{"product_id":"sukhoi-su27-famous-russian-aircraft-9781857802474","title":"Sukhoi Su-27 (Famous Russian Aircraft)","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the late 1960s  the Soviet Union became aware that the U.S. was developing a new generation of jet fighters that had an exceptional range  heavy armor  and great agility in the air. These U.S. aircraft  the F-14 Tomcat  F-15 Eagle  F-16 Fighting Hornet  and F\/A-18 Hornet dominated U.S. air power for three decades. In the context of the Cold War  the Soviets could not be seen to be lagging behind the Americans. Their response to these new U.S. aircraft was the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker  which was designed as a long-range air superiority aircraft and interceptor.  The first of the modified pre-production aircraft appeared in 1981  but it was not until 1984 that significant numbers of the Su-27 started to enter service. Eventually some 680 Su-27 were built for the Soviets  of which 400 remain in service with the Russian Tactical Air Force today. Outside of Russia  the Su-27 is also in service with the Chinese  and on the inventories of the air forces of Vietnam  Malaysia  Ethiopia  Indonesia  Syria  and Angola.  This book describes in depth the development  operational career  history  and variants within the Su-27 family. The book incorporates color and black and white photos to portray some of the various camouflage schemes carried by the type in Soviet  Russian  and other air forces over the past two decades.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45275766587445,"sku":"ByrdShop_1857802470","price":479.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781857802474.jpg?v=1780513905","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/sukhoi-su27-famous-russian-aircraft-9781857802474","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}