The Sukhoi Su-27PD takes to the skies over Farnborough, bearing with it the admiration of all and hopes for the economy back home.
It was a close-run thing even getting here, says Society of British Aerospace Companies director-general David Marshall.
"We were not expecting it to be here," he says. "It was very much a last-minute arrival. We had to spend all of Friday arranging details but we are delighted they are here."
The Su-27PD is actually the personal aircraft of Russian flying legend Anatoly Kvochur and its presence at Farnborough is thanks to sponsorship from a number of Russian companies.
The parlous state of the Russian economy seemed likely to scupper any significant presence by MiG or Sukhoi aircraft.
But it takes a lot to keep good teams down and both made it to the show at which they have featured so prominently throughout the 1990s.
Source: Flight Daily News