#su-15

Another interceptor from that era. The Sukhoi Su-15 "Flagon". Twin-engine, a fuselage/rocket with a cockpit on top, missiles and downing Civilian Airliners and was ultimately frustrated by the SR-71.. poor baby.

Three menacing-looking Sukhoi Su-15 Flagons parked on a Soviet base for a PR shot, in the 1970s.

This supersonic interceptor aircraft was mostly known in the West by downing two KAL jetliners (Flight 902 in 1978 over Murmansk, crash landed, 2 fatalities) and the most famous KAL 007 off Sakhalin, killing all 269 aboard.

Lesser known was an attack on a cargo Canadair CL-44 in Georgia in 1981, killing four aboard.

But fear not, even though the records aren´t much public, it did hit some enemy crafts. In 1975, Su-15s were credited with shooting down five reconnaissance balloons sent to spy on Soviet territory (by Sweden)

Su-15TM "Flagon-F" interceptor The Airline Killer.

The backbone of the PVO before the arrival of the MiG-23P; the Su-15 was a small, lightweight interceptor designed by OKB-51. It was developed to deal with the shortcomings of the aging Su-9 and Su-11 of 1960s vintage. Compared to the aircraft it replaced it possessed a more meaningful radar to identify contacts beyond visual range.

The Su-15 was to serve as a general purpose all-needs aircraft for the PVO, as this was before the era of specialised systems, however it was still a rather important aircraft into the 1980s. It served in quite a few theatres, including a small unit in Egypt, though this will be talked about in a later thread, as well as being involved in several airspace violations and airliner shootdowns.

A fantastic view of Soviet Sukhoi Su-15s on the tarmac. During the Cold War, the Su-15 was referred to by the tabloids as the "Boeing Killer." This nickname stemmed from its involvement in the tragic downing of not one but two Korean Boeing airliners. It also downed a Canadair CL-44 cargo aircraft. Interestingly, despite its fearsome reputation, the Su-15, to my knowledge, never shot down any other military aircraft! Its only claim to infamy is its involvement in the tragic downing of civilian Boeings.