Sukhoi Su-7B Soviet fighter-bomber, limited edition 1/72 ModelSvit 72006

Sukhoi Su-7B Soviet fighter-bomber, limited edition
1/72  fighter aircraft
ModelSvit 72006

Manufacturer: ModelSvit (Ukraine)
Scale: 1/72
Material: Plastic
Paint: Unpainted, Unassembled, Kit do not contain paints and glue.
Condition: New in Box

The Sukhoi Su-7 (NATO designation name: Fitter-A) was a swept wing,supersonic fighter aircraft developed by the Soviet Union in 1955. Originally, it was designed as tactical, low-level dogfighter, but was not successful in this role. On the other hand, soon-introduced Su-7B series became the main Soviet fighter-bomber and ground-attack aircraft of the 1960s. The Su-7 was rugged in its simplicity but its shortcomings included short range and low weapon loadThe S-1 first flew on 7 September 1955 with A. G. Kochetkov at the controls. Fitted with an afterburning version of the AL-7 engine after the first 11 flights, the prototype set a Soviet speed record of 2,170 km/h (1,170 kn, 1,350 mph, Mach 2.04) in April 1956.The prototype was intended to be armed with three 37 mm Nudelman N-37 cannon and 32 spin-stabilized 57 mm (2.25 in) unguided rockets in a ventral tray.The second prototype, S-2, introduced some aerodynamic refinements. Testing was complicated by the unreliable engine and S-1 was lost in a crash on 23 November 1956, killing its pilot I. N. Sokolov.Only 132 had been produced between 1957–1960, and the aircraft entered service as Su-7 in 1959.

Su-7B fighter-bomber

On 31 July 1958, Soviet tactical aviation (Frontovaya Aviatsiya, Ñ„ронтовая авиация) tasked Sukhoi with developing a ground-attack variant of the Su-7, which could replace the scrapped Ilyushin Il-10. The resulting prototype, S-22, incorporated structural refinements for high-speed, low-altitude operations. It first flew in March 1959, and entered service in 1961 as the Su-7B.Operationally, Su-7s were hampered by a high landing speed of 340–360 km/h,s dictated by the thin, highly-swept wing. Combined with poor visibility from the cockpit, and lack of an instrument landing system, it made operations very difficult, especially in poor weather or on poor airfields.In 1961-1962, Sukhoi experimented with blown flaps on S-25 but the benefit was too small to warrant implementation. JATO rockets tested on S-22-4 proved more useful and were incorporated into Su-7BKL. Attempts to improve takeoff and landing performance eventually resulted in the Sukhoi Su-17.

Su-7
Su-7BKL
Role	Fighter-bomber/Ground-attack
Manufacturer	Sukhoi OKB
First flight	7 September 1955
Introduction	1959
Retired	1990
Primary user	Soviet Air Force Indian Air Force
Produced	1957-1972
Number built	1,847 (mainly Su-7B series)
Developed into	Sukhoi Su-17