Want a Cold War-Era Russian fighter plane that you can call your own? Look no further than the Russian Sukhoi SU-27 Flanker jets that are currently being sold for private ownership to well-heeled Americans. Yes, top-flight Russian wartime hardware that can be yours for a measly $5 million.
At that price, it’s cheaper than some luxury performance yachts and around the cost of most used business jets, which should put it at serious consideration for your next “nothing better to do with your money” purchase. Can you imagine the oohs and aahs you can generate with a full-fledged, credentialed military fighter jet? Jay Leno will soak his enormous chin drooling with envy.
The Sukhoi SU-27 Flanker was one of the USSR’s premiere weapons during the height of the Cold War, easily at par with anything the US had at their arsenal. It has a top speed of over 1,300 mph and a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than 1:1. Accelerating while climbing straight up, anyone?
Both models that are currently on sale were flown by the elite Russian Knights, the communist army’s equivalent to the USAF Thunderbirds. Don’t ask me how it works, but the airframes and engines have been “zero-timed,” which supposedly makes them as good as new. They’ve also been fitted with modern instruments, including radios and GPS.
Oh wait, you’ve never flown a jet? Not a problem, according to seller John Morgan. Along with your purchase of one gorgeously-restored Russian fighter jet, they’re throwing in a complete training program in tow.
By the way, these are UB variants of the SU-27, which means they were never intended for combat and aren’t weaponized. So you can’t bomb that high school bully who made your teenage life hell whom you managed to track down using a combination of Facebook and Google Maps. Still, this thing in your garage (okay, hangar) makes you the Alpha Male of Alpha Males. I bow in your presence.
[via Autopia]