{"id":32591363,"date":"2026-11-13T10:33:32","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T09:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/sukhoi-su-7-fitter-soviet-supersonic-fighter-bomber-1971-war\/"},"modified":"2026-11-13T10:33:46","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T09:33:46","slug":"sukhoi-su-7-fitter-soviet-supersonic-fighter-bomber-1971-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/sukhoi-su-7-fitter-soviet-supersonic-fighter-bomber-1971-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Sukhoi Su-7 Fitter: The Soviet Fighter-Bomber Built to Take Hits"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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The blast carried away half the rudder and wrecked the elevators, ailerons and flaps. Wing Commander H.S. Mangat, commanding officer of No. 32 Squadron, flew the jet home anyway. Its battered tail section now sits in the Indian Air Force Museum at Palam.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>That was the Su-7 in a single story. NATO called it Fitter. It was thirsty, heavy on the controls, short on range and fast to land, and pilots who flew it in combat came to trust it with their lives. For most of the 1960s it was the Soviet Union&rsquo;s main fighter-bomber, and it went to war in South Asia and the Middle East.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Type:<\/strong> Single-seat supersonic fighter-bomber (two-seat trainers: Su-7U\/UM\/UMK)<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>NATO name:<\/strong> Fitter-A (trainers: Moujik)<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>First flight:<\/strong> 7 September 1955 (S-1 prototype, A.G. Kochetkov)<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Su-7B service entry:<\/strong> 1961<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Engine:<\/strong> One Lyulka AL-7F afterburning turbojet, around 94 kN (21,000 lb) with afterburner<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Armament:<\/strong> Two 30 mm NR-30 cannon plus bombs and rockets on external hardpoints<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Built:<\/strong> More than 1,800 of all variants<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Combat:<\/strong> 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, Six-Day War, War of Attrition, 1973 war, Afghanistan<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Successor:<\/strong> Su-17 (variable-geometry derivative), MiG-27<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A fighter that found another job<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The Su-7 was born as an interceptor-style frontline fighter. Pavel Sukhoi&rsquo;s design bureau, re-established after Stalin&rsquo;s death, built a swept-wing prototype called the S-1 around the new Lyulka AL-7 turbojet. Test pilot A.G. Kochetkov flew it for the first time on 7 September 1955.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The S-1 broke new ground for Soviet designers. It was the first Soviet aircraft with an all-moving tailplane and a translating centrebody, a movable cone in the nose intake that managed airflow to the engine at supersonic speed. The wings were swept at around 60 degrees.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>As a fighter, though, it never really took off. Only a little more than 130 of the fighter version were built before Soviet planners committed to the lighter <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/mig-21-fishbed\/\">MiG-21<\/a>. Instead, in 1958 Soviet frontline aviation asked Sukhoi for a ground-attack variant. The resulting S-22 prototype flew in 1959 and entered service as the Su-7B.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/sukhoi-su-7um-trainer-su-7-line-up-deblin.jpg\" alt=\"Row of Sukhoi Su-7 Fitters led by the two-seat Su-7UM trainer 702 at the Polish Air Force Museum in Deblin\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A row of Su-7s at the Polish Air Force Museum in Deblin, led by the two-seat Su-7UM trainer 702, with a Su-7BKL and a Su-7BM behind. Poland flew the type from 1964 until 1990. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Sukhoi_Su-7_line-up_at_Deblin_Museum_(13310351173).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alan Wilson \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">All engine, little range<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The heart of the Su-7B was its Lyulka AL-7F turbojet, producing around 94 kN (21,000 lb) of thrust in afterburner. It gave the Fitter real speed at low level, where Indian pilots found that, with reheat lit, it could leave even the MiG-21 behind. It also drank fuel so fast that even short missions usually needed drop tanks on two of the hardpoints, leaving less room for bombs and rockets.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The highly swept wing brought another problem: a high landing speed and long runways. Sukhoi tried several fixes. The Su-7BKL added skids beside the main wheels for rough strips, twin brake parachutes and provision for rocket boosters to shorten take-off. Fixed armament was a pair of 30 mm NR-30 cannon in the wing roots.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Production of the family ran until the early 1970s, with more than 1,800 built, including two-seat trainers that NATO called Moujik. Hundreds were exported. The type was not forgiving: Ukraine&rsquo;s Antonov State Aviation Museum counts 114 crashes and more than 220 accidents in the Soviet Union alone.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xwWFUtHt5C8\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">A look at the Su-7 in Soviet Air Force service.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">India&rsquo;s whale of a fighter<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>India evaluated the Su-7 in 1966 and 1967 while its home-grown HF-24 Marut was held back by engine problems. No. 26 Squadron received the first aircraft in March 1968, and within about 18 months the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/indian-air-force\/\">Indian Air Force<\/a> had six Su-7 squadrons and some 140 aircraft.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Not everyone was charmed at first. Indian pilots joked that the solidly built jet had been designed as a tank, and Bharat Rakshak&rsquo;s history recalls a Gnat squadron commander whose only verdict after his first Su-7 flight was a single word: &ldquo;Why?&rdquo; Over time, though, the type earned the nickname that stuck in India, a &ldquo;whale of an aircraft&rdquo;.