Sukhoy

Sukhoy

 officially OKB imeni P.O. Sukhoy formerly OKB-51

Russian aerospace design bureau that is the country's second most important producer of jet fighters (after MiG). The origin of Sukhoy dates to 1953, when the Soviet government allowed Pavel Sukhoy to reassemble his World War II aircraft-design team into a new bureau, which was designated OKB-51. In the 1950s and '60s OKB-51 planned and built a series of supersonic jet fighters, including the Su-7 and Su-9, which were later modified and used extensively by the U.S.S.R. and other Warsaw Pact countries. It improved the Su-9 into the Su-11 and Su-15 fighter-interceptors. After Sukhoy's death (1975) his name was added to that of the bureau. Perhaps the best known Sukhoy design was the versatile Su-27 air-superiority fighter (first flown 1977). In the 1990s the bureau introduced the Su-34 fighter-bomber and the redesigned Su-39 ground-attack aircraft. Its fifth-generation multirole S-37 Berkut air-superiority fighter (1997), had state-of-the-art electronics, forward-swept wings, and thrust vector control. In 1997 Russia formed the partially state-owned AVPK Sukhoy by combining the design bureau with its production plant and other affiliates. At the start of the 21st century Sukhoy began diversifying into the civilian market with sports aircraft, freight vehicles, and passenger aircraft.