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On this day: 24 years ago, the Russian Su-47 Berkut or “Golden Eagle” made its maiden flight (September 25, 1997). Developed by Sukhoi to test extreme and post-stall flight characteristics, the Berkut featured forward-swept wings that gave it tremendous agility at both subsonic and supersonic speeds. Lessons learned from Su-47’s testing were later used to develop aircraft such as the SU-35BM and the Su-57.