Russia’s Unsophisticated Su-15 Was Deadly For a Time
With around 1,300 examples in service at the type’s peak, the twin-engine Su-15 in the late 1970s was the most numerous interceptor in Soviet service.
Here s What You Need to Remember: Given the distances involved, the U.S. Air Force might have struggled to sustain an escort force all the way to the Soviet interior, but Shatrov worried nonetheless. “While F-4s and Su-15s had the same maneuvering characteristics and armament, the F-15 would have proved a far more challenging battle opponent,” he said.
Candid comments by a former Soviet air force interceptor pilot reveal the difficulties the air arm faced in defending Russia’s vast interior from intruding American bombers during the final decades of the Cold War.