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The jet became the backbone of India&rsquo;s daytime strike force in the December 1971 war with Pakistan. The six squadrons flew nearly 1,500 offensive sorties, from runway attacks on forward airfields to close air support against Pakistani armour in the Chhamb and Shakargarh sectors. At the peak, pilots flew up to six sorties a day each.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/sukhoi-su-7bmk-indian-air-force-museum-palam-b888.jpg\" alt=\"Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-7BMK serial B888 in natural metal finish inside the Indian Air Force Museum hangar at Palam\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Su-7BMK B888 at the Indian Air Force Museum, Palam. Six Indian Su-7 squadrons flew nearly 1,500 offensive sorties in the 1971 war. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:B888_Sukhoi_Su-7BMK_Indian_Air_Force_(8448370218).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Aeroprints.com \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The ground fire was ferocious, and the big Su-7 was exposed on every low-level pass. Many aircraft came home peppered with holes. Indian figures put the losses at 14 aircraft, most of them to anti-aircraft fire, though both sides made claims that remain disputed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Mangat&rsquo;s jet was one of the survivors. It was hit by an air-to-air missile fired by a <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/pakistan-air-force\/\">Pakistan Air Force<\/a> Shenyang F-6, the Chinese-built <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/mig-19-farmer\/\">MiG-19<\/a>. Flight Lieutenant J.S. Ghuman brought his Su-7 back with pieces of a missile still lodged in its tail.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;The immediate symptoms were a shuddering of the aircraft followed by the fuel-warning light coming on. However, the aircraft continued to respond perfectly.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Flight Lieutenant J.S. Ghuman<\/strong> &mdash; Indian Air Force Su-7 pilot, on being hit by a missile in 1971 (via Bharat Rakshak)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The tempo was relentless. One Indian base commander later described a campaign that grew rather than tapered off, with ground crews patching battle damage around the clock.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;Instead of our efforts tapering off after the first few days, they continually increased as the war progressed. The ground support organization worked virtually around the-clock.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Adampur Base Commander<\/strong> &mdash; Indian Air Force, on Su-7 operations in December 1971 (via Bharat Rakshak)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Fitters in the Arab-Israeli wars<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>In the Middle East the Su-7 had a harder time. The <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/egyptian-air-force\/\">Egyptian Air Force<\/a> lost its first batch of 14 aircraft during the Six-Day War of June 1967. Moscow replaced them, and Egyptian Su-7s flew in the War of Attrition along the Suez Canal and against Israeli ground forces in the October 1973 war.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/egyptian-air-force-su-7-tail-wreck-israel.jpg\" alt=\"Wrecked tail section of an Egyptian Air Force Sukhoi Su-7 with Egyptian flag, displayed outdoors in Israel with a bilingual sign\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The wrecked tail of an Egyptian Air Force Su-7, displayed in Israel. Egypt flew the Fitter in the Six-Day War, the War of Attrition and the 1973 war. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Tail_of_an_Egyptian_Air_Force_Sukhoi_Su-7_(469012599).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">brewbooks \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/syrian-air-force\/\">Syrian Air Force<\/a> received its first Su-7s shortly after the 1967 war and used them heavily for low-level ground attack in the October 1973 war, suffering considerable losses. The <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/iraqi-air-force\/\">Iraqi Air Force<\/a> took deliveries from 1967, and Algeria and Afghanistan also flew the type. Afghan Su-7s were used extensively during the Soviet war there, where high-altitude fields and hard use took a steady toll.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">From Su-7 to Su-17<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Sukhoi kept chasing the Fitter&rsquo;s weak spot: take-off and landing. One experimental Su-7, the Su-7IG, was fitted with variable-geometry outer wings that could spread for slow flight and sweep back for speed. It led to the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/su-22-fitter\/\">Su-17<\/a>, the first variable-sweep aircraft to enter Soviet service, which was exported as the Su-20 and Su-22.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/sukhoi-su-7bkl-czechoslovak-air-force-vyskov-museum.jpg\" alt=\"Camouflaged Sukhoi Su-7BKL in Czechoslovak Air Force markings on outdoor display at the Vyskov air museum\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A camouflaged Su-7BKL, the rough-field version with skids and provision for take-off rockets, at the Vyskov air museum in the Czech Republic. Czechoslovakia was the first foreign Su-7 operator, from 1963 until 1990. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Sukhoi_Su-7BKL_Fitter-A_6511_(8155448259).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alan Wilson \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In Soviet service, the remaining Su-7s were replaced by Su-17s and <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/mig-27-flogger\/\">MiG-27s<\/a> between 1977 and 1986. India retired its last Su-7s in 1986, and Poland and Czechoslovakia kept theirs until 1990.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gPgocgibK8A\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">Air Commodore K.C. Kuruvilla, a veteran of the 1971 war, on the Su-7 in combat against Pakistan.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Su-7 never had the elegance of a pure fighter. It was a big engine with a cockpit, wings and guns attached. But in December 1971, flown low through a wall of flak by pilots who refused to quit, it delivered exactly what India asked of it, and often brought them home with half a tail.