The Sukhoi design bureau had been one of the pioneers of Soviet jet aircraft development in the immediate post-war era but its initial designs had been rejected by Stalin himself due to their uncanny resemblance to the Me 262. Work therefore began on two more advanced designs one of which was the Su-7 'Fitter' and which was initially conceived as a pure air combat fighter. Like most Soviet designs of the period, the Su-7 had thin, highly swept wings and horizontal stabilizers. However, it was significant in being the first Soviet jet fighter with an all-moving tailplane as well as a movable inlet cone, the latter which improved airflow into the engine at supersonic speeds. Despite impressive performance which included the setting of various Soviet speed records, the Su-7 proved disappointing as a fighter and it was quickly readapted into a ground attack aircraft, with numerous structural and equipment modifications to operate in this new role. Its ruggedness and easy handling contributed to making it the principal Soviet attack aircraft of the 1960s but it suffered from limited range, required long take-offs and landings, and had limited payload and weapons capability. It was exported to 14 countries including Egypt which used it during various Middle East wars, as well as India and Pakistan both of which also flew them in combat. The Su-17 was also given the name 'Fitter' by NATO but is a whole new design and is described in a separate entry.

The S-1 prototype took to the air for the first time on 8 September 1955 followed by a revised S-2 which would be the basis for the first production Su-7 'Fitter-A' fighter which was produced in very small numbers before switching to the ground attack variants. These began with the Su-7B followed by the Su-7BM with a revised powerplant and capability to mount external fuel tanks. The Su-7BKL featured further improvements including landing gear skids and rocket-assisted take-off (RATO) for rough field operations. A simplified export version based on the Su-7BM was designated Su-7BMK. Lastly, the Su-7U 'Moujik' and Su-7UM (plus the export Su-7UMK) were two seat trainers.