OVERVIEW: The J-11 aka "Flanker B" is a single-seat, twin-engine, long-range, all-weather, 4th-generation air superiority fighter capable of BVR engagements and ground attack.

DETAILS:  The J-11 is a license built in China of the Russian Su-27SK.  Similar in concept to the USAF's heavyweight/lightweight F-15/F-16 fighter fleet mix, the Su-27 was developed as a heavyweight fighter to complement the lighter Mig-29 and is roughly comparable to the F-15 and F-14.   

The J-11/Su-27SK is the export version of the Su-27P, originally developed for the PLAAF. In contrast to the Soviet Su-27P, the J-11/Su-27SK featured a strengthened undercarriage, allowing for an 5,000 kg increase in takeoff weight, making it capable of operating with a full fuel and maximum weapons load.    

The J-11/Su-27SK is designed to be a highly maneuverable aircraft.  To achieve this, it was designed to be unstable.  The wing and fuselage form a single aerodynamically lifted frame, providing a high aerodynamic efficiency and high lift coefficient.  This, along with its low wing loading, high thrust-to-weight ratio and an analogue quad-redundant fly-by-wire system, making it highly agile even at low air speed. The Su-27 can sustain +9.0 g maneuvers, and bubble cockpit, gives the pilot excellent visibility.  These characteristics, combined with the pilot’s helmet-mounted target designator and the all-aspect AA-11 missile and a 30mm cannon, make the Flanker an excellent dog fighting aircraft.

The Flanker B uses a N001E Myech radar, providing it with a LD/SD capability and when combined with the Alamo missile, a BVR capability.    The Su-27 is armed with a single 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon with 150 rounds in the starboard wingroot.  In contrast to the Soviet Su-27P, the Su-27SK has up to 12 hardpoints for missiles and other weapons. Its standard missile armament for air-to-air combat is a mixture of R-73 (AA-11 Archer) and R-27 (AA-10 'Alamo') short- and long-range missiles.

The J-11/Su-27SK carries the R-27R/R-27T series (AA-10A Alamo-A / AA-10C Alamo-C), an all-aspect medium-range missile with semi-active radar homing or with infrared homing.  These have a range from 0.27-32 nm.  It also carries the R-73 series (AA-11 Archer) all-aspect, close-combat air-to-air missile with infrared homing and a range from 0.17-11 nm.  Unlike the Su-27P, the Su-27SK has an A/G capability.    Ordnance for air-to-ground missions includes 100kg, 250kg and 500kg freefall and retarded aerial bombs; 500kg incendiary devices; 25kg and 500kg RBK cluster bombs; and S-8, S-13, S-24 and S-25 unguided aerial missiles.

The countermeasures system includes a pilot illumination radar warning receiver, chaff and infrared decoy dispensers, and active multi-mode jammers, normally carried in wingtip pods in lieu of R-73 missiles in the wingtip hardpoints. The jammers are capable of mutual and group protection.  

The J-11/Su-27SK is powered by two widely separated AL-31F afterburning turbofans, each producing 7800 kgf (17,200 lbs). of thrust (military) or 12,500 kgf (27,558 lbs) of thrust at afterburner, giving it a 1.07  thrust-to-weight ratio. Each engine has two air intakes: a primary wedge intake and a louvred auxiliary air intake. The design maximum speed is Mach 2.35 at altitude.

NOTES: IOC: 1998. These aircraft are built from kits supplied by Russia and equipped with Russian supplied electronics.  The Su-27SK is the export version of the Su-27P, originally developed for the PLAAF.


SOURCE: Mladenov, Alexander. Soviet Cold War Fighters. Fonthill Media, 2017, (Kindle ed., locations  4900; Hillebrand, Niels. "MILAVIA Aircraft - Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker Specifications." MILAVIA - Military Aviation - Aircraft, Air Show, Air Force, Fighter, Bomber. Accessed January 10, 2023. https://www.milavia.net/aircraft/su-27/su-27_specifications.htm. ; Pike, John. "Su-27 FLANKER." GlobalSecurity.org. Last modified 9, 2021. https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/su-27.htm. ;"Saturn AL-31." Military Wiki. Accessed January 10, 2023. https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Saturn_AL-31. ;
"Su-27 Flanker Front-Line Fighter Aircraft, Russia." Airforce Technology. Last modified July 16, 2021. https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/su27/#:~:text=A%20Su%2D27%20is%20fitted,of%20145kN%20(33%2C000lb) ; "Shenyang J-11 Air Superiority Fighter | Military-Today.com." MILITARY TODAY - Everything About Modern Warfare. Accessed January 15, 2023. https://www.military-today.com/aircraft/j11.htm.
