Su-17M4

This page is about the Soviet strike aircraft Su-17M4. For other versions, see Su-17/22 (Family).

Su-17M4

Su-17M2

Su-27

Su-17M4

Su-17M2

Su-27

USSR

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
11.7	11.3	11.0

Class:

Strike aircraft

Research:300 000

Purchase:830 000

Show in game

Description

During the late 1970s, a final and ultimate modernization of the Su-17M fighter-bomber was ordered. The aircraft was upgraded with RSDN navigation, Klyon-57 laser targeting system, SPO-15LE RWR system, the IT-23M optical targeting system for the TUBUS-3 seeker on the Kh-29T missile, and the ability to use the BA-58 targeting system for anti-radiation missiles. The only way to externally distinguish the Su-17M4 over its predecessor, the Su-17M3, is by the presence of multiple extra bleed-air intakes in the rear fuselage, the most noticable one being at the base of the vertical stabilizer. The aircraft would first fly in 1980 and quickly enter service shortly after, supplementing the Su-17M3 fleet throughout the '80s and early '90s, when it was finally withdrawn from Russian service shortly after the dissolution of the USSR. At least one Su-17M4 remains in private service today with Sukhoi, performing the peaceful role of a camera chase plane.

The Su-17M4, introduced in Update "Danger Zone", is the final culmination of the Su-7/Su-17 "Fitter" family of fighter-bombers. The Su-17M4 is a later model of the family, which when compared to the previous Su-17M2, is a major upgrade in almost every way. From the upgraded engine, airframe, and air-to-air missile selection enabling it to perform in dedicated air battles like its predecessor never could, to the major upgrades in ground ordnance allowing it to rain hell from above in mixed battles, all supplemented by the cherry on top: 250+ countermeasures and an upgraded SPO-15LE RWR greatly boosting its survivability in either game mode. The Su-17M4 "Fighter-bomber" is not as great for CAS as its MiG-27 swing wing brother, nor is it as great at dogfighting as well as its MiG-23 cousin. But it performs at a very nice equilibrium of both, allowing it to perform well in either role utilizing hit and run tactics with its large quantity of ground ordnance and generous amount of all-aspect R-60M air to air missiles at the same time.

General info

Flight performance

Air brakes

Allows you to dramatically reduce the flight speed by releasing special flaps

Drogue parachute

Reduces braking distance when landing on any runway

Max speed

at 11 000 m2 052 km/h

Turn time27 s

Max altitude19 500 m

EngineSaturn AL-21F-3

Type

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight19 t

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 11,000 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	2,028	2,011	19500	27.3	27.5	167.9	161.2	850
Upgraded	2,062	2,052		26.7	27.0	212.1	190.0

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear	Drogue chute
X	✓	✓	✓	X	✓

Limits	Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
			Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
Min sweep	1,050	630	N/A	476	473	~10	~3
Max sweep	1,417		N/A	N/A	N/A	~11	~4

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 740	< 650	< 650	N/A

Engine performance

Engine			Aircraft mass
Engine name		Number	Basic mass		Wing loading (full fuel)
Saturn AL-21F-3		1	11,245 kg		391 - 436 kg/m2
Engine characteristics			Mass with fuel (no weapons load)				Max Gross Weight
Weight (each)	Type		12m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel	40m fuel
1,800 kg	Afterburning axial-flow turbojet		12,385 kg	13,103 kg	14,031 kg	15,045 kg	19,367 kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)			Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
Condition	100%	WEP	12m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel	40m fuel	MGW
Stationary	6,400 kgf	9,039 kgf	0.73	0.69	0.64	0.60	0.47
Optimal	7,232 kgf (1,200 km/h)	13,188 kgf (1,417 km/h)	1.06	1.01	0.94	0.88	0.68

Survivability and armour

Flares/Chaff

Aircraft countermeasures to distract IR and radar-guided missiles and also AA radar

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear630 km/h

Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB2 925 → 4 285

RB7 922 → 11 605

SB10 043 → 14 712

Total cost of modifications262 300

409 000

Talisman cost2 900

Crew training240 000

Experts830 000

Aces3 000

Research Aces1 140 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

80 / 320 / 600 %

238 / 238 / 238 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Compressor Research: 8 800 Cost: 14 000 390 New boosters Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 380 Wings repair Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 490 Engine Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 620	Fuselage repair Research: 8 800 Cost: 14 000 390 Airframe Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 380 G-suit Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 490 Cover Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 620	NR_30_belt_pack Research: 8 800 Cost: 14 000 390 ZB-500 Research: 8 800 Cost: 14 000 390 S-8KO Research: 8 800 Cost: 14 000 390 Flares/Chaff Research: 8 800 Cost: 14 000 390 NR_30_new_gun Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 380 FAB-250 Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 380 S-24 Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 380 Kh-25 Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 380 R-60M Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 380 Gun pod SPPU-22-01 Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 490 FAB-500 Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 490 S-25 Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 490 40px Kh-29L Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 490 ns23_belt_pack Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 620 B-13L Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 620 40px Kh-29T Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 620 EFS Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 620

