The Russian next-generation Su-57 fighter, which entered service in December 2020, is not yet operational at squadron scale, but is expected to have three full groups in service by the end of the government’s current weapons program in 2027. At the same time, many of the fighter’s functions can be described as outstanding, writes the American trade magazine Military Watch Magazine (MWM).
The successor to the MiG-1.42 program, canceled with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Su-57 is a heavy stealth aircraft and was intended to be the backbone of the Russian fleet and probably that of key military partners such as Algeria and Vietnam. . There are only three fourth-generation fighters in the world: in addition to the Su-57, these are the Chinese J-20 and the American F-35. But if foreign developments focus mainly on air combat or air strikes, the Russian fighter looks more balanced and does not have a pronounced specialization.
Among fifth-generation projects, it stands out for several reasons: it combines technologies and capabilities that its foreign competitors lack. Basically, it is a different type of airplane. However, due to delays in the program, the aircraft will have to compete not only with the F-35 in the future, but also with the dominance of the American and Chinese sixth-generation fighters currently being developed. Therefore, more and more sixth-generation technologies are being tested with a view to their further integration into the Su-57 airframe. Although not yet implemented, many of the fighter’s existing features can be considered truly outstanding, as they are unparalleled. Below are seven of the most notable.
Six radars
Most fighters, including all fifth-generation competitors, have a single radar. The Su-57 has six integrated into its fuselage, which can provide a significant situational awareness advantage. Multiple radars were first used on its predecessor, the Generation 4++ Su-35, which entered service in 2014.
Along with the Irbis-E passive electronic scanning radar in the nose, it received two L-band radars with AFAR at the base of the wings. This gives it superior electronic warfare capabilities and better detection of stealth targets. Well, six Su-57 radars allow not only to track 60 targets simultaneously (an unsurpassed level!), but also to operate in different wavelength ranges; This optimizes it for electronic warfare and long-range stealth target detection. Radars are distributed throughout the hull, allowing targets to be detected from the rear and sides.
This is a further development of the Su-35 with emphasis on a wide detection angle. Although fighters have increasingly relied on supporting data sharing since the 2010s, and Russia’s ability to provide aircraft with advanced network-centric capabilities on par with those of China or the United States remains questionable, The fighters’ own sensors continue to play a fundamental role in combat. Therefore, the sensor complex will undoubtedly provide the Su-57 with a powerful advantage over its rivals.
Guided missiles with AFAR
The main air-to-air armament of the Su-57 is the K-77M. This is the successor to the R-77, which is currently equipped with Russian fourth-generation fighters. The missile has a significantly longer flight range of 200 km and a truncated tail for launching from internal compartments, and its guidance head uses an AFAR radar – there are few analogues in the world. The K-77M is designed to engage small-sized and maneuverable targets using a nose-mounted active phased array guidance system (AFAR).
The Russian agency RT reports it like this:
“The AFAR system consists of cone-shaped cells that are located under a cover transparent to radio waves at the nose of the rocket. Each cell receives part of the signal and, after digital processing, the information from each cell is combined into a single mosaic. “This allows the K-77M to react instantly to sharp turns of the target, making interception inevitable.”
This prevents fighters from moving out of missile range and gives the Su-57 perhaps the longest guaranteed attack range. Previously, the Russian Air Force cut costs and tried not to equip the latest fighters with modern air-to-air missiles (the Su-35 itself often carries old R-27 missiles without active radar guidance). But the K-77M is the only long-range air-to-air missile that fits in the internal compartments of the Su-57. This leaves no choice but to buy enough units: at least to equip all Su-57s.
Great range and supersonic cruising speed
Its predecessor, the Su-27, was superior in flight range to the fighters of the Western Air Force and other Soviet fighters, and the MiG-31 interceptor, developed simultaneously with it, was the first to have the ability to perform supersonic flight. long term cruising. speed. The Su-57 also surpasses its rivals in terms of flight range. The fighter’s ability to fly at “supersonic speed” without the use of afterburning at speeds above Mach 2 gives it the longest supersonic range in the world – more than 1,500 km.
The emphasis on range comes after the end of the Cold War, when the size of the Russian Air Force was drastically reduced, allowing remaining units to cover the country’s vast airspace. The loss of military bases abroad, including in Eastern Europe and Vietnam, has made outreach even more important. Thanks to it, Russian fighters can project force from bases spread throughout the country.
