• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Su-31 sports and aerobatic aircraft

Su-31 is a single-seat sports and aerobatic aircraft developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. It is a development of the sports and aerobatic aircraft Su-26. A prototype Su-31 made its first flight in June 1992, and in July of the same year the aircraft successfully made its debut at the world championship in aerobatics in Le Havre (France). The design of the airframe is basically similar to the design of the Su-29 and differs only in smaller dimensions, altered chassis and canopy of the cabin. The angle of the backrest of the pilot's seat is 35 degrees, which allows well-trained pilots to perform aerobatics with overloads of + 12 / -10. The maximum permissible speed is 450 km / h. Today it is used by leading athletes of the world for international competitions.

Specialists of JSC Sukhoi "in 2009 will conduct research and development (R & D) to further improve aerobatic aircraft Su-31" a source close to the aviation aircraft told AviaPorts 16 January 2009. In the coming years, the Russian experimental design bureaus of the aviation industry, having lost significant personnel potential, do not plan to create prospective sports aircraft. Two large design bureaus - OAO OKB im. A.S. Yakovleva "and OJSC" Company "Sukhoi". “Both design bureaus are now loaded with work and they are not interested in sports aviation planes,” the source said. In 2009, Sukhoi will carry out work to further improve the Su-31 sports aircraft, in particular, aerodynamic improvement of its wing. "While there is no possibility of creating a new prospective aircraft, individual elements of the new aircraft will be worked out on separate copies of the Su-31," the source said.

The Russian company Laros is developing a new sports aircraft based on the Su-31, which has not been produced since 1997. The new aircraft was named "Laros-31," company president Oleg Larinov told TASS on 22 August 2019. “The last Su-31 aircraft was released in 1997 - this is one of the problems why we addressed this issue. The new aircraft is called“ Laros-31 ”to maintain continuity. It will be a sports aircraft for the highest achievements in piloting, for speaking on world championships, ”said Larionov, adding that the release of the new aircraft will again allow the transfer of Russian pilot athletes to domestic aircraft. "Laros-31" is created on the basis of the Su-31, since the Sukhoi Design Bureau is considered the best in its class, said Larionov.

The Su-31 sports and aerobatic aircraft was developed in the 1980s, and its design is outdated in terms of the materials used. In the new aircraft, the wing and fuselage composites will be completely replaced, which will reduce the weight of the aircraft; the design and profile of the wing and its control surfaces will also be changed. Improvements will expand the aerobatic capabilities of the machine, in particular, it will be easier to perform reverse aerobatics (when, for example, Nesterov’s loop is turned upside down by an airplane and the cockpit looks outward of the performed maneuver).

Larionov noted that at the MAKS-2019 International Air Show, which was held in Zhukovsky near Moscow from August 27 to September 1, the Laros-31 flying laboratory, on which a new wing is installed, was presented. “We plan to fly around it well, and fly to the level so that athletes can try, because the wishes for the new plane came from the athletes themselves,” Larionov said.

According to him, the company hopes in 2020 to release a pre-production aircraft with an updated fuselage and wing. According to Laros experts, the company will be able to recoup its investment in the project nine years after the start of serial production of a new aircraft. In three to four years, the company should enter the production of 20 aircraft per year.

"I hope that the market for sports aircraft will expand and we will take part of it. The Chinese market is coming, the UAE is interested in sports aviation. You also need to enter the European market, where Spanish and French pilots are interested in our aircraft," Larionov said , specifying that the entire international market for sports aviation today is estimated at 50-60 aircraft per year.