The Su-8 was Pavel Sukhoi’s design bureau's attempt to further develop the concept of a dedicated battlefield attack aircraft. Work on the project began on June 30, 1941. By that time, the shortcomings of single-engine armored attack aircraft had already become apparent to the bureau through its experience with the Su-6. So a two-engined attacker was planned to cover a different niche of long-range frontline attacks or enemy supply routes. Several versions of the heavy attack aircraft were designed, with some progressing to the prototype stage and even undergoing flight testing. Two prototypes were built, with the first one taking a maiden flight on March 11, 1943. By 1944, the development of the M-71 engine was stopped and the VVS no longer felt like it required a new attacker, as well as more advanced versions of the IL-2 were coming into production. Thus late in the 1944 all work on the Su-8 was terminated and it never entered mass production.

The Su-8 was introduced as one of the rewards of the Battle Pass Season VI, "Firepower". Among its peers, it stands out as one of the most heavily armed attack aircraft in the game, offering surprisingly good flight performance. While it can perform traditional ground-attack duties, unlike the IL-2, it can also effectively defend itself in air combat and pose a serious threat to enemy aircraft.