The Sukhoi T6-1 was a Soviet-era STOL low-altitude strike fighter. It was, simply, the initial concept prototype model of the Su-24, based on the experience gained with the T-58VD. Interestingly, the aircraft actually features four lifter jets in the middle fuselage. However, the significant loss of flight distance as the lift engines occupied space normally reserved for fuel, loss of under-fuselage hardpoints, and instability during transition from STOL to conventional flight, lead to this idea being abandoned. As a result, the future Su-24 became a variable geometry wing strike fighter.
The Sukhoi Su-24 (NATO reporting name: Fencer) is a supersonic, all-weather tactical bomber developed in the Soviet Union. The aircraft has a variable-sweep wing, twin-engines and a side-by-side seating arrangement for its crew of two. It was the first of the USSR’s aircraft to carry an integrated digital navigation/attack system.
The Su-24 started development in the early 1960s and entered full production in 1967. Production ceased in 1993. It remains in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces, Syrian Air Force, Ukrainian Air Force, Algerian Air Force and various other air forces to which it was exported.
