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Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut (S-32/37 Golden Eagle)

 

The Su-47 has extremely high agility at subsonic speeds, enabling the aircraft to alter its angle of attack and its flight path very quickly while retaining maneuverability in supersonic flight. The Su-47 has a maximum speed of Mach 1.6 at high altitudes and a 9g capability.

Maximum turn rates, and the upper and lower limits on airspeed for weapon launch, are important criteria in terms of combat superiority. The Su-47 aircraft has very high levels of maneuverability with maintained stability and controllability at extreme angles of attack. Maximum turn rates are important in close combat and also at medium and long range, when the mission may involve engaging consecutive targets in different sectors of the airspace. A high turn rate of the Su-47 allows the pilot to turn the fighter aircraft quickly towards the next target to initiate the weapon launch. Like most other fighters with fly by wire controls, the Su-47 achieves some of its high maneuverability through relaxed stability.

The swept-forward wing, compared to a swept-back wing of the same area, provides a number of advantages:

  • higher lift-to-drag ratio
  • higher capacity in dogfight maneuvers
  • higher range at subsonic speed
  • improved stall resistance and anti-spin characteristics
  • improved stability at high angles of attack
  • a lower minimum flight speed
  • a shorter take-off and landing distance

 

 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-47