The Mikoyan MiG-27 “Flogger” and the Sukhoi Su-17 “Fitter” are highly representative examples of Soviet ground-attack aircraft, uniquely designed and with an operational history that underlines their positions in Cold War and post-Cold War conflicts.
The MiG-27 was a low-altitude air-to-ground variant of the MiG-23. It had variable-sweep wings, which gave enhanced control and versatility concerning speed.
The MiG-23 airframe had a less complex nose cone, stronger landing gear to take more rugged airfields, and the high-powered Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-6-30 cannon.
Well-engineered, the MiG-27 was not that speedy, with a Mach number of only 1.09 at sea level.
It has been seen little in combat, mainly against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and is no longer used today.
The last production version of the Su-17 series was called Su-17M4 or “Fitter-K” in NATO codename.
First flown on June 19, 1980, it had far better avionics: the “Sirena” SPO-15LE radar-warning system and the Lyulka AL-21F-3 engine. Su-17M4 could reach Mach 1.7 at altitude and had a combat range of 715 miles.
It had a large carrying capacity for varieties of air-to-surface missiles and bombs and was a versatile ground-attack aircraft.
Versions for export of Su-17M4 were built under the name Su-22M4 from 1983 to 1990.
They were further upgraded later into the Su-22M5 standard, which carries modern avionics along with compatibility for TV and laser-guided munitions.
The Su-17 series was in use in several countries in Asia, North Africa, the Middle East, and South America and some of them remain in service to this date.
The MiG-27 and Su-17, both were in operation at the time of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
This ability of the MiG-27 to attack at very low levels and the immense flexibility of the ordnance load of the Su-17 played a significant role during the conflict.
Again, the internal components were made sensitive to the mercilessness of the South Asian desert.
The introduction of shoulder-launched SAMs reduced the effectiveness of their fighting capability by forcing the operation of these aircraft from high altitudes.