Speaking of supersonic, the nesting birds might have been in for a slight bit of fortune. The Lyulka AL-21F-3 engine actually on paper couldn't quite bring the su-17 to supersonic speeds reaching a maximum of 1209 km/h, a measly 26 short of the supersonic boom. Come on guys, could've just pumped it that little bit harder? It definitely would've lost the fight to the nimbler mig-27 we saw earlier.