Red As A Scaled-Up Version Of The Su-9/Su-11 Family But Powered By Two Engines And Utilizi

red as a scaled-up version of the Su-9/Su-11 family but powered by two engines and utilizing twin side inlets. These design changes freed up space in the new solid nose for a large radar, and powerful engines were installed to insure the Su-15 would fly considerably faster than any known Western aircraft of the time. The first production Flagon-A models featured a mid-mounted cropped delta wing, swept tail surfaces, and a large bubble canopy placed aft well of the conical nose. Later models introduced a kinked-delta wing planform of greater span and a more aerodynamic ogival nose. In addition, the electronics, engines, and armaments were continually improved so that the Su-15 remained a formidable high-speed interceptor through the 1980s. Some later models have been reported as the Su-21, but this designation was never applied to any members of the Su-15 family. The Su-15 guarded Soviet airspace throughout much of the Cold War, though it was never exported to Soviet allies. By 1976, 29 PVO interceptor regiments were equipped with the Flagon, 18 Units flying the delta winged Su-15 (sans suffixe), and a far-flung 11 units flew the SU-15TM Flagon-F. Surely the most notable, albeit infamous, event the aircraft was involved in occurred in 1983 when an Su-15TM Flagon-F shot down a Korean Air Lines Boeing 747 mistaking it for a reconnaissance Boeing RC-135 aircraft. About 700 Su-15s still remained in service by the mid-1980s, but these were gradually retired and replaced by the MiG-31 Foxhound and Su-27 Flanker by about 1993. Aircraft model by Brett Hoskins. Textures by Mike Mahat - mikemahat_at_hotmail.com Custom Panel by Jan Moravec.