Sukhoi Su-15

Sukhoi Su-15
Country	Soviet Union
Type	Interceptor aircraft
First flight	30 May 1962
Built	1290

The Sukhoi Su-15 (NATO reporting name: Flagon) is a twinjet supersonic interceptor aircraft developed by the Soviet Union. It entered service in 1965 and remained one of the front-line designs into the 1990s. The Su-15 was designed to replace the Sukhoi Su-11 and Sukhoi Su-9, which were becoming obsolete as NATO introduced newer and more capable strategic bombers.

Source: Sukhoi Su-15 on Wiki

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General Characteristics (Su-15 ‘Flagon-A’ Initial Variant)

The Sukhoi Su-15 was a twin-engine, single-seat supersonic interceptor aircraft developed by the Soviet Union’s Sukhoi Design Bureau. Designed to replace the Su-9 and Su-11, the Su-15 served as a primary high-speed air defense interceptor during the Cold War.

Property	Value (Flagon-A/Initial Production)
Role	All-Weather Interceptor Fighter
Manufacturer	Sukhoi
NATO Reporting Name	Flagon
Entered Service	1967
Crew	1 pilot
Maximum Take-Off Weight	Approx. 16,000 kg (35,270 lb)
Wingspan	8.62 m (28 ft 3 in)

Powerplant and Design

Engine: Two Tumansky R-13F2-300 afterburning turbojets (later variants used R-13F-300 or R-25 engines).
Thrust (Total): Approx. 129.4 kN (29,099 lbf) dry / 141.2 kN (75,400 hp) with afterburner (varies by engine type).
Configuration: Features a cropped delta wing (initial models) or kinked-delta wing (later models) and twin side air intakes, which allowed for a large, solid nose cone for the heavy radar equipment.
Speed: Maximum speed of approximately Mach 2.1 (2,230 km/h) at high altitude.
Service Ceiling: 18,500 m (60,700 ft).

💥 Armament and Radar

Radar: Initially equipped with the RP-22 Oryol-D radar; later models (like the Su-15TM ‘Flagon-F’) featured the much larger Taifun-M radar in an aerodynamic ogival nose.
Armament: No internal cannon. Typically carried two medium-range R-98 (AA-3 ‘Anab’) air-to-air missiles on the underwing pylons.
Optional Armament: Could carry two or four short-range R-60 (AA-8 ‘Aphid’) missiles and/or UPK-23-250 gun pods housing a 23 mm GSh-23L twin-barrel cannon.
Historical Note: The Su-15 gained infamy for being the aircraft that shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (KAL 007) in 1983, after mistaking it for a reconnaissance aircraft.