72121 SUKHOI SU-11 SOVIET FIGHTER-INTERCEPTOR

Sukhoi Su-11 was a Soviet interceptor from the Cold War period. The machine was built in a low wing configuration with a three-support undercarriage. The first prototype flew in 1958, and the machine entered production in 1963. The drive was provided by a single engine AŁ-7F-2 turbojet . The plane - in the basic version - was 18.23 meters long with a wingspan of 8.54 meters. The machine did not have permanent on-board armament, and its only armament was up to 4 K-8 air-to-air missiles (NATO code: AA-3 Anab). The Su-11 was developed by Paweł Suchoj as a development of the T-3 and T-43 prototype aircraft. Compared to them, however, the new machine had an air intake with a larger diameter and a redesigned front part of the fuselage. Finally, after quite long tests conducted by the Soviet Air Force, the machine was accepted into the line. Unfortunately, the Su-11 (like the Su-9) had a high failure rate and was a rather unreliable machine, although not as much as the Su-9. This resulted in a significant reduction in the government order and a reduction in production to around 120 aircraft. Moreover, in the course of operation, it turned out that the machine requires well-trained pilots and has a high landing speed. The Su-11 was intended primarily for intercepting and destroying US strategic bombers. It is assumed that the Su-11 was not used in combat. Its only user was the USSR air force.