled down, with the horizontal control surfaces canted for take off and maximum lift, the cockpit closed, but without a pilot.
Despite a minor issues with the instructions, the kit is overall a very good kit and should build up into a very decent SU-35 model.
This will add to my modern Russian aircraft selection. I have already built the Russian PAKFA Stealth Fighter, a SU-27, and a Mig-29, and the SU-35 in 1/72 scale. After this build, over time, I will build quite a few other Russian modern aircraft. They include:
- SU-33 Sea Flanker by Itakeri
- Tu-22M backfire by Zvazda.
- TU-95M BEar by Trumpeter.
- TU-160 Blackjack by Trumpeter.
Here are the pictures of this SU-35 kit before starting the build: