Su-7B

This page is about the Soviet strike aircraft Su-7B. For other versions, see Su-7 (Family).

Su-7B

La-15

Su-7BKL

Su-7B

La-15

Su-7BKL

USSR

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.3	9.3	9.7

Class:

Strike aircraft

Research:190 000

Purchase:520 000

Show in game

Description

The Su-7B is a rank VI Soviet strike aircraft with a battle rating of 9.3 (AB/RB) and 9.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update "Starfighters".

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 232 km/h

Turn time27 s

Max altitude19 000 m

EngineSaturn AL-7F-1-100

Type

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight13 t

The Su-7B is characterised by a low BR for a supersonic jet and amazing acceleration. With a 1-1 thrust-weight ratio when at optimal fuel load and spaded, it can reliably punch above its weight. The Sukhoi accelerates extremely well, outspeeding every supersonic at its BR except for MiG-21s. The manoeuvrability isn't bad, either - It can easily turn with supersonic aircraft such as MiG-21s, Harriers or A-7s. However, you must keep in mind that the plane has a tendency to break its wings if in a sustained 9+G turn at high speeds, and that you are not invulnerable while turning. You are giant, almost twice as big as a MiG-21, so be sure to not overstay your welcome in a dogfight and zoom away as soon as possible.

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	2,161	2,145	19000	27.4	28.2	166.4	157.6	1,250
Upgraded	2,323	2,232		26.6	27.0	227.0	195.0

Details

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

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
0	630	N/A	N/A	473	~11	~3

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 700	< 650	< 600	N/A

Engine performance

Engine			Aircraft mass
Engine name		Number	Basic Mass		Wing loading (full fuel)
Saturn AL-7F-1-100		1	7,926 kg		315 kg/m2
Engine characteristics			Mass with fuel (no weapons load)			Max Takeoff Weight
Weight (each)	Type		8m fuel	20m fuel	27m fuel
2,200 kg	Afterburning axial-flow turbojet		8,756 kg	10,000 kg	10,726 kg	13,043 kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)			Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
Condition	100%	WEP	8m fuel	20m fuel	27m fuel	MTOW
Stationary	5,848 kgf	8,257 kgf	0.94	0.83	0.77	0.63
Optimal	6,664 kgf (1,000 km/h)	9,974 kgf (1,000 km/h)	1.14	1.00	0.93	0.76

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear630 km/h

• 20 mm Aluminium Alloy - pilot's headrest
• 36 mm Aluminium Alloy - pilot's backrest
• 8 mm steel - cockpit front bulkhead
• 102 mm Bulletproof glass - Armoured windscreen

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB2 822 → 4 091

RB8 438 → 12 235

SB9 436 → 13 682

Total cost of modifications171 500

271 000

Talisman cost2 600

Crew training150 000

Experts520 000

Aces2 400

Research Aces950 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

100 / 320 / 600 %

220 / 220 / 220 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 280 Compressor Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 280 Airframe Research: 9 500 Cost: 15 000 390 New boosters Research: 9 500 Cost: 15 000 390 Wings repair Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 450 G-suit Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 450 Cover Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 580 Engine Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 580 EFS Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 580		NR_30_belt_pack Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 280 ZB-360 Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 280 S-3K Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 280 FAB-250 Research: 9 500 Cost: 15 000 390 UB-16 Research: 9 500 Cost: 15 000 390 NR_30_new_gun Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 450 S-24 Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 450 FAB-500 Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 580

Armaments

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

Offensive armament

The Su-7B is armed with:

• 2 x 30 mm NR-30 cannons, wing-mounted (80 rpg = 160 total)

Suspended armament

The Su-7B can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 64 x S-5K rockets
• 4 x S-24 rockets
• 28 x S-3K rockets
• 4 x 250 kg OFAB-250sv bombs (1,000 kg total)
• 4 x 500 kg FAB-500M-54 bombs (2,000 kg total)
• 4 x ZB-360 incendiary bombs

