Profile
- Type
- Variable-sweep-wing fighter-bomber / ground-attack aircraft
- Conflict side
- Azerbaijan
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Service note
- Cold War design with post-Soviet export and legacy service
Aircraft & UAVs
Su-22 fighter-bomber
The Su-22 is the export member of Sukhoi's Su-17 Fitter family, a Soviet variable-sweep fighter-bomber built for low-level strike, ground attack, and battlefield interdiction. In the Nagorno-Karabakh archive it represents Azerbaijan's earlier post-Soviet fixed-wing strike fleet, with direct sourcing for a Su-22 loss in 1994 rather than for 2020 combat employment.
- Conflict side
- Azerbaijan
- Built by
- Sukhoi
- Built in
- Soviet Union
Service History
- In service
- Introduced in the 1970s in the Su-17 family and exported as Su-20/Su-22 variants
- Used by
- Azerbaijani Air Force
- Wars
- Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- Sukhoi Design Bureau
- Designed
- 1960s Su-17 family development; Su-22 export variants followed
- Built by
- Sukhoi
- Built in
- Soviet Union
- Produced
- 1969-1990 for the Su-17/20/22 family
- Number built
- Approximately 2,800-plus Su-17/20/22-family aircraft reported in open references
- Variants
- Su-22, Su-22M, Su-22M3, Su-22M4, Su-22UM3K
Specifications
- Crew
- 1 in single-seat attack variants; 2 in trainer variants
- Armament
- Bombs, rockets, missiles, gun pods, and other stores on external pylons; National Museum of the USAF lists 9,370 lb of stores for the Su-22M4
- Engine
- One Lyulka AL-21F-3 afterburning turbojet, listed at 24,700 lb thrust for the Su-22M4
- Maximum speed
- 1,550 mph (Mach 2.09) for the Su-22M4 museum example
- Wing
- Variable sweep with low-speed, intermediate, and high-speed positions
Conflict Usage
- Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
- Side: AzerbaijanRole: Legacy ground-attack aircraft in the earlier Karabakh air war
Azerbaijani Su-22/Su-17-family aircraft are documented in the 1992-1994 air war phase, including a reported Azerbaijani Su-22 shot down over Verdenisskiy on 19 February 1994; sources found for this entry do not document Su-22 combat use in the 2020 war.
Su-22 fighter-bomber Images
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Related Weapon Systems
AH-64 Apache attack helicopterTwin-engine attack helicopterThe AH-64 Apache is a U.S. twin-engine attack helicopter built for armed reconnaissance, close combat, and precision attack missions with a 30 mm chain gun, rockets, and Hellfire missiles. In the United States-Iran Conflict, official Operation Epic Fury material identified Apaches among U.S. assets, and DVIDS imagery documented AH-64E aircraft from the 82nd Airborne Division operating with rockets and Hellfire missiles in the CENTCOM area.
AH-64A Peten attack helicopterAttack helicopterThe AH-64A Peten is the Israeli Air Force's Apache attack helicopter, a twin-seat strike platform built around the Apache airframe and used for close support and precision attacks. During the Israel-Hamas War, 190 Squadron Peten crews were part of the October 7 response missions, showing the older AH-64A remained in active combat use.
Su-17Variable-sweep wing fighter-bomber / ground-attack aircraftThe Su-17 Fitter is a Soviet variable-sweep wing fighter-bomber developed from the Su-7 and exported as the Su-20 and Su-22. Built for low-level strike and bombing missions with rockets, bombs, missiles, gun pods, and cannon armament, the family remained visible in later conflicts through operators such as Syria.
Aero L-29 DelfinJet trainer and light attack aircraftThe Aero L-29 Delfin is a Czechoslovak single-engine jet trainer built by Aero Vodochody for Warsaw Pact and export air forces. Although designed for basic, intermediate, and weapons training, armed trainers could carry gunpods, bombs, or rockets, and Azerbaijani forces used the type for ground-attack missions in the earlier Nagorno-Karabakh air war.
Aero L-39 AlbatrosJet trainer and light attack aircraftThe Aero L-39 Albatros is a Czechoslovak jet trainer family built by Aero Vodochody, with armed L-39ZO and L-39ZA variants adapted for light attack and weapons training. In the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict archive it is included conservatively because Armenia fielded L-39 trainers in its 2020 operational air fleet, while available open sources do not verify specific L-39 combat sorties in that war.
AH-64D Saraph attack helicopterAttack helicopterThe AH-64D Saraph is the Israeli Air Force name for the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter, a twin-seat gunship used for close air support and strike missions. In the Israel-Hamas War, Israeli Apache helicopters were documented firing missiles over Gaza.Sources
National Museum Su-22M4 Fact SheetPublisher: National Museum of the United States Air Force | Note: Supports Su-22M4 background, swing-wing design context, manufacturer-family background, and technical specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20RIAT Su-22M Fitter ProfilePublisher: Royal International Air Tattoo | Note: Supports background on the Su-22 as the export version of the Su-17 family and its fighter-bomber/ground-attack role. | Accessed: 2026-06-20FSF Conflict Zones Technical NotePublisher: Flight Safety Foundation | Note: Supports Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict direct-use context: used by Azerbaijan, with an Azerbaijani Su-22 reported shot down over Verdenisskiy on 19 February 1994. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons Su-22M4 Speyer ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary Su-22M4 image; Commons lists own work by AlfvanBeem under CC0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons Su-22 Polish Airshow ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a Su-22 airshow view; Commons lists Grzegorz Jereczek's Flickr image under CC BY-SA 2.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons Su-22 SIAF 2016 ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a Polish Air Force Su-22 view; Commons lists own work by Andrej-airliner under CC BY-SA 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20