"By powerful artillery fire, air strikes, and a wave of attacking tanks, we're supposed to swiftly crush the enemy."
- Marshal Georgi K. Zhukov

The Sukhoi Su-17 (izdeliye S-32) is a variable-sweep wing fighter-bomber developed for the Soviet military. Its NATO reporting name is "Fitter". Developed from the Sukhoi Su-7, the Su-17 was the first variable-sweep wing aircraft to enter Soviet service. Two subsequent Sukhoi aircraft, the Su-20 and Su-22, have usually been regarded as variants of the Su-17. The Su-17/20/22 series has had a long career and has been operated by many air forces, including those of the Russian Federation, other former Soviet republics, the former Warsaw Pact, countries in the Arab world, Angola, and Peru.

The Su-17M3/4 were used during the First Chechen War alongside Sukhoi Su-24s and Sukhoi Su-25s in ground attack and reconnaissance missions.

In a move to eliminate single-engine strike aircraft from its inventory, the Russian Air Force retired its last Su-17M4 along with its fleet of MiG-23/27s in 1998.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a Russian Su-17 "Fitter" variable-sweep wing fighter-bomber that was attached to the 20th Guards Fighter-Bomber Regiment, 16th Air Army, during 1992. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 8-3/4-inches
Length: 10-inches

Release Date: March 2024

Historical Account: "Power Corrupts" - The Sukhoi Su-22 (NATO code name Fitter) is a fighter-bomber developed in the Soviet Union. It is an improved version of the Su-17, which was first commissioned as a production model in 1966. The Su-22 was intended to be a direct successor to the Su-20 and thus mainly as an export aircraft, but was also used by the air forces of former Soviet states.

The Su-22 is mainly designed for high-speed flight near ground level. Like most fighter-bombers, it is only of limited suitability for fighting other aircraft, as it has a laser range and target illumination system (Klen-54) for ground targets in the bow instead of radar to detect air targets. Other improvements included location, control, and target acquisition electronics. In addition, the Su-22 was equipped with systems for disrupting enemy targeting and locating. Installation of extended sensor equipment for reconnaissance operations is possible.

The armament includes eight to ten weapon carriers for a very wide range of weapon systems. Two or four weapon carriers can be attached under the hull, depending on the desired weapon variant. Two NR-30 automatic cannons, each with 80 rounds, installed in the left and right wing roots, respectively, are standard equipment. Two of the six weapon carriers under the wings can each be fitted with an additional gun container. This gun container SPPU-22-01 (combat kit: 260 rounds) with a vertically up to 30 degrees downward movable gun GSch-23L can also be mounted under the fuselage against the direction of flight. This makes it possible to engage ground or sea targets already overflown during takeoff.

As one of the most adaptable Soviet designs of the present time, over 1000 of them are in service. Countries of operation were/are, among others, Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Peru, Poland, Syria, Czechoslovakia and Vietnam.