AKL-201709 AviaCollection N9 2017 Sukhoi Su-17 'Fitter' Russian Jet Fighter-Bomber Story. All about Su-17, Su-20 and Su-22 variants. Photos, schemes, colour pictures. 32 pages, soft cover, text in Russian.

Content: Birth of Su-17. Mass production and variants. Technical description. Operation and Combat use. Evaluation. Marking and painting schemes

THE CREATING OF THE AIRCRAFT
The first Soviet aircraft with variable geometry wing (KIG) was the experimental S-22I, created on the basis of the Su-7B. The task was to assess the capabilities of the KIG to improve flight characteristics, first of all, take-off and landing qualities. Test pilot OKB V.S. Ilyushin on August 2, 1966 for the first time lifted the aircraft into the air.
The tests have shown encouraging results: the take-off and landing speeds have significantly decreased, the range has increased, and piloting has been simplified. They decided to use the resulting groundwork to create a full-fledged combat vehicle.
Detailed design of the new S-32 fighter-bomber was carried out at the P.O. Sukhoi in 1967-1968.
In addition to the KIG, in order to increase the combat effectiveness, it was planned to equip the aircraft with more modern equipment and weapons. By the end of December 1967, a set of drawings for the airframe frame was prepared and immediately sent to the plant, and in March 1968, documentation on the systems and equipment of the machine.
Built by the Far Eastern Machine-Building Plant (DMZ) in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, the first two copies (No. 85-01 and 85-02) were intended for flight tests, and the third (No. 85-03) - for static tests. By the end of 1968, the first sample of a fighter-bomber was assembled, designated C32-1. July 1, 1969 test pilot E.K. Kukushev made the first flight on it from the LII airfield in Zhukovsky, making four wing re-layings in the air.
Almost immediately after the first flights on the C32-1, the state test program began. As a result, the aircraft was recommended for adoption under the name Su-17.