SU-27 FLANKERS in Formation, by Richard J. Terry, 1986 The Su-27 FLANKER all-weather air superiority fighter, deployed in the late 1980s, was equipped with a look-down/shoot-down weapons system and beyond-visual-range AA-10 missiles. The SU-27 remains the first-line fighter of Russia, Ukraine, and a number of other countries. China produces them under license with the designation J-11. It poses a significant threat to US aircraft around the world in potential conflict areas.