In today's military conflicts, air supremacy has become particularly critical. One expert once said that air supremacy means taking the initiative on the battlefield. As a result, many countries are racing to develop more advanced fighters to compete for air supremacy. The United States has always been a leader in the field of fighters, from the early F-86 and MiG-15 to today's F-22 and J-20, fighters have undergone five generations of evolution and increasingly outstanding performance.
At present, only a few countries have mastered the development of fifth-generation fighters, including China with the J-20, the United States with the F-22, and Russia with the Su-57. However, as early as 2000, Russia announced plans to develop a domestic fifth-generation fighter. However, the aircraft is still in the stage of test flights and commissioning, and has not yet entered official service.
According to public information, the predecessor of the Su-57 is the T-50 fighter, which can fly at a speed of 1450 kilometers per hour and a maximum speed of about 2600 kilometers. During the initial flight test phase, the aircraft used two AL-41F1-117S jet engines, each with a thrust of about 15 tons. It is reported that in the follow-up study, a new engine with a single thrust of about 18 tons will be used, and the specific model has not yet been announced.
The Su-57 has the ability to carry about 10 tons of ammunition and has at least two built-in weapons bays, which occupy almost a third of the entire aircraft's volume, allowing it to hit targets within a radius of 1,200 kilometers. In addition, in missions that do not require stealth performance, the Su-57 can also carry external bombs and missiles.
Interestingly, the origin of the name Su-57 has sparked widespread controversy. Although Russia has always favored the number "7", it is usually used in the naming of important fighters, such as the Su-27 and Su-37. However, in a documentary "From the T-50 to the Su-47", the current chief designer, Mikhail Stlets, personally explained the true meaning of the name of the aircraft. He said that the Su-57 was developed to counter the two fifth-generation fighters F-22 and F-35 of the United States, so the "57" is actually the sum of the two numbers "22" and "35", symbolizing comprehensive strength. This makes the Su-57 an absolute top fighter.
India, one of the main buyers of Russian weapons, has shown keen interest in the Su-57. Judging from the test flight video released by the Russian side, it seems that the official service and mass production time of the Su-57 will not be too far away. Whether India is ready for this model remains to be seen.