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: Bharat Rakshak (Pushpindar Singh Chopra, &ldquo;A Whale of a Fighter&rdquo;), O.K. Antonov State Aviation Museum, WarHistory.org<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<p class=\"mf-photo-credits\" data-no-translation style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;font-style:italic;margin:6px 0 18px\">Header photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Sukhoi_Su-7BKL_'12'_(13297848074).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alan Wilson \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What was the Sukhoi Su-7?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Sukhoi Su-7, NATO name Fitter, was a Soviet supersonic swept-wing jet that first flew on 7 September 1955. It began as a frontline fighter but found its role as the Su-7B fighter-bomber, entering service in 1961 and becoming the Soviet Union&rsquo;s main ground-attack jet of the 1960s.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What engine did the Su-7 use?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Su-7 was powered by a single Lyulka AL-7F afterburning turbojet producing around 94 kN (21,000 lb) of thrust with afterburner. It gave the Fitter strong low-level speed, but its high fuel consumption meant even short missions often needed drop tanks, limiting the bomb load.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How did the Su-7 perform in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Six Indian Air Force Su-7 squadrons flew nearly 1,500 offensive sorties in December 1971, carrying most of India&rsquo;s daytime strike missions. Pilots flew up to six sorties a day. Indian figures put losses at 14 aircraft, mostly to ground fire, and several damaged jets returned home.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Which countries flew the Sukhoi Su-7?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Besides the Soviet Union, the Su-7 was flown by India, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Algeria, Afghanistan, Poland, Czechoslovakia and North Korea. Egypt and Syria used it in the Arab-Israeli wars, India in 1971, and Afghanistan during the Soviet war there.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What replaced the Su-7?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Su-7 was succeeded by the Sukhoi Su-17, developed from the experimental variable-geometry Su-7IG to improve take-off and landing performance. In Soviet service the remaining Su-7s were replaced by Su-17s and MiG-27s between 1977 and 1986.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Can I fly in a MiG-21?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. While no Su-7 flies today, its 1960s contemporary the MiG-21 does. MiGFlug offers flights in a Florida-based two-seat MiG-21, with the chance to break the sound barrier, fly aerobatics and take the stick. Details: <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/mig-21-launch\/\">MiG-21 supersonic flight<\/a>.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was the Sukhoi Su-7?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Sukhoi Su-7, NATO name Fitter, was a Soviet supersonic swept-wing jet that first flew on 7 September 1955. It began as a frontline fighter but found its role as the Su-7B fighter-bomber, entering service in 1961 and becoming the Soviet Union\u2019s main ground-attack jet of the 1960s.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What engine did the Su-7 use?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Su-7 was powered by a single Lyulka AL-7F afterburning turbojet producing around 94 kN (21,000 lb) of thrust with afterburner. It gave the Fitter strong low-level speed, but its high fuel consumption meant even short missions often needed drop tanks, limiting the bomb load.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How did the Su-7 perform in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Six Indian Air Force Su-7 squadrons flew nearly 1,500 offensive sorties in December 1971, carrying most of India\u2019s daytime strike missions. Pilots flew up to six sorties a day. Indian figures put losses at 14 aircraft, mostly to ground fire, and several damaged jets returned home.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Which countries flew the Sukhoi Su-7?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Besides the Soviet Union, the Su-7 was flown by India, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Algeria, Afghanistan, Poland, Czechoslovakia and North Korea. Egypt and Syria used it in the Arab-Israeli wars, India in 1971, and Afghanistan during the Soviet war there.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What replaced the Su-7?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Su-7 was succeeded by the Sukhoi Su-17, developed from the experimental variable-geometry Su-7IG to improve take-off and landing performance. In Soviet service the remaining Su-7s were replaced by Su-17s and MiG-27s between 1977 and 1986.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Can I fly in a MiG-21?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. While no Su-7 flies today, its 1960s contemporary the MiG-21 does. MiGFlug offers flights in a Florida-based two-seat MiG-21, with the chance to break the sound barrier, fly aerobatics and take the stick. Details: MiG-21 supersonic flight.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/hal-hf-24-marut-india-first-indigenous-jet-fighter-kurt-tank-1971\/\">HAL HF-24 Marut: India&#8217;s First Jet Fighter, Designed by Kurt Tank<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/battle-of-longewala-1971-iaf-hunters-tanks-jaisalmer\/\">Battle of Longewala 1971: Hawker Hunters Against a Tank Column<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/sukhoi-su-15-flagon-interceptor-kal-007\/\">Sukhoi Su-15 Flagon: The Interceptor That Shot Down KAL 007<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-badr-1973-egyptian-air-force-opening-air-strike-6-october\/\">Operation Badr: Egypt&#8217;s 200-Jet Opening Strike of the 1973 War<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<!--mfcred1-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Sukhoi Su-7 Fitter was the Soviet Union&rsquo;s main fighter-bomber of the 1960s: thirsty and short-ranged, but tough enough to carry India through the 1971 war.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":32591207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32591363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Sukhoi Su-7 Fitter: Soviet Fighter-Bomber History | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sukhoi Su-7 Fitter history: the 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