La corsa di decollo del Su27 standard al massimo carico è indicata in 450 metri. Ma con un carico leggero è probabile che sia inferiore ai 300 metri (l’F15 può decollare in 275 metri, il Mig29 in 250 ed il Typhoon meno di 300). Questo già consentirebbe, data la velocità di una portaerei ed il vento relativo che ne consegue, il decollo senza catapulta (come ai tempi della seconda guerra mondiale, in molte occasioni). Se a questo aggiungiamo le alette canard e la rampa a prua, non vi è nulla di strano nelle capacità dimostrate dai Flanker navali. Tratto da questo sito:
http://www.aviastar.org/russian-aircraft/f.../flanker_2.html
In 1981, the carrier fleet development programme was corrected once more. That time it was decided that only VTOL aircraft were to stay. So, the take-off catapult was cancelled too. However, considering the backlog of experience in developing the fourth-generation ship-borne fighters featuring high thrust-to-weight ratio, Sukhoi and Mikoyan's brass supported by LII and Air Force's representatives suggested the Su-27K and MiG-29K fighters be not removed from the carrier and promised to provide them with catapultless take-off via a take-off ramp to be installed at the nose of the carrier. The Su-27 and MiG-29's catapult-assisted take-off capability was to be confirmed by ground tests at the ground-based Nitka training facility which had been built by then in the Crimea.
In 1982, Sukhoi prepared the T10-3 prototype fighter for the Nitka facility testing. On 28 August, 1982, test pilot N.F.Sadovnikov performed the first take-off from the T-1 experimental jump-off ramp. The 18.2-tonne aircraft run made up 230 m with a lift-off speed of 230 km/h. Later on, the run was reduced down to 140 m with a lift-off speed of 180 km/h, max take-off speed of the T10-3 having been made 22 tonnes during the ramp take-off.