Post-PFI Soviet/Russian aircraft projects

The post-PFI projects refer to several Soviet and Russian Air Force projects initiated to replace the PFI-era aircraft.

History

In 1969, the Soviet Union became aware of the existence of the United States' teen-series of aircraft, including the F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon and F/A-18 Hornet. In response, the Soviets initiated the PFI (Perspektivnyi Frontovoy Istrebitel, Perspective Frontline Fighter) project to develop a multirole fighter aircraft capable of countering the new generation of U.S. aircraft. The PFI project then branched into two projects, the TPFI (Tyazholy Perspektivnyi Frontovoy Istrebitel, Heavy Perspective Frontline Fighter) and the LPFI (Lyogkiy Perspektivnyi Frontovoy Istrebitel, Light Perspective Frontline Fighter). The goal of the TPFI project was to develop a fighter capable of long-range flight, primarily to intercept hostile aircraft, which resulted in the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker series of aircraft. The LPFI was intended to develop a light multirole fighter with short flight range, but capable of providing air-to-ground support when deployed close to the frontlines, which resulted in the Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum series of aircraft. After successfully developing fighters for these two projects, the Soviets initiated a project to develop a next-generation aircraft capable of overpowering the newest American threats. These projects included fighters, attack aircraft, bombers and reconnaissance...
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