Armaments

Ballistic Computer
CCIP (Guns)	CCIP (Rockets)	CCIP (Bombs)	CCRP (Bombs)

Offensive armament

The Su-17M4 is armed with:

• A choice between two presets:
  • 2 x 30 mm NR-30 cannons, wing-mounted (80 rpg = 160 total)
  • 2 x 30 mm NR-30 cannons + 12 x large calibre countermeasures + 256 x countermeasures

Suspended armament

The Su-17M4 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
23 mm GSh-23L cannons (250 rpg)	1		1			1		1
100 kg OFAB-100 bombs	5		1	4	4	1		5
250 kg OFAB-250sv bombs	1		1	3	3	1		1
250 kg OFAB-250Sh bombs	1		1	3	3	1		1
500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs	1		1	2	2	1		1
500 kg FAB-500Sh bombs	1		1	2	2	1		1
ZB-500 incendiary bombs	1			1	1			1
S-3K rockets	7			7	7			7
S-5K rockets	32		32			32		32
S-8KO rockets	20		20			20		20
S-13OF rockets	5		5			5		5
S-24B rockets	1		1	1	1	1		1
S-25O rockets	1							1
Kh-25ML missiles	1*			1*	1*			1*
Kh-29L missiles				1*	1*
Kh-29T missiles				1*	1*
R-60M missiles		1	2			2	1
S-25L missiles	1*							1*
820 l drop tanks	1			1	1			1
Maximum permissible loadout weight: 4,160 kg Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 700 kg
* Kh-29T missiles cannot be mixed with the marked options

Default weapon presets

4 x 820 l drop tanks 2 x R-60M missiles 6 x R-60M missiles 28 x S-3K rockets 128 x S-5K rockets 6 x S-24B rockets 80 x S-8KO rockets 20 x S-13OF rockets 2 x S-25O rockets 20 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (2,000 kg total) 10 x 250 kg OFAB-250sv bombs (2,500 kg total) 10 x 250 kg OFAB-250Sh bombs (2,500 kg total) 8 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (4,000 kg total) 8 x 500 kg FAB-500Sh bombs (4,000 kg total) 4 x ZB-500 incendiary bombs 2 x S-25L missiles 4 x Kh-25ML missiles 2 x Kh-29L missiles 2 x Kh-29T missiles 4 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannons (250 rpg = 1,000 total)

Compared to the Su-17M2, the Su-17M4 has a few new toys to play with. It has access to two new types of rockets shared by the Su-25. The S-25O heavy rockets are massive, single-shot bunker busters that put the returning S-24s to shame, but only 2 can be carried on the outboard hardpoints, which is a much lower capacity than the Frogfoot's capacity of 8. The S-13OFs are podded HE rockets that can be mounted on the same pylons as the other rocket pods, very effective against light vehicles and sometimes even against armoured targets.

Several new types of guided weapons are available. The Kh-25ML is an improved, extended range variant of the original Kh-25 laser-guided AGM. The S-25L is a laser-guided variant of the S-25 rocket but unfortunately it loses much of its explosive yield. The Kh-29L is a heavy laser-guided AGM with a massive warhead and the Kh-29T is a TV-guided variant. The Kh-29T is the Su-17M4's most important precision weapon: it packs an enormous punch, is fire-and-forget, and most importantly has decent optics and tracking capabilities. Because the Su-17M4 still lacks a built-in TV camera or tracking system like the Su-25T or MiG-27K, it is incapable of using laser-guided weapons to their full potential.

The Kh-23M MCLOS missiles have been removed from the arsenal, but such weapons are largely outdated at the Su-17M4's rank and battle rating.

In terms of air-to-air armament, the main boon is the addition of R-60MK all-aspect IR missiles, which completely replace the original R-60s. Up to 6 can be carried, which is an impressive capacity for a fighter-bomber. Another bonus is that they do not use the same pylons as the guided ordnance, and two pylons are specifically reserved for them. So unlike the contemporary MiG-27M, the Su-17M4 can be prepared for air combat at all times.

