Russian Su-57 fighter (Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense).
According to the Kyiv Post, Russia's first and only operational stealth fighter - the twin-engine multirole fighter Sukhoi Su-57 (NATO code name Felon or "The Brutal") - has undergone 10 years of arduous research, before officially entering service with the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) in 2020.
As one of the three pioneering countries in developing stealth fighters (along with the US and China), Russia has high hopes for the Su-57. However, its ambitions appear to have been hampered by technical and budgetary difficulties, a problem made worse by Western sanctions following the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict.
The Su-57 may be a powerful fighter, but the Kremlin seems to have trouble exploiting its full potential.
Su-57 has fought in Ukraine?
So far, there has been no confirmation of sightings of Su-57 aircraft in the skies over Ukraine, but there is speculation that Moscow has used them to attack Kiev targets.
On November 5, a Telegram channel claimed that a Su-57 was recorded flying in the sky over the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine.
A British intelligence report in January said Russia “almost certainly used the Su-57 Felon to conduct missions against Ukraine”.
Russian state media reported in June 2022 that a Su-57 aircraft had conducted combat operations in Ukraine and was tasked with identifying and destroying Ukrainian air defense targets.
Colonel Yurii Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, said that it is not excluded that Russia used the Su-57 against Ukraine, because there is simply no way to distinguish the aircraft on radar. "For us, air targets are radar tracks," Ihnat said in an interview.
However, he added that the Russian Air Force boasts a variety of aircraft, including the Su-25 and Su-35, that can conduct similar strikes.
It has long been speculated that Moscow avoids allowing the Su-57 to enter Ukrainian airspace for fear of being shot down by enemy air defenses, while the country has only a maximum of 10 of them, so they remain an extremely valuable asset to the Russian air force.
Russia's 5th generation Su-57 stealth fighter (Photo: RIA).
How formidable is the Su-57?
The Russian Su-57 stealth fighter possesses many outstanding advantages such as relatively good stealth capabilities, strong radar and defense systems, carrying a large and diverse amount of weapons, and a more reasonable price compared to similar stealth fighters from the West. Therefore, the Su-57 is considered the dream of many countries' Air Forces.
Find out how NATO identifies (codenames) Russian weapons.
For example, while Russia named the Tu-160 supersonic strategic bomber the White Swan, NATO named it the Blackjack, worthy of its power and deterrence.
As for the Su-57, right after it was officially put into service, NATO quickly labeled it Felon or "brute", showing that the North Atlantic military alliance highly appreciated and feared that Russia's 5th generation stealth fighter could crush the US's F-22 Raptor.
Naming the F-22 "Raptor" implies that this is the most modern fighter, superior to all, other aircraft are just prey for it. However, things are different now, Russia has a "brute" that is equal to, even superior to, the American fighter.
Military aviation experts largely agree that the Su-57 is completely worthy of the NATO designation because it possesses superior technical and tactical characteristics.
First, the aerodynamic design is groundbreaking. The Su-57 has a flying wing stealth shape, very different from any aircraft ever built. The weapons bay is under the fuselage, covered by a pair of engines on both sides, the cockpit is in the front and the tail is in the back.
The Su-57's airframe is cast in one piece from a light alloy, rather than from conventional cast or stamped plates and steel tubes. This makes it very light and strong. The absence of welded joints eliminates harmful thermal stress, greatly increasing the airframe's lifespan.
The flying wing stealth style has a clear advantage over the diamond edge style of the F-117A or F-22. For example, the US B-2 bomber, although much larger than the F-22 and F-35 fighters, has a smaller radar cross section (RCS).
The Su-57's stealth capabilities are said to be on par with its Western counterparts. While analysts have suggested that its RCS is not as standard and "big" as the US' fourth-generation F/A-18 Super Hornets, this of course cannot be verified.
Its onboard N036 Byelka radar is said to have a reconnaissance range of up to 400km, while the radar of the F-16 that Ukraine is about to receive from its Western allies is much weaker.
Weapons on the Russian Su-57 stealth fighter (Photo: Anton Egorov).
Third, the Su-57 fighter is designed to carry not only all types of missiles and bombs of fighter aircraft but also weapons of Tu-23, Tu-95, Tu-160 strategic bombers because the partition between the two front and rear weapon bays is just a support frame for the hanger, it is not a stiffening frame for the aircraft, so it can be removed to make a large weapon bay.
What's more, the Su-57 fighter hides its weapons inside and doesn't reveal radar signals. After dropping bombs and firing missiles, the strategic aircraft must immediately escape. As for the Su-57, no aircraft dares to chase it because it still has at least 2 short-range missiles in the side compartments and a large amount of ammunition along with its number 1 air combat capability.
In short, the Su-57 is a multi-role fighter, capable of both air combat and air superiority, and of attacking ground and sea targets.
For example, it can be equipped with R-77M air-to-air missiles to attack long-range targets and Kh-59MK2 cruise missiles to attack ground targets, along with a host of other weapons.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that in 2018, a Su-57 test-fired a cruise missile (believed to be the Kh-59MK2) in Syria, accurately destroying the target.
Fourth, engines and speed. The Su-57 can reach supersonic speeds of Mach 2.1 without boost.
Fifth, the Su-57 controls stealth UAVs, a new "nightmare" for any country's air defense, including Ukraine. Russian defense officials assert that the Okhotnik can operate under the control of a Su-57 pilot.
According to EurAsian Times , in early July, Turkish media reported that Russia used the S-70 Okhotnik - a heavy stealth unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) - to attack Ukrainian armed forces in the Sumy region.
Images on Telegram channels show at least two UAVs flying over Ukrainian airspace that are consistent in shape and size with the S-70B Okhotnik (Hunter).
In June 2022, RIA Novosti news agency reported that the S-70B Okhotnik conducted tests of launching precision-guided munitions (PGMs) against ground targets. This could be the Kh-59MK2 missile developed for the Su-57.
The Okhotnik UAV can use all the same long-range weapons as the Su-57, including R-77M and Kh-59MK2 missiles, penetrating contested airspace undetected to destroy important enemy targets.
At this time, the Su-57 will act as a "protector" for the S-70 in case it is ambushed by enemy fighters. Operating together, the Su-57 and Okhotnik will be capable and flexible in combat.
According to a recent update by Russian state media, state-owned corporation Rostec announced that a newer second-stage engine called Izdeliye 30 has been fitted to a number of Su-57 fighters and they are undergoing flight testing.
The Russian Aerospace Forces plan to receive 76 Su-57s by 2027, the report added.
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