The Zvezda K-36 is a series of
ejection seats made by
NPP Zvezda. Variants of this ejection seat have been used on a variety of aircraft, including the
Su-25
The Sukhoi Su-25 ''Grach'' (russian: Грач (''rook''); NATO reporting name: Frogfoot) is a subsonic, single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Sukhoi. It was designed to provide close air support for Soviet Gro ...
,
Su-27
The Sukhoi Su-27 (russian: Сухой Су-27; NATO reporting name: Flanker) is a Soviet-origin twin-engine supermaneuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was intended as a direct competitor for the large US fourth-generation jet ...
,
MiG-29
The Mikoyan MiG-29 (russian: Микоян МиГ-29; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a twin-engine fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the Mi ...
,
Su-30 MKI
The Sukhoi Su-30MKI (NATO reporting name: Flanker-H) is a twinjet multirole air superiority fighter developed by Russia's Sukhoi and built under licence by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF). A variant ...
and the
Su-57
The Sukhoi Su-57 (russian: Сухой Су-57; NATO reporting name: Felon) is a twin-engine stealth multirole fighter aircraft developed by Sukhoi. It is the product of the PAK FA (russian: ПАК ФА, russian: label=short for, Перспек ...
.
Design
The K-36 Ejection seat provides emergency escape for a crew member in a wide range of speeds and altitudes of aircraft flight, from zero altitude, zero speed (
zero-zero) upwards, and can be used in conjunction with protective equipment, such as
pressure suits
Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and e ...
and anti-g garments. The seat consists of the ejection rocket firing mechanism, gear box, headrest rescue system with a dome stowed in the headrest, and other operating systems all of which are aimed at providing a safe bail-out.
Operational ejections
Notable ejections using the K-36 occurred at the 1989 Paris Air Show when
Anatoly Kvochur
Anatoly Nikolayevich Kvochur ( rus, Анатолий Николаевич Квочур; born 16 April 1952) is a Soviet and Russian test pilot. Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR (1990) and Hero of the Russian Federation (1992).
Biography
Anatoly K ...
successfully completed a low-altitude ejection from a MiG-29 just prior to ground impact. Two more pilots survived when a pair of MiG-29s collided over Fairford, England, in 1993 at the
Royal International Air Tattoo. A first person view video of an ejection during the Russia Ukraine war was posted to the internet on October 22 2022.
Variants
* K-36D and K-36DM: Used on the
MiG-29
The Mikoyan MiG-29 (russian: Микоян МиГ-29; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a twin-engine fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the Mi ...
,
Su-27
The Sukhoi Su-27 (russian: Сухой Су-27; NATO reporting name: Flanker) is a Soviet-origin twin-engine supermaneuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was intended as a direct competitor for the large US fourth-generation jet ...
,
Su-30
* K-36D-3.5: Improved variant providing accommodation for pilots with sitting heights from 810 to 980 mm
* K-36D-5: Improved variant for the
Sukhoi Su-57
* K-36LM: Used in the
Tu-160 Blackjack
* K-36RB: Variant used on
Buran programme
* K-36VM: Automatic ejection system (SKE) used successfully 20/20 times in the
Yak-38
The Yakovlev Yak-38 (russian: Яковлев Як-38; NATO reporting name: "Forger") was the Soviet Naval Aviation's only operational VTOL strike fighter aircraft in addition to being its first operational carrier-based fixed-wing aircraft. It w ...
References
{{reflist
External links
K-36
Ejection seats