Russia's top jet designer M. Simonov dies

MOSCOW - Aircraft designer Mikhail Simonov, whose supremely maneuverable, heavily armed and far-flying Sukhoi fighter jet became an icon of the Soviet defense industry and a cash cow for post-communist Russia, died Friday in Moscow after a long illness.

He was 81, the Sukhoi company said.

Developed to counter the U.S. F-15 fighter, Simonov's sleek twin-engine, twin-finned Su-27 joined the Soviet air force in the early 1980s and won respect in the West for its range of over 2,000 miles, its impressive agility and its ability to fly at 2.35 times the speed of sound.

It was a star of international air shows, performing aerobatics few fighter planes could accomplish, and is matched only by the MiG jet and Kalashnikov assault rifle as a symbol of Russia's considerable prowess in weapons-making.

The Su-27's excellent thrust-to-weight ratio and sophisticated control system allowed it to perform exceptional maneuvers at very low speeds, such as raising its nose and standing on its tail for a few seconds - a stunt called the Cobra.

When state defense orders ground to a near halt after the 1991 Soviet collapse, Simonov played a key role in winning lucrative export deals. The cash-strapped government sold hundreds of fighters to China, India and other foreign customers under contracts worth billions of dollars.

Simonov started working as an aviation engineer in the 1950s, and joined the Sukhoi design bureau as a deputy chief designer in 1970. After serving as deputy minister of aircraft industries in 1979-1983, he was named the top Sukhoi designer and continued work on the Su-27.

The company spokesman said Simonov was to be buried Sunday at Moscow's prestigious Novodevichy cemetery.