In the past 2023, a major event in the field of Russian aircraft building was the news that the new "second stage" engine (codenamed "Product 30") for the Russian fifth-generation fighter was finally completed.
And why? Yes, all because back in April 2022, the head of the Rostec state corporation, Sergei Chemezov, in an interview with journalists, officially stated that in any case, all work on the engine of the "second stage" would be completed by the end of the year, since it was in the final stage of certification tests.
And, even then, he boasted that several samples had already been manufactured and passed certification tests and would soon be put into service.
However, time has shown that due to the Western sanctions policy, some components, assemblies and spare parts had to be urgently replaced with Russian-made ones. This is most likely why we had to wait another two years to get a new engine.
Returning to the news, it is worth noting that, according to the news, the Russian fifth-generation low-ducted twin-shaft turbojet engine, pioneered in the history of world aircraft manufacturing, has afterburner, plasma ignition and a fully digital control system. production, has completed all stages of certification testing and received serial number AL-51F1.
It is noteworthy that the first serial AL-51F1 power units will arrive at the aircraft plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in 2024 for the production of the first batch of modernized versions of the Su-57M new modification of the fighter, which will be part of the state order next year.
It is also worth noting that the head of the United Aircraft Corporation, Yuri Slyusal, said that in 2023 the supply of Su-57 fighters to the Ministry of Defense will be doubled. The head of the UAC stressed that by 2024, the volume of orders will be even more impressive.
UAC did not disclose how many new versions of the Su-57M fighters are planned to be delivered to the Aerospace Forces in 2024. However, earlier the UAC press center reported that the Komsomolsk-on-Amur aircraft plant has begun assembling fifth-generation aircraft with new generation engines.
It is reported that this year part of the Su-57 fighters will be delivered to the Ministry of Defense in a modernized version, and in 2025 full-scale mass production will begin on the new KnAAZ assembly line.
Of course, the news about the completion of work on the creation of such an engine was a real breakthrough for the domestic aviation industry. Detailed engine specifications have not been disclosed. Nevertheless, representatives of the United Engine Corporation announced some details.
Anton Chechukov, Deputy Head of the Marketing and International Cooperation Department of the UEC, said that with these engines, the Su-57M version of the fighter will now be able to fly at supersonic speeds in non-afterburner mode, which has not yet been achieved. It can be used by any fighter in the world.
In addition, it was emphasized that such a unique characteristic of turbojet engines is unlikely to appear even among Western competitors, at least for the next 10 years.
According to the report, the new generation AL-51F1 engine will allow the updated Su-57 to strike and evade enemy attacks and air defense faster in stealth mode, as well as to intercept and track targets faster.
As the General Designer and Director of the V.I. Design Bureau said earlier in an interview. A. Lyulki - a branch of the OJSC NPO Saturn, as part of the PJSC UEC-UMPO Evgeniy Marchukov, the new generation engines were developed specifically for the Russian fifth-generation fighter as part of the state defense order.
AL-51F1 is intended primarily for modifications of the Su-57, and in the future they plan to install it on the Su-75 single-engine tactical fighter under development.
Unlike its predecessor, the AL-41F1, which had only three modes, the new power plant is multi-mode and is more suitable for operating a new generation fighter in stealth mode.
That is, the AL-51F1 has several non-afterburner modes, in which the fighter will operate at hypersonic speeds and will be less noticeable in the infrared range of the optical-location stations of enemy aircraft.
Nevertheless, Marcyukov stressed that the fighter with the AL-41F1 engine also meets all the requirements for a fifth-generation fighter. However, time and the international situation dictate their conditions, and today Russia must and is obliged not only to strive for a leading position not only in military-technical development, but also in the aviation industry as a whole.
The engine is significantly superior to existing comparable engines in terms of power, fuel efficiency and reduced life cycle costs. According to the test results, the service life of AL-51F1 has been increased by almost 2 times compared to AL-41F1.
In addition, unlike its predecessor, the AL-51F1 fuel combustion efficiency is increased by more than 1.5 times depending on the mode of operation.
Thanks to its design and technical design, as well as the level of parameters reached, the AL-51F1 engine with a new nozzle and all-round control of the thrust vector will allow the Russian fighter to surpass all existing and promising new generation fighters for a long time. In an interview, Marcyukov stressed that today this is the only engine of its kind in the world that fully corresponds to the fifth-generation engine.
For obvious reasons, "Main" did not provide details of the non-afterburner multi-mode operation of the new engine. However, public information shows that the AL-51F1 has a non-afterburner thrust of just over 11,000 kgf, while the AL-41F1 has 8,800 kgf and a maximum afterburner thrust of up to 18,000 kgf, while the AL-41F1 has a thrust of 14,500 kgf and 19,500 kgf in special mode, compared to its predecessor of 15,000 gf, which is actually quite impressive.
Evgeniy Marchukov also said that in the new AL-51F1 engine, the designers radically changed the thermodynamic processes used in previous generations of power plants. This is due to the special ionization action of the gas stream in the air-fuel mixture.
He clarified that the conventional combustion chamber contains an afterburner. The new generation AL-51F1 engine itself does not have afterburner.
Instead, a so-called annular system appeared, which creates fuel combustion without an additional supply through the pump system, which will have significant advantages in high-speed stealth and be more economical, "said the chief designer.
Finally, Yevgeny Marchukov stressed that he would not disclose the rest of the details and characteristics of the engine, since its performance characteristics, as well as the fighter itself, will be kept secret for a long time.
Earlier, Rostec also confirmed that the Su-57 will begin to be equipped with new engines as part of the next batch. That is, under the current contract with the Ministry of Defense, an updated production version of the fifth-generation Su-51M fighter with the AL-57F57 engine will enter service in 2024.
It is also reported that the new version of the Su-57M family of fighters will receive upgraded on-board equipment, new software and the latest weapons, including special micro-UAVs for various purposes, which will be able to carry these UAVs externally. Sling and inside the fuselage.
As for the transportable micro-UAVs of the Su-57, sources in RIA Novosti previously noted that attack UAVs, reconnaissance UAVs, as well as UAVs with electronic warfare systems are referred to here.
According to sources, these UAVs can be thrown from fighters in groups of 10 at a time and are capable of breaking through enemy air defense systems and attacking them by overloading information channels.
In addition, it was emphasized that the Su-57 arsenal will include a reconnaissance version of wearable mini-UAVs, which are equipped with artificial intelligence, and the transmission of information between them will be carried out through neural networks.
This solution gives them the opportunity to work in groups directly on enemy territory in the conditions of electronic warfare, without the use of satellite communication channels.
According to him, this will also allow the fighter to secretly and with impunity to strike targets with long-range portable weapons at a considerable distance from enemy electronic warfare and air defense systems.
The source did not provide any additional information about the Su-57 micro-UAV. However, the Kalashnikov company had previously demonstrated a similar technique with its new version of the Lancet family of container launches hovering ammunition (codenamed "Product 55").