The Su-27K entered service in the mid-1990s aboard the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov. From December 1995 to March 1996, Admiral Kuznetsov set sail in the Mediterranean Sea, carrying two Su-25UTGs, nine Ka-27s, and 13 Su-27Ks. However, the aircraft officially entered service 31 August 1998 with the 279th Naval Fighter Regiment of the Northern Fleet based at Severomorsk-3, by which time it was officially designated the “Su-33”.
On 15 November 2016, Sukhoi Su-33 fighter jets began conducting combat flights over Syria from Admiral Kuznetsov’s flight deck in the ongoing Syrian civil war.
The Kinetic kit in 1/48 scale Kinetic released in 2015 an all-new and long-awaited 1/48th scale Sukhoi Su-33 Flanker-D. The kit comprises 253 parts in grey plastic, 10 parts in clear and markings for 19 aircraft from 1st and 2nd Squadrons. It is a very impressive kit, which features state-of-the-art surface textures, a very high level of detail, plenty of useful options and poseable parts. Panel lines, vents, access hatches and more are all depicted in their crisp recessed detail.