The Sukhoi Su-27 (in Russian: ????? ??-27; NATO: Flanker) is a Russian supermaneuverable twin-engine fighter developed by Sukhoi. It was developed as a direct competitor to the fourth generation fighters in the United States such as the Grumman F-14 Tomcat and F-15 Eagle, with an action range of 3,530 km, sophisticated avionics and supermaneuverability. It was designed for air superiority, but its most modern variants have the capacity and efficiency for almost all types of military air operations. Complementing the smaller MiG-29, the Su-27 is the most direct rival aircraft to the North American F-15 Eagle. [4]The Su-27 entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1985. Its main objective was air defense against American bombardments such as the SAC B-1B and B-52G / H, in protecting the Soviet coast from aircraft carriers and bombing escorts. strategic as the Tu-95 "Bear", Tu-22M "Backfire" and Tu-160 "Blackjack". [5]Several aircraft were developed based on the design of the Su-27, such as the Su-30, Su-33, Su-34, Su-35 and Su-37. It was exported to several countries, the Shenyang J-11 being a Chinese version built under a Su-27 license. [6] [7] [8]