According to TASS, Russia used Su-57s to fight two or three weeks after the start of special military operations against Ukraine. Another Russian media revealed that the Russian Air Force used the Su-57 to test future air combat technology in special military operations against Ukraine to strike high-value targets in Ukraine.
As the next generation of stealth fighters of the Russian Air and Space Force, the actual performance of the Su-57 has been controversial, and this time in the face of Ukraine with a large number of air defense systems, the Su-57 undoubtedly proved itself. It is reported that the Su-57 adopts the form of networked operations, and the combat network can share the battlefield situation information of the Su-57 formation and organize and coordinate the formation to carry out efficient strike operations.
Successor of the Su-27 family
The Su-57 originated from Russia's 2002 Front-Line Aviation Future Combat System V-Generation Aircraft Program, the PAK FA program, and was finalized as the Sukhoi Design Bureau's T-50. The T-50 prototype first flew on January 29, 2010, with the "T" representing the delta wing, and after a long and bumpy test flight, the T-50 was named su-57. At present, the Russian Air and Space Force has received 5 mass-produced Su-57 fighters.
The Su-57 has a conventional layout of single-seat, double-engined, about 19.7 meters long, 4.8 meters high, and a wingspan of up to 14 meters. Su-57 inherits the flat lift body design of the Su-27 family, the wing is equipped with a leading edge flap, the trailing edge adopts the independent design of flaps and ailerons, the leading edge and trailing edge of the wing are parallel to the leading and trailing edges of the horizontal tail, and the full-motion double vertical tail is tilted outward, which has both maneuverability and stealth performance. It is equipped with two high thrust vector turbofan engines arranged in wide pitch arrangements, and two magazines arranged in tandem arrangements are located between the two engines. Interestingly, the Su-57 innovatively designed a pair of movable side strips, located in front of the wing, which will not destroy the stealth layout, but also reduce resistance and increase lift, improve maneuverability.
The Su-57 has a pair of movable side strips in front of the wings that can increase lift and enhance maneuverability
The Su-57 uses a glassized cockpit, where flight data and combat information are directly presented on a multifunctional LCD display, and pilots can also enter commands through a multi-function display. The Su-57 can perform a variety of tasks, carrying four advanced radar-guided medium-range air-to-air missiles for air-to-air missions, and can also use various air-to-ground missiles, anti-ship missiles and precision-guided bombs to perform ground-to-sea strike missions. In a combat environment that does not require stealth, the Su-57 can perform combat tasks in the form of ammunition plug-ins to improve the efficiency of a single strike.
Controversial stealth design
Despite the high hopes given by Russia, the stealth performance of the Su-57 has not been optimistic. The intake tract of the Su-57 is a straight-barrel intake, which does not use an S-type intake channel similar to the F-22, J-20 and other fighters, and even directly exposes the blades of the turbofan engine, which is a huge radar electromagnetic wave reflection source. There is no transition design between the two pod engines and the magazine that helps reduce the RCS, so the stealth performance of the Su-57 cannot be compared with similar stealth fighters such as the F-22, F-35, and J-20.
The Su-57's straight-barrel intake creates a strong source of electromagnetic wave reflection
Of course, there is also speculation that Russia has its own unique understanding of fifth-generation aircraft. Russia is inferior to the United States in electronic information technology, and if it wants to develop a stealth fighter that can compete with the F-22, it must take advantage of its strengths and avoid its weaknesses and find another way. For example, Russia attaches great importance to the situational awareness of the Su-57, which has a number of different band radars, including an N-036 forward-looking X-band radar, two X-band side-view radars, and two N-036L wing leading edge L-band radars. These radars are arranged in different positions and bands, which complements the detection direction and the detection target, so that the Su-57 has a certain anti-stealth capability and guides the air-to-air missiles to carry out attack tasks at a long distance. Therefore, Russia's fifth-generation aircraft technology is likely to be the opposite of the Americans, the American F-22 uses its own low detectability to achieve one-way transparency of the battlefield, and the Su-57 relies on strong situational awareness to offset the opponent's low detectability, and combines its own outstanding super-mobility to balance the opponent's fighters.
A key node in future air combat
With the disclosure of information on the Russian side, the understanding of the Su-57 has gradually deepened, and as a key player in the future air combat system of the Russian military, the role of the Su-57 is not limited to the traditional air superiority fighter with a single function. According to Russian media reports, the Su-57 participated in special military operations against Ukraine in the form of networking, and four Su-57s were connected to the same combat network to share radar data, target identification information and other situational information sharing, and participated in the coordination of combat tasks to carry out precision strikes against high-value targets in Ukraine. During the mission, the computer system of the Su-57 shared many operations for the pilots, maintaining operations in multi-task mode, reducing the workload of pilots and improving operational efficiency.
The Operation of the Su-57 in Ukraine is a test closer to future operations, and the Russian side will also improve and upgrade the Su-57 based on operational data. In addition to coordinating with friendly forces through a combat network, the Su-57 can also have the ability to coordinate with the S-70 "Hunter" UAV, the Su-57 serves as a long aircraft, and the "Hunter" UAV performs combat missions according to the transmission instructions of the Su-57. The "Hunter" UAV adopts a flying wing layout, has excellent stealth performance, strong penetration ability, and can make up for the lack of stealth ability of the Su-57, and complement the Su-57.
Russian S-70 stealth drone
In the future, the Su-57 can command the "hunter" UAV group to fight, and the UAV group can carry out early warning and search in multiple directions at the same time, and when receiving strike instructions, it can be gathered together to increase combat effectiveness. In addition to guiding UAV operations, the Su-57 itself also has a strong defense zone outside the strike capability, without entering the enemy's air defense fire range can be long-range precision strike, if necessary, can also transmit combat instructions to the rear as a strategic bomber acting as an "arsenal aircraft" to carry out long-range strike missions. According to relevant sources, the next generation of stealth bomber PAK DA that Russia is developing can also be coordinated with the Su-57.
To sum up, as a fifth-generation stealth fighter, the stealth performance of the Su-57 is not outstanding, but its design of its strengths and avoidance, enhanced detection and long-range attack capabilities is more in line with Russia's equipment system. After the Su-57 reaches a certain scale, it will significantly enhance the combat strength of the Russian Air and Space Force, and form Russia's future air combat system with the next generation of stealth strategic bombers and stealth drones.
Russia's next-generation stealth bomber, the PAK DA, will feature a "flying wing" aerodynamic layout that integrates the tail and fuselage, and can perform combat missions in coordination with the Su-57
About author:Li Xiaobai, a member of the Chinese Aeronautical Society and an author of military science popularization, has published hundreds of articles in many well-known military journals and well-known websites in China, and the articles have been cited by the international think tank CSBA. He has long been engaged in the popularization of science for young people's national defense education, and has won the first prize of the Eighth National Future Aircraft Design Competition of the "Innovation Cup" of the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Producer: Science popularization at the forefront of China's military science and technology
Author: Li Xiaobai
Curator: Kim Hyuk
Producer: Guangming Network Science Popularization Division
Source: Guangming Network - Popular Science China