 Nyora kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Muna 1987, Sukhoi yakatanga kushandura yekutanga prototype yakasarudzwa kubva kuT-10S airframe pane yayo yekuyedza fekitori muMoscow. Kunyange zvazvo yakanga ine zvigadziko, ndege yokutanga, kufanana nedzimwe ndege dzakawanda dzakazotevera, yakanga isina kuchinja kwakawanda kwomuviri kworudzi rutsva. It akaita ndege yayo yokutanga pashure kutendeutsa musi 28 June 1988, piloted naOleg Tsoi, uchiteverwa wechipiri zvikabva muna January 1989. Zvichitevera conversions maviri Su-27M prototypes, chaiko kugadzirwa ndege yakaendeswa kunyika Far East uko kwaiitwa kubudikidza KnAAPO. Ndege yechitatu , iyo yaiva yokutanga itsva-akavaka Su-27M uye kutanga kuvakwa KnAAPO, akaita ndege yayo yokutanga muna April 1992. Panguva iyoyo, Soviet Union yakanga yaparara, uye rakatevera zvoupfumi dambudziko muRussia yose 1990s kwaireva kuti yepakutanga urongwa vakawanda-kugadzira ndege pakati 1996 uye 2005 akanga akasiya, pamwe ndege kushumira sezvo experimental bvunzo-mubhedha kuti hunotsigira canards, ndege-kudzora hurongwa uye thrust-vectoring zvemichina. In yose, prototypes maviri, mapfumbamwe achibhururuka pre-kugadzirwa uye matatu kugadzirwa ndege dzakavakwa kubudikidza 1995; ari kugadzirwa ndege vakanga wakakumikidzwa muna 1996 kuti Russian Air Force zvombo yokuedzwa. 