The Russian Aerospace Forces command scrambled a fourth-generation Su-27 fighter to intercept an RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft and two Eurofighter Typhoon fighters of the British Royal Air Force, which approached the Russian border over the Black Sea. The incident occurred on July 24, writes The Military Watch Magazine.
As the Russian fighter approached, the foreign pilots turned away from the Russian state border.
Although the vast majority of Su-27s have been decommissioned, about one and a half regiments of these aircraft remain in service. Those based on the Black Sea have been particularly active in intercepting Western aircraft in recent years.
According to The Military Watch Magazine, the Su-27 was developed as the main air superiority fighter. It was put into service in 1984. Most Su-27s and Eurofighters use outdated mechanically scanned array radars.
At the same time, Eurofighters produced since 2019 have received Captor-E radars with an active electronically scanned array. Newer Su-27SM1s are equipped with Irbis-E radars with a passive electronically scanned array.
The Su-27 is larger than the Eurofighter and carries a radar that is twice the size of the Eurofighter's. The Russian fighter has a much longer range and can carry more weapons. But it is being replaced by more modern Su-30, Su-34, and Su-35 aircraft.
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