Soviet Stealth - SU-40 Flatliner

[DogfighterZen]

So, as expected there were issues with the canopy...
I don't know how glue came near the top of the windscreen but it's stained... i'm not sure if this could've happened when i glued it on, maybe i put too much glue and turned the model upside down before the glue was dry... i don't know, but there was paint on the the side... on the inside... HOW?!? I have no clue... And the decals were crap... silvering is on almost all of them...
I hate this, all going well and then you end the build in frustration...    Anyway, it's finished, just gonna get some pics and it's on to the back of the shelf...

[jalles]

I've had something similar happen to me.  I was gutted when I took the mask off and saw that the canopy was marred.  That being said, I still think the Flatliner looks great!  I really like the way the front windscreen is blended into the nose.  I've been trying to figure out how to address that area on my Mig-37 build.  Looking forward to seeing photos of the whole thing.

[Old Wombat]

Ah! I see the problem! He's having an issue with his windscreen de-icing system. Canopy's not a concern, that's an electric system, but the heater vents have issues because of all the pipes, tubes & hoses crowded into that flat fuselage, so occasionally a maintenance guy, trying to get to something else, kinks the de-icing hose. All ya gotta do is squeeze the hose back into shape & Robert's yer mother's brother!


'Course you have to scrub the mission to do that.

[DogfighterZen]

I've had something similar happen to me.  I was gutted when I took the mask off and saw that the canopy was marred.  That being said, I still think the Flatliner looks great!  I really like the way the front windscreen is blended into the nose.  I've been trying to figure out how to address that area on my Mig-37 build.  Looking forward to seeing photos of the whole thing.

Sorry to hear that, seems like the canopies are cursed on this GB...

Ah! I see the problem! He's having an issue with his windscreen de-icing system. Canopy's not a concern, that's an electric system, but the heater vents have issues because of all the pipes, tubes & hoses crowded into that flat fuselage, so occasionally a maintenance guy, trying to get to something else, kinks the de-icing hose. All ya gotta do is squeeze the hose back into shape & Robert's yer mother's brother!


'Course you have to scrub the mission to do that.

Ah... That blockhead private, i knew it was his fault! No more vodka for Igor!!!   

Thanks for the cheer up guys, pics and story in a few minutes...

[DogfighterZen]

Should've said "in a few hours..." 
Ok, without further delay, i give you the Su-40 Flatliner...

