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The Su-27's landing gear and carrier selection

The Su-27's landing gear is identified as the reason for preferring it over the MiG-29 as a carrier-fighter starting point.

Carrier Aircraft Landing Gear Mig 29 Su 27

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Question

Why was the Su-27 chosen over the MiG-29 as the basis of a Soviet carrier fighter?

Short answer

The Su-27's landing gear.

Notes

The comparison concerns the MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-27 Flanker as starting points for a carrier fighter. The Su-27's landing gear is identified as the deciding feature, without a developed engineering comparison.