The first flight of the Su-37 prototype was in April 1996 at the Zhukovsky flight testing center near Moscow. The aircraft demonstrated new manoeuvres, such as the 'Cobra-manoeuver' where the nose is pointed upwards and away from the flight direction for longer periods or rotating the nose through 360 degrees and recovering from a tail slide by rolling into a completely different position. This single-seat all-weather multi-role aircraft derived from the SU-27 and has an updated airframe which contains a high proportion of carbon-fibre and aluminium-lithium alloys. The engines, avionics and armaments have also been updated to those installed in the SU-27.
The most impressive feature of the high-manoeuvrable Su-37 fighter are the thrust vector control engines, which gives the aircraft the ability to recover from spins and stalls at almost any altitude. The pilot has a side short-travel control stick instead of a central stick and the aircraft is equipped with full digital fly-by-wire controls. The Su-37 has a all-weather radar which is configured for simultaneous surveillance of airspace and the ground and a high-precision laser-inertial/satellite navigation system. This multifunctional, forward-looking Doppler radar can track up to 15 targets simultaneously. The Su-37 is also fitted with a rearward facing radar in the tail stinger area of the fuselage. The engines provide each 83.36kN thrust (142kN with afterburner) and are steerable up and down from -15 to +15 degrees. The thrust vector control is integrated into the digital flight control system which can be operated manually by the pilot or automatically by the flight control system. There are twelve external hardpoints under the wings which can carry air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, bombs, rockets and an ECM (electronic countermeasures) pod located in the wing-tips. The aircraft is equipped with one GSh-301 30mm gun with a maximum rate of fire of 1,500 rounds per minute. The Su-37 can carry up to 14 air-to-air missiles and additionally up to 8000kg of ordnance.