The Sukhoi Su-37 “Terminator” fighter was a technological marvel of Russia and turned out to be a testament to the ambition of that nation for flying machines. This Su-37 program came out to a disappointing ending with an unmistakable legacy of what could have been a game-changer in air combat.
The Su-37 was a further step in the Su-27 program to develop pilots’ control and maneuverability; it was equipped with thrust vectoring nozzles and an advanced radar, the N011M Bars, allowing it to lock and track twenty targets simultaneously. In comparison to the Su-27 radar, which could engage fifteen targets, this was a serious upgrade. The pilot controlled all of these systems through four full-color LCD multi-function displays that made everything much clearer and provided extra functionality.
Probably the most famous trait of the aircraft was its thrust vectoring nozzles. It was originally fitted with experimental Lyulka-Saturn AL-31FP engines. The nozzles did allow it to perform aerobatics at near-zero speed and virtually eliminated the restrictions of the angle of attack, making it an agile dogfighter able to evade enemy missiles. Some displays of the Su-37 maneuverability potential were performed in several air shows, including the Farnborough Airshow in 1996, where it did the “Super Cobra,” a variation of Pugachev’s Cobra.
Despite the enormous potential of Su-37, there were several problems. First, it required an enormously skilled pilot who could handle all those advanced systems onboard; secondly, the complexity was excessive, making it hard to fly. In 2002, a single prototype crashed due to malfunctioning software, and that was the end of the Su-37. It was attributed to the aircraft pulling multiples of g-forces through its lifetime, with the horizontal stabilizer breaking off in flight.
The Su-37 was also marketed as a multi-role fighter, able to perform both air superiority and air-to-ground missions. It had 12 wing and fuselage hardpoints, able to carry up to 8,000 kg of missiles: short-range R-73E and R-77 missiles for air combat and a variety of missiles for ground attack roles. The aircraft was fitted with a GSh-301 30-mm cannon with 150 rounds.
Despite all its potential, no production orders for the Su-37 were ever placed and it was not recognized officially by the Russian Air Force. Technologies developed from the aircraft were not lost, though. They had been integrated into the later models of Su-30MKI and Su-35BM, which inherited the former’s most outstanding features: thrust vectoring engines, improved radar systems, and avionics.
The Su-37 ‘Terminator’ epitomizes a missed opportunity for Russia to gain air supremacy. Its features and capabilities were way ahead, but this premature ending has left a gap that subsequent models have failed to fill. The achievements brought about by the Su-37 are still alive in the Russian world of aviation, though this baby itself never saw general usage.