The fighter is the world’s fourth operational fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft after the F-22, F-35, and J-20. Its maiden flight took place on 29 January 2010 and the first production aircraft has been delivered on 25 December 2020. The Su-57 is planned to be the first aircraft in Russian military service to use stealth technology. The aircraft is the product of the PAK FA (Russian: ПАК ФА, short for: Перспективный авиационный комплекс фронтовой авиации, romanized: Perspektivny Aviatsionny Kompleks Frontovoy Aviatsii, lit. ”prospective aeronautical complex of front-line air forces”), a fifth-generation fighter programme of the Russian Air Force. Sukhoi’s internal name for the aircraft is T-50. Many of these seem to be missing, or at least reduced, on the aircraft that are now being built serially, as it was visible on T-50S-2 while it was under construction this summer during a visit of the Russian Defense Minister.The Sukhoi Su-57 (Russian: Сухой Су-57 unconfirmed NATO reporting name: Felon) is a stealth, single-seat, twin-engine multirole fifth-generation jet fighter being developed since 2002 for air superiority and attack operations. Some of those problems seem to be mitigated in later prototypes and more could have been solved before the serial production. The Sukhoi Su-57 was often criticized by experts for many features that could degrade the low observability such as rivets, weapon doors’, engine nacelles’ and air inlets’ rounded shaping, rough panel’s seamlines, etc. Another technology that was showcased on the production line is the use of Augmented Reality during a number of processes in the assembly of the Su-57, with some examples showing its usage on the fuselage and the landing gear. Some of these composite materials had to be sourced from abroad, but now they have been reportedly replaced by “Made in Russia” materials. The airframe is said to use composite materials up to the 25% of the total weight and Radar Absorbing Materials (RAM). It seems to be a compromise between reducing the RCS and obtaining high maneuverability and performance while maintaining large weapons bays to accommodate heavy payloads. The Su-57 features a substantially reduced Radar Cross Section compared to 4th generation Russian jets, principally in the frontal sector. The requirements envisioned an aircraft capable of supersonic cruise flight with a long combat radius, low radar cross section, super-maneuverability and STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) characteristics, while retaining a substantial ground attack capability. This is what we wrote about the Su-57 in an article published last year, when the first series aircraft was delivered:Īs you may know, Su-57 is the official designation of the T-50 stealth multirole 5th generation fighter jet that was developed under the PAK-FA program. Chkalov State Flight Test Center in Akhtubinsk to be used to test hypersonic air-launched weapons.Īccording to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu 22 Su-57s will be delivered by the end of 2024, while the deliveries (provided that no further aircraft will be added to the order) will be completed by 2028 at a rate of 16 aircraft per year. The first delivery occurred at the end of 2020 when the first production-model Su-57 fighter, bort number Blue 01, was delivered to the 929th V.P. Initially, in August 2018, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and PJSC Sukhoi Company signed a contract for the first two serial Su-57s, T-50S-1 and T-50S-2.Ī year later, a follow on contract for 74 other aircraft was inked bringing the total order to 76 Su-57s. The Russian Air Force has ordered 76 aircraft. You can listen to the creepy, howling sound of Russia’s stealth jet in this video we have posted a few weeks ago. While it has not annoying soundtrack or post-production music, you can’t hear the peculiar high-pitched ringing engine sound of the Su-57 Felon, generated by the NPO Saturn AL-41F-1, an interim variable-bypass ratio turbofan engine rated at approximately 88.3KN (19,842 lb st) of dry thrust and 142.2kN (31,967 lb st) with afterburning derived from the one used by the Su-35. Anyway, the video also shows the other three Su-57s on the leader’s wing and the constant movements of the flight surfaces as the aircraft, in level flight, carry out the flypast over Moscow, most probably, during the Victory Parade in May.
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