Stung by continued accusations from US fighter pilots that the dramatic aerobatics of the Sukhoi Su-37 are irrelevant in actual combat, Mikhail Simonov, head of Sukhoi, has publicly challenged the Americans to a dogfight over Farnborough.
Simonov says: "I was at our stand yesterday answering questions from journalists, and one of them said the American pilots told them the manoeuvres of the Su-37 at Farnborough were not relevant in combat.
"Well, at Farnborough we can talk to any American pilot and we would be happy to perform an actual dogfight in the skies over Farnborough."
He says both the Su-37 and the US fighter could relay information to the ground via telemetry, and whoever got the first picture of the other in his sights would be the winner.
Security
"I know that at Farnborough there are very serious safety requirements. If we cannot meet the safety requirements here, then we can meet elsewhere such as over the Atlantic, although this would not be exciting for the public," he says.
Simonov, asked whether the Su-37's manoeuvres on show here have any combat applications, replies: "Without the manoeuvres conducted by [pilot] Yevgeny Frolov, no pilot will be able to survive in the future. What we're demonstrating today should not be taken as extraordinary. This is a standard dogfight combat operation."
Answering questions on the Su-37's aerobatic performance, Viktor Chepin, general designer for the Lyulka Saturn engines, says the thrust vectoring system places no limitations on use of the afterburners or on manoeuvres.
Source: Flight Daily News