Su-27 Flanker

The Sukhoi Su-27 was designed specifically to counter the American F-15 Eagle and featured exceptional range, maneuverability, and weapons capacity. Its advanced aerodynamic design with a blended wing-body and relaxed static stability gave it superlative agility. At the 1989 Paris Air Show, Viktor Pugachev performed the now-famous Cobra maneuver, pitching the aircraft to a 120-degree angle of attack while maintaining forward flight. The Su-27 spawned an entire family of derivatives including the Su-30, Su-33, Su-34, and Su-35, which are operated by China, India, and numerous other nations. It remains the most important Russian fighter of the post-Soviet era.