SkunkyArt | WormWoodTheStar — [What if Project] Sukhoi S-43

The aircraft was a result of Sukhoi engineers stumbling upon Ufimtsev's paper and realising this could be potentially used to create an aircraft that could penetrate NATO air defences and destroy vital targets.

The prototype was given a designation S-43 (as per most of the Sukhoi experimental aircraft); it was expected to be renamed Sukhoi Su-43 if it reached service.

Because the Soviet digital technology was not as advanced as it was in the US, they could not solve the inherent instability issues with computer-assisted flight control systems.

A compromise was made in which variable wing geometry was added, for better take-off, landing and in-flight performance; the wings were to be folded only during the attack run. The wing design itself was 'borrowed' from the MiG-23 (Sukhoi's own design from the Su-17 was deemed insufficient), but for the production run the 'dog tooth' was expected to be removed, as it compromised the aircraft's stealthiness.

The aircraft could drop both unguided and guided munnition, including tactical nuclear bombs, but for the stealth missions it had to carry its payload within an internal bomb bay; unlike in the F-117, hardpoints were installed under the fuselage for use in non-stealth missions (they were normally covered by hull pannels).

However the Soviet military leaders did not fully comprehend the potential of the new machine: it was subsonic, and had mediocre manouverability, therefore some believed it'd require a fighter escort throughout the mission (in spite of Sukhoi's reassurances that this is not the case).

Ten prototypes were made and deployed to the 200th Independent Assault Regiment (200 OSAP) based at Sital-Chay Air Base in the Azerbaijan SSR. From there, they would fly strike missions to Afghanistan, using aerial refueling on the way.

Despite Sukhoi's insistance that the plane does not need it, the Soviet military ordered the aircraft to have a camouflage: it had irregular sand, brown and green spots painted on top, but the bottom remained black as Sukhoi originally envisioned.

As it turned out, sending a multi-million ruble aircraft to fight guerrillas in Afghanistan was a military blunder; even though the S-43s hit 86% of their targets, both with unguided and smart bombs, the military felt that the Su-17s and Su-25s could do the same mission for the fraction of the cost (they ignored the 'force multiplier' factor, i.e. that the aircraft did not actually need fighter escort, and would be able to penetrate radar defences - which of course the mujahideen did not have, but it would be a major advantage in case of a war with NATO).

No aircraft was lost to enemy fire, tests had shown that the MANPADS used by the mujahideen are unable to properly lock on the attack aircraft; however, three were lost in accidents, and the 30% loss ratio looked very bad on paper, even though it was due to the fact that the aircrafts were still prototypes that had to be perfected.

In the end, the Soviet military refused to buy the Sukhoi's design, prefering brute strength (tactical nukes) and sheer numbers of the surgical precision the S-43 offered. Moreover, with the financial crisis just before the collapse of the USSR, funds were scarce and few aircraft could be delivered if the militar changed their minds.

The remaining prototypes were mothballed in Sukhoi's storage hangar, and eventually scrapped in the 1990s.