The Sukhoi Su-27, known to NATO as the “Flanker”, was introduced into the Soviet Union’s air force in 1985. This agile and sophisticated fighter featured advanced fly-by-wire systems, a 30mm cannon, and 10 missile hardpoints. There have been numerous variants of the Su-27 design constructed over the years, including the advanced SM model (called “Flanker-B” by NATO) in use by the Russian Air Force since 2004.