The Sukhoi Su-26 prototype first took flight in June, 1984 with test pilot Eugene Frolov at the controls. The Su-26 embodied a number of innovations that would revolutionize the air show and competition world, but high on the list was its composite-intensive construction. Its fuselage is built around a steel-tube truss and covered in a fiberglass shell, and its wings are built entirely of composite materials. This construction method lends itself well to light weight and a smooth finish, both principles that Russian designers usually shunned. The earlier Russian aerobatic aircraft were notoriously heavy and bristled with rivets the size of pencil erasers.

Sukhoi Su-26 variants:

Su-26MKh     with wing external fuel tanks.
Su-26M2       with smoke flight tracer and additional fuel tank.

Developing nation:	Russia.
Manufacturer/designer:	Sukhoi Design Bureau.
Production line:	Moscow.
Type aircraft:	unlimited aerobatic competition aircraft.
First flight:	June 30, 1984.
Cockpit:	one pilot.
Wing span	7,80 m.
Wing area:	11,83 m².
Fuselage length:	6,83 m.
Height:	2,89 m.
Engines:	one Vedeneyev M-14P piston engine rated 270 KW.
Propeller:	constant speed three blade propeller.
Weight:	736 Kg.
Max. take off weight:	1.206 Kg.
Cruise speed:	310 km/h.
Max. speed:	450 km/h.
Landing speed:	115 km/h.
Service ceiling:	4.000 m.
Max rate of roll:	4000/sec.
G-limits:	+12/-10 g.
Range:	800 km.
Performance:	max. rate of climb at sea level 960 m per minute.
Red Bull Air Race Pilots Flying This Aircraft:	Alexander McLean in the 2005 season.