Sukhoi Su-26

Single-Seat, Single-Engine Aerobatic Aircraft [ 1984 ]

The Sukhoi Su-26, a Soviet product of the late Cold War years, is a proven aerobatic performer and has spawned the Su-29 and Su-31 lines.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 03/19/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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The Sukhoi Su-26 is a Soviet-era lightweight, aerobatic racer powered through a single, nose-mounted engine and piloted by a sole crew member. The design appeared through a first-flight in June of 1984 and has been in actively utilized ever since. Related developments include the Sukhoi Su-29 and Su-31 platforms revealed in 1991 and 1992, respectively.

The Su-26 relies on elegant, aerodynamically-efficient streamlining of its airframe, seating the pilot over midships under a large-area windscreen. The nose is long, restricting forward vision from the cockpit and the mainplanes also reduce visibility to the forward-sides of the aircraft. These members are straight in their general shaping with clipped tips and positioned slightly ahead of midships. The dorsal spine is raised and the entire fuselage tapers towards the short tail section which is capped by a single vertical fin and seats a pair of low-mounted horizontal planes. The "tail-dragger" undercarriage (with arced, titanium-based main legs) is of a simple lightweight design and remains fixed during flight - further reducing complexity and maintenance commitments.

The aircraft is powered by a single Vedeneyev M14P series 9-cylinder, air-cooled radial piston engine developing 360 horsepower and driving a three-bladed constant-speed propeller unit at the nose. Coupled with its streamlined design, this gives the aircraft a maximum speed of 280 miles-per-hour, a range out to 500 miles, and a service ceiling up to 13,000 feet. Cruising speeds are closer to 185 mph. Rate-of-climb is 3,500 feet-per-minute.

Since its inception, the Su-26 has been something of a showstopper with its exceptional performances. It claimed the 1986 World Aerobatics Championships in both men's and women's team categories and also finished first in the 2004 European Championships as well as the 2003 and 2005 Aerobatic World Championships.

The original 1980s form of the aircraft was flown with a simpler two-bladed propeller unit. Since then, the series has seen several notable modified / modernized variants appear: the Su-26M is an offshoot refined throughout and introduced a three-bladed propeller arrangement among other changes. The Su-26M3 variant brought about use of the M9F engine of 430 horsepower.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Sukhoi OKB - Soviet Union
Manufacturer(s)

Russia; Soviet Union
Operators

1984
Service Year

Soviet Union
National Origin

Active
Project Status

1
Crew

20
Units

22.3 ft
(6.80 meters)
Length

25.6 ft
(7.80 meters)
Width/Span

9.5 ft
(2.89 meters)
Height

1,543 lb
(700 kilograms)
Empty Weight

1,742 lb
(790 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight

+198 lb
(+90 kg)
Weight Difference

monoplane / low-mounted / straight, tapered
Mainplane Arrangement

Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represents the most popular modern mainplane arrangement.

Low-Mounted
Mainplanes are low-mounted along the sides of the fuselage.

Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.

Straight, Tapered
The planform uses straight mainplane members which taper towards the wing tips.

1 x Vedeneyev M14P 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine developing 360 horsepower and driving a three-bladed propeller unit at the nose.
Propulsion

280 mph
(450 kph | 243 knots)
Max Speed

13,123 ft
(4,000 m | 2 miles)
Ceiling

497 miles
(800 km | 432 nm)
Range

3,545 ft/min
(1,081 m/min)
Rate-of-Climb

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

None.

Su-26 - Base Series Designation; original form with two-bladed propeller unit; four airframes completed.

Su-26M - Modified model with three-bladed MTV-9 series composite propeller unit; revised tail surfaces for improved control.

Su-26M3 - Fitted with M9F engine of 430 horsepower.

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Aviation / Aerospace

Sukhoi Su-26

Single-Seat, Single-Engine Aerobatic Aircraft [ 1984 ]

The Sukhoi Su-26, a Soviet product of the late Cold War years, is a proven aerobatic performer and has spawned the Su-29 and Su-31 lines.

Specifications