SU-27 Upgrades On The Way

As part of its most ambitious military project since the collapse of the Soviet Union 12 years ago, Russia Friday launched its first flight of upgraded SU-27SM fighters from the company's manufacturing plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. The aircraft flew to their new base at the Russian Air Force training center in Lipetsk, where they'll undergo testing before becoming fully operational.

The SU-27SM features new engines and updated avionics and already, Russian pilots are thrilled beyond comparison. "They still smell of fresh paint. They are like factory-fresh cars," a smiling squadron leader, Yuri Gritsenko, told NTV television.

It's a welcome sign for the pilots who've complained that their aircraft are falling apart while Russian aerospace companies make newer, more capable fighters for the likes of China and India. But President Vladimir Putin has earmarked $11.7 billion -- fully 14-percent of the country's entire budget -- to refit and purchase new aviation assets.

The Interfax-Military News Agency quotes the country's deputy air force chief, Lt. Gen. Alexander Zelin, as saying the refitted SU-27SM will outperform even newer versions of the line sold to China and India, such as the SU-30MKK and the SU-30MKI. Echoing his pilots, Zelin said, "We can't have aircraft in our inventory that would be worse than those sold to foreign customers."

FMI: www.sukhoi.org/eng/home.htm