This is especially true given the Air Force’s limited in-flight refueling capabilities. The Su-57’s enormous range allows the fighters to hit targets not only in Europe, but also in areas far from the Atlantic, from air bases in western Russia or from more distant bases that may be better protected from possible Western attacks. This allows the fighters to cover most of the Pacific Theater and provide support to the Pacific Fleet, with Japan, Taiwan and Korea within range. In the absence of an aircraft carrier fleet in Russia, this parameter becomes even more important. The range is expected to be highly valued by potential export customers, particularly Algeria and India, which also have significant land and sea holdings.
Laser protection
One of the new features of the Su-57 that has received relatively little attention is the infrared-guided countermeasures system. It uses turrets that can fire laser beams, “blinding” incoming missiles once detected. The turrets, a unique feature of the Su-57, are installed both behind and below the fighter’s cockpit. The Russian military has previously used a similar, although less compact, system on large helicopters.
Laser beams are especially useful against infrared-guided missiles. This allows the Su-57 to more effectively resist short-range attacks from enemy fighters armed with missiles such as the American AIM-9X and the British AIM-132. Man-portable air defense systems, which are widely used against the Russian air force in Ukraine and Syria, also use infrared guidance. Laser protection will therefore allow the Su-57 to provide close air support much more effectively than other Russian aircraft, complementing the fighter’s stealth, reduced radar cross section and low infrared signature.
Unmatched maneuverability
Russian aircraft have led the world in maneuverability by a significant margin since 1982, when the MiG-29 medium fighter entered service. It was followed three years later by the heavier Su-27. Building on this success, the Su-27M and Su-37 fighters, developed in the 1990s from the Su-27, gained extreme maneuverability thanks to thrust vectoring engines, although neither entered mass production due to shortages. of funds.
The Su-30MKI, developed for India and entering service in 2002, was the first production fighter aircraft to use thrust vectoring engines. 12 years later, the Su-35 appeared, which had even greater thrust thanks to the AL-41 power plants, as well as a three-dimensional vector. The Su-35 became a further development of the Su-27 and absorbed the achievements of the canceled Su-37 and Su-27M.
The Su-57 goes even further and not only has a much better thrust-to-weight ratio thanks to the power of the Saturn-30 engines, but also a more maneuverable structure thanks to its design features. This allows the aircraft to better evade high-speed missile attacks and maintain an optimal position in low-speed dogfights. Combined with the additional ability to blind heat-seeking missiles at close range, this makes the Su-57 particularly dangerous in combat without using missiles to hit targets beyond visual range.
Can be used on non-instrumented tracks.
Starting in the 1980s, Russian fighter aircraft developed the ability to operate with minimal maintenance and from improvised and very poorly prepared airfields. Perhaps this was best embodied in the MiG-29 and Yak-41 fighters, which could take off from unprepared runways, unlike other fighters, especially Western ones. The Su-57 has significantly improved takeoff and landing characteristics of its predecessors and is capable of taking off with minimal run. Potentially, it is even suitable (with minimal adaptation) for deployment at sea. In particular, the fighter uses mud deflectors, reinforced landing gear and large tires and was designed to be deployed from unprepared airfields that are unlikely to operate even lighter Western fighters.
This is especially useful as the ability of major powers to attack enemy air bases with large-scale strikes is only expected to increase over time. A striking example of this is the development in the United States of the AGM-183A hypersonic missile, which will expose Russian airfields to serious dangers in the initial stages of the war.
Hypersonic ballistic missiles
Following the introduction into service of the Mach 10 Kh-47M2 ballistic missile at the end of 2017, the development of a miniature version for integration with the Su-57 was announced at the end of 2018. In this way, it will become the only fighter in the world capable of launching attacks with hypersonic ballistic missiles.
The missile is considered ideal for anti-ship missions and precision strikes against command centers, logistics centers, airfields and other important targets deep behind enemy lines. Due to its high maneuverability, precision and speed, it is extremely difficult to intercept and can neutralize most warships with a single precise hit thanks to the kinetic energy of the impact.
It is not yet clear whether the miniature version will retain its 2,000 kilometer range and be able to carry nuclear warheads. The long range and stealth of the Su-57, combined with this type of weapons, can make it a strike platform with virtually no analogues. Integrating the missile into a fighter jet is an attempt to capitalize on a key area of Russian technological leadership: hypersonic weapons. This will increase the aircraft’s capabilities and partially compensate for its shortcomings in other areas (in particular, stealth).
Given that the Su-57 is a frontline fighter designed for widespread deployment, with more than 200 units expected to enter service by the late 2030s, its ability to launch ballistic missile strikes is particularly alarming to the potential adversaries. A single squadron equipped for strike missions can cause significant damage. If exported, the missile would likely greatly enhance the Su-57’s appeal, and its anti-ship capabilities could attract greater interest from the Russian Navy, which currently uses Su-24 and Su-30SM fighters for naval strikes.