"In 1979, Serghey Burchisnyov, a secret agent living in the USA under the false identity of a German aeronautical designer called Martin Strauss, working for the KGB, had successfully managed to ilude the US intelligence about his past and infiltrated the staff at the installations of the famous Lockheed Skunkworks at Palmdale, CA. After some months working there as a secretary for the chief designer, Martin was able to get access to some information on the F-117 program, including some samples of the paint that was going to be used on it.
Being able to follow the program for 2 years without ever blowing his cover, the info he gathered was then transferred to the OKB-51(Sukhoi) and OKB-155(Mikoyan-Gurevich) for the tender of the first Soviet stealth aircraft.
It is not known by US authorities, exactly what info was stolen but, in Russia the OKB teams had a long task ahead of them. Although the material was varied in subject, it was very incomplete and sparse in detail because of Martin/Serghey's insufficient security clearance, so work was done over a 6 year period, where the engineers had lots of new problems to solve.
Due to budget being limited to development and construction of a technology demonstrator, Sukhoi and Mikoyan were only to build the prototypes at around 2/3 of the real size intended for production models.
Still, with so many restrains and the limited means they had, they pulled through and with cooperation between the 2 design bureaus, Mikoyan-Gurevich Developed what was to be called the Mig-37 Ferret B, and was pretty much the same concept of the American F-117, which was to be a stealth bomber.
Sukhoi's designers took a different approach to the idea and tried to develop a multi-role stealth fighter that could defeat anything in the skies.
The outcome was a very streamlined design, especially when compared to the F-117 Nighthawk and even to Mig's design.
Although very similar to the Mig, the Su-40 Flatliner, as NATO would come to call it, had a four poster tail configuration, as opposed to the other two "known" designs.
The wing configuration would also be different, trapezoidal design but with reverse angle on the outer portion beyond the flaperons, with a sweepback angle of 55,5º on the LE. The same angles were used for the horizontal stabilizers, that would greatly improve maneuverability.
Common design features were demanded by the Soviet state department so, the twin engine configuration would be the same but Sukhoi thought of adding a 2D TVC nozzle to the exhaust system, for increased maneuverability and lower IR signature.
Excellent maneuverability was indeed a requirement that Sukhoi's engineers wanted to fulfill, but he Soviet metallurgic industry wasn't advanced enough to produce a metal that could cope with the high temperatures reached by the the engine's afterburner combustion gases, so the 2D TVC nozzle had a low life expectancy and high maintenance hours and costs. The engines used on this prototype were a development of the R95sh series used on the Su-25 Frogfoot, with no afterburner, but for the production models, there would be bigger engines with afterburners.
The first example was finished in September, 1986, and the first flight took place on May 1st, 1987 at Kubinka air force base and was uneventful. The aircraft behaved well in all test-flights and was reported had a tremendous rate of climb, caused by the thrust-to-weight ratio being higher than 1/1, because of the light weight composite materials used in it's structure. The prototype was given the nickname "Black shark" by test-pilot Vladimir Ilyushin and was flown by him throughout the short test flight series until the project was cancelled by lack of funding.
With the economic and political situation in the Soviet Union showing signs of problems throughout it's member states, the funding for new developments was completely cut down when there was only one finished prototype of the Flatliner, in late 1987. Unfortunately, the world would not get to see it fly as the KGB deliberately destroyed the both prototype and all paper and digital trail regarding this program back in 1991, after collapse of the Soviet Union, making all efforts to find any information or technical data almost impossible.
After the end of the Cold war, after Perestroika and Glasnost settled in, the Western intelligence services were to be publicly humiliated by the secrecy that kept both the Mig-37 and Su-40 jets completely unknown to them until 1996, when a wood replica of the Flatliner was displayed at the Monino air force museum in Moscow. This replica was built by former sukhoi staff who'd worked on the real project, as a tribute to Sukhoi's and Russian people's glorious achievements."























So, that's my build for the GB, could've gone better on the final dash but i'm not very bummed, it's the shape i wanted to get right. IMHO, i think this looks much better than the original design of the kit, so i'm happy for that. Wanted it to be a quick build, for my rate that is, and it was fun, as was writing the story...
Big thank you to Zenrat and Jalles for bringing this one up and to all of you, for the interest and comments throughout the build.

[RAFF-35]

Spectacular. Much improved on the original ferret design 

[DogfighterZen]

Spectacular. Much improved on the original ferret design 

Thank you very much, glad you like it! 

[zenrat]

 

Very good.

[Old Wombat]

For a stealth monster, very nice job, sir!

[NARSES2]

That's come out really well 

[jalles]

Much improved on the original ferret design

I couldn't agree more.   The Flatliner is wicked.

I have one of these in the stash and now I want to make it like yours.

[Rick Lowe]

Very nice! 

I just hope mine comes out half as good.

[DogfighterZen]

Thank you very much, guys!  Glad to know y'all like the little beast, it ended up looking better than i expected.

Much improved on the original ferret design

I couldn't agree more.   The Flatliner is wicked.

I have one of these in the stash and now I want to make it like yours.

It's very gratifying to know you like the idea so much, mate. Please do so, i'd be very glad to see someone else's take on the Flatliner.
Now, on to the F/A-16W...

[Glenn Gilbertson]

All the hard work has paid off! I really like the exhaust detail and the nose gives it a quirky look.

[DogfighterZen]

All the hard work has paid off! I really like the exhaust detail and the nose gives it a quirky look.

Thank you, Glenn! The nose and wings were the main things i wanted to modify, thought they looked way out of proportion so i just took it from there. The exhaust was supposed to stay as it was, but i wanted to turn it into an agile fighter so the nozzle had to be a TVC one, it was the only mod i hadn't thought of when i first bought the kit and had no clue of what to do to it, that idea only came up after i started the build.
Glad you like it!