The Su-27 did gain special markings—one of the five ‘kill’ stars painted on the port side of the nose was superimposed on the silhouette of a P-3!
In 1969, the Sukhoi Design Bureau was assigned the development of a fourth-generation heavy fighter, marking the beginning of the Su-27 program. This aircraft, known in the West as the Flanker, would become one of the Soviet Union’s most successful fighter designs.
Series production of the Su-27 started in 1982.
As told by Yefim Gordon and Dmitriy Komissarov in their book Sukhoi Su-27 & 30/33/34/35, the first ‘official acknowledgment’ of the Flanker’s existence came in the summer of 1985. A documentary about Pavel O. Sukhoi shown on Soviet TV on the occasion of the designer’s 90th anniversary included a brief reference to the new fighter and a ten-second sequence showing what was known as the T-10 on take-off. To paraphrase Robert Frost, these were ‘ten seconds that shook the world.’ Yet, it was another two years before the first photos of the production Su-27 appeared in the Soviet press.
As noted by Yefim Gordon and Dmitriy Komissarov in their book Sukhoi Su-27 & 30/33/34/35, the Flanker was first ‘officially’ acknowledged in the summer of 1985. A documentary about Pavel O. Sukhoi, broadcast on Soviet television for what would have been his 90th birthday, briefly mentioned the new fighter and showed a ten‑second clip of the prototype, then designated T‑10, taking off. To adapt Robert Frost’s words, those were “ten seconds that shook the world.” Even so, it would be another two years before the first photographs of the production Su-27 appeared in the Soviet press.
In the fall of 1987, the Flanker gained widespread attention when Western aerospace magazines printed striking close-up photos of a 941st IAP Su-27 loaded with R-27T and R-27ER missiles. The images came from a highly publicized incident on Sept. 13, 1987, involving a Royal Norwegian Air Force Lockheed P-3B Orion maritime patrol aircraft from 333 Squadron at Bodo Air Base.
The P-3B, serial 602 and named “Gunnar Isachsen” (former US Navy BuNo 156602, c/n 185C-5304), was monitoring a group of Soviet Navy ships in the Barents Sea; another version of events claims it was tracking an A-50 AWACS over international waters in an effort to disrupt its mission. Lt. (SG) Vasiliy Tsymbal, flying Su-27 “36 Red” (c/n 36911016816), was ordered to conduct a practice intercept. As the fighter closed in, the Orion’s captain, 1st Lt. Jan Salvesen, tried to “force out” the Flanker by lowering the landing gear to slow down and then maneuvering his aircraft directly above the Su-27. He did not realize how well the Flanker could handle low speeds, and when the Su-27 also slowed to maintain formation, the Norwegian crew briefly lost sight of it.
Tsymbal brought the fighter dangerously close to the Orion, and the Su-27’s left fin collided with the No. 4 propeller. The dielectric cap on the fin was instantly destroyed, but the propeller also shattered, and fragments tore through the fuselage skin, causing decompression. The damaged propeller produced severe vibrations, forcing the crew to shut the engine down. According to some reports, Tsymbal then flew his Su-27 in front of the P-3 and dumped fuel over its fuselage. In any case, both aircraft turned back and landed safely at their respective bases.
A large-scale investigation followed, and the response was swift. Three days after the incident, Vasiliy Tsymbal was expelled from the Communist Party, which was considered a very harsh penalty in the Soviet Union. However, he was reinstated just one day later. Soon afterward, he received the Order of the Red Star and was reassigned to another unit in Rostov—effectively a promotion that moved him out of his previous post.
The Soviet Union issued an official apology for the incident, but the report from the Soviet accident investigation board clearly stated that both pilots were to blame – a conclusion the Norwegian Ministry of Defence disputed. In any case, Jan Salvesen’s service record remained untarnished.
Afterward, the Su-27 involved was re-coded as “38 Red” (and later “31 Blue”), likely to mislead Western investigators and deflect attention from this particular aircraft. This way, if anyone referred to the tactical code “36 Red,” Soviet officials could truthfully claim that no such fighter served with their Air Force units in the north. No formal political claims were ever made, however. Interestingly, the famous Su-27 did receive special markings—one of the five ‘kill’ stars on the left side of the nose was painted over the silhouette of a P-3.
Sukhoi Su-27 & 30/33/34/35 is published by Crecy and is available to order here.
Photo by U.S. Gov and @Missilito Twitter
