Sukhoi general designer Mikhail Simonov took the opportunity of the show to discuss, for the first time, the design bureau's S-37 forward-swept-wing fighter programme.
While remaining guarded over the genesis of the project, Simonov stresses the "experimental nature" of the radical Sukhoi design, with the aircraft being used as a technology demonstrator.
He claims that the design bureau is receiving no funding from the Russian air force (VVS) for the programme, which he describes as an "experimental aircraft only".
Simonov views the aircraft as a logical progression from the thrust-vector-equipped Su-27M prototype, Bort 711, in exploring post-stall manoeuvrability.
He remains uncharacteristically cautious, however, in his estimation of whether the S-37 will eventually form the basis of a future multi-role fighter for the VVS and the Russian navy.
Simonov says that Sukhoi has so far built only one S-37. He adds that the future of the project depends on the outcome of current flight-evaluation trials.
The S-37 project - previously known in the West as the S-32 - is believed to have begun in the latter half of the 1980s. The aim of the programme was to examine the aerodynamic advantages of a canard forward-swept-wing design.
It is thought that single- and twin-engine forward-swept planforms were considered, with a twin-engined design in a similar weight class to the Su-27 emerging as the preferred choice.
The Sukhoi general designer claims also that the S-54/S-55 advanced supersonic jet-trainer light-fighter aircraft will fly by the end of 1998. The design documentation for the aircraft has now been completed, he says.
Source: Flight International