Usage in battles

In air battles, the Su-17M4 will suffer against most targets it comes across as the plane itself is an attacker. You are not manoeuvrable and engaging in dogfights is strongly discouraged. Due to the presence of radar missiles, the best way to play the plane in RB is to be a support fighter, trying to stay away from the action before coming in either from the side or on top of a furball/enemy while everyone is distracted, using your R-60Ms to your advantage. Your RWR will be useful and if you do receive a radar lock, it is best to notch and/or try to run away from the enemy, hoping to deter him from attacking you. Head-on attacks are usually not advised as while the R-60Ms are all aspect, they can be easily flared, and it's better to keep them for a more useful situation, unless it's a last ditch effort. Bombing bases can be done but flying directly straight in to the map is risky. On bigger maps such as EC matches, it may be a good idea to take some ground ordnance, and hit ground targets to bleed the enemy tickets, as being a pure "fighter" will usually end in a bad situation.

Ground RB

The Su-17M4 invites comparison to its Mikoyan counterpart, the MiG-27M. Both are swing-wing fighter-bombers with comparable flight performances and arsenals at the same battle rating in Realistic Battles. The Sukhoi's main advantage is that it can carry R-60Ms at all times and has access to lethal S-13OF and S-25O rockets. In contrast, the MiG has to abandon all AAMs if it wants to carry Kh-29Ts, and the remaining hardpoints can only be used for unguided ordnance. The Flogger's can uniquely carry TV-guided bombs for high-altitude standoff bombing against spawn points or capture zones, and boasts an extremely powerful internal cannon, but the Su-17 is a better generalist aircraft for opportunistic tank-busting and combat air patrol.

Another comparison is to the Su-25, another Sukhoi product but a very different aircraft at a lower battle rating. The Frogfoot is a subsonic aircraft with significantly inferior speed, but it also has plenty of reinforced hardpoints and can carry a lot more S-25O and S-13OF rockets, so it is a better and more easily attainable rocket truck for low-altitude surprise attacks. The Fitter's main advantage is in having Kh-29T TV-guided missiles and superior flight performance for competent long-range attacks, which is important when there are enemy SAM systems around.

In general, the Su-17M4 is a jack-of-all trades fighter-bomber. Although it can't keep up with the MiG-27K's ability to annihilate vehicles in infamous high-altitude "orbital strikes", or the Su-25T's ability to repeatedly wipe out an enemy team with high-capacity Vikhrs when the airspace is favorable, the combination of good flight performance and a big capacity of R-60Ms is a strong advantage when enemy jets, helicopters, and strike drones may be around. A loadout of 2x Kh-29T, 6x R-60M, and two S-25O or S-13OF pods is enough to dish out a lot of pain on ground targets and give enemy attackers something to worry about in the low-altitude environment of Ground RB — just remember that as in Air RB, it is unwise to tackle contemporary fighters directly if they have superior agility or long-range weapons.

Radars

SRD-5 - Rangefinding radar
Maximum Tracking Range	Minimum Tracking Range	Azimuth Tracking Angle	Elevation Tracking Angle
7,000 m	300 m	±9°	±9°

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good overall turn rate and energy retention, can hold 800-1,000 km/h in turns with wings fully un-swept and afterburner deployed
• Strong elevator authority, can pull out of low-skimming attack runs with no problem
• Overflowing with countermeasures: 256 x small and 12 x large countermeasures is more than enough
• NR-30 cannons are very powerful, can also mount 4 x GSh-23L gunpods for extra firepower
• Excellent loadout options for both AAMs and ground ordnance alike
• Can act as a very strong supporting fighter with 6 x R-60M AAMs and swing wings

Cons:

• Poor stock grind
• Poor energy retention
• Maneuverability is poor below 500 km/h
• Primitive RWR
• No search radar, just an acquisition radar that is best kept off
• No radar missiles
• With wings fully swept-forward, the maximum speed is limited to approximately Mach 0.8 at sea level otherwise the wings will rip
• No semi-automatic option for managing wing-sweep, only full-manual or automatic wing-sweep settings
• Payload is somewhat low, at only 4,000 kg of bombs
• Cannot carry GBUs or R-13 AAMs like the MiG-27s

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Su-17M4 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #311 - Metal Beasts section at 00:27 discusses the Su-17M4.

See also

Related Development

• Su-17/22 (Family)

Other jet planes with variable sweep wings

• Tornado (Family)
• MiG-23 (Family)
• F14 (Family)
• F-111A

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.

Sukhoi Design Bureau (Сухого Опытное конструкторское бюро)
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