Usage in battles

Build and maintain speed. Go for slow enemies and make sure to conserve your ammunition. A skilled pilot can easily get 3 to 4 kills with the 160 rounds of NR-30 ammo provided, but an unskilled pilot will have trouble hitting their shots. NR-30 cannons are (arguably) the best jet cannons one can have, and even a single hit can devastate an opponent. In conclusion, the Su-7B is a great plane, with amazing cannons and even better performance. Opponents will often underestimate you or even try to dogfight you. At the beginning of Air RB battles you can also try and use your payload to attack bombing points which will earn you a resanoable amount of research points. Keep in mind that the payload of 4 x 500 kg bombs is not enough to destroy a base but if you use 4 x ZB-360 incendiary bombs you will be able to completley eliminate a bombing point in one run (although it will take some time for fire damage to finish the job, it will eventually).

Radars

The Su-7B is equipped with a SRD-5 rangefinding radar, located in the nose of the aircraft. It will automatically detect other planes within the scanning area and display the range to the closest target. It is linked with a gyro gunsight and can help with aiming at close range.

SRD-5 - Rangefinding radar
Maximum Tracking Range	Minimum Tracking Range	Azimuth Tracking Angle	Elevation Tracking Angle
3,000 m	300 m	±9°	±9°

Pros and cons

Pros:

• One of the fastest planes at its battle rating.
• Very fast acceleration.
• 2x 30 mm cannons are very powerful against ground and air targets alike.
• Decent energy retention.
• Time-fuzed S-24 rockets can be useful in head-ons.

Cons:

• Large silhouette, easy to hit.
• NR-30 cannons depletes ammunition quickly.
• S-24 as anti-air are situational, unlike conventional IR missiles.
• No countermeasures.
• High risk of wing overload due to high-G manoeuvres, especially with negative-G.
• No AAMs.

History

On May 14th 1953, shortly after Stalin's death and the reopening of the Sukhoi OKB, they began work on a swept-wing front-line fighter. Their first prototype was named S-1 and was fitted with the all-new Lyulka AL-7 turbojet. It was the first Soviet aircraft to utilize the all-moving tailplane and a translating centerbody, plus a dramatic wing sweep of 60°, irreversible hydraulically boosted controls, and an ejection seat of Sukhoi's own design. After the success of the S-1, production began with the S-2. later renamed the Su-7.

Later, on 31 July 1958, the Soviet Tactical Aviation tasked Sukhoi with developing a ground-attack variant of the Su-7, which could replace the scrapped Ilyushin IL-10. The resulting prototype, S-22, incorporated structural refinements for high-speed, low-altitude operations. It first flew in March 1959 and entered service in 1961 as the Su-7B.

Devblog

With the development of jet aviation, piston-engined attack aircraft quickly became an anachronism; a need arose for a new class of front-line aircraft - a fighter bomber. In the USSR, the MiG-15 and MiG-17 fighter jets were used to replace the piston-engined IL-10 to support the ground forces from the air, but it was quite obvious that a specialized machine was needed to fulfill the tasks of the fighter-bomber. The most suitable candidate was the Sukhoi Su-7 fighter jet, taken as the basis for the Su-7B fighter-bomber project. By the end of 1958, the first prototype was ready with the new AL-7F-1 engine. For almost two years, the aircraft underwent intensive testing and refinement, and in 1960 the new fighter-bomber went into mass production. Of the 431 planned, 344 Su-7Bs were built to equip up to 25 combat units. From the beginning of the 70's, the Su-7B aircraft began to be replaced with more modern modifications and models.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Su-7B from live.warthunder.com.

Images

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Videos

The Shooting Range #211 - Metal Beasts section at 00:28 discusses the Su-7B.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] Su-7B: new doctrine
• Official data sheet - more details about the performance
• [Special] Su-7B military pilot interview

Sukhoi Design Bureau (Сухого Опытное конструкторское бюро)
Jet fighters	Su-9 · Su-11
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