The Zvezda K-36 is a series of
ejection seats
In aircraft, an ejection seat or ejector seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an explosive charge or rocke ...
made by
NPP Zvezda
JSC Research & Development Production Enterprise Zvezda, or R&D PE Zvezda (russian: Научно-производственное предприятие "Звезда", НПП Звезда, Nauchno-Proizvodstvennoye Predpriyatiye "Zvezda", NPP ...
. Variants of this ejection seat have been used on a variety of aircraft, including the
Su-25,
Su-27,
MiG-29,
Su-30 MKI and the
Su-57.
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 ...
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 ...
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
The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is the world's largest military air show, held annually in July, usually at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England in support of The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust. The show typically attracts a t ...
. 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,
Su-27,
Su-30
The Sukhoi Su-30 (russian: Сухой Су-30; NATO reporting name: Flanker-C/G/H) is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It is a multirole fighter ...
* 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
The Sukhoi Su-57 (russian: Сухой Су-57; NATO reporting name: Felon) is a Twinjet, twin-engine stealth Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft developed by Sukhoi. It is the product of the PAK FA (russian: ПАК ФА, russ ...
* K-36LM: Used in the
Tu-160 Blackjack
* K-36RB: Variant used on
Buran programme
The ''Buran'' program (russian: Буран, , "Snowstorm", "Blizzard"), also known as the "VKK Space Orbiter program" (russian: ВКК «Воздушно-Космический Корабль», lit=Air and Space Ship), was a Soviet and later R ...
* 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 ...
References
{{reflist
External links
K-36
Ejection seats