The Sukhoi Su-22 was designed by the Soviet design buro of Sukhoi. Its role is a high speed, medium range, low level ground attack / recce aircraft. Although its origin can be traced back to the basic SU-7 aircraft of the 1950's, the design was continuously developed emerging as the variable geometry (Swing-wing 30:63) Su-17 /Su-22, becoming a potent Warsaw Pact fighter bomber aircraft. The NATO code name for the type was "Fitter".
Su-22 UM Polish AF
This is the two seater variant, the SU-22 UM, seen at the Open day 2009 at Leeuwarden AFB, The Netherlands
Photographed, 2009 by Cees Hendriks (C) Copyright!
Su-22M4 "Luftwaffe"
This Su-22M4 is a two seater aircraft and a former DDR Volksmarine "590" aircraft from probably 1986. After the merger of both Germanies it went to the German Luftwaffe. This aircraft with construction no. 30916 got the Luftwaffe code 98+09 and was used until 1991. It was preserved and acquired by the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace at Paris Le Bourget were it was seen.
Photographed 2016 by Meindert de Vreeze (c) , Copyright IPMS Nederland
A few plastic scale models have appeared over the years of the Sukhoi Fitter, in various versions and various accuracies. In 1/72 kits are from Italeri (Su-22M4), Bilek, Hobbycraft and Pantera/Smer (Su-17/20). In 1/48 from Smer, KP and now a far better kit from Eduard.
This walk around page was first created February 2012 by M. de Vreeze