Aerodynamic characteristics of the Su 57 aircraft. "Phantom" does not catch up

The latest best military aircraft of the Air Force of Russia and the world photos, pictures, videos about the value of a fighter aircraft as a combat weapon capable of providing "air supremacy" was recognized by the military circles of all states by the spring of 1916. This required the creation of a special combat aircraft that surpasses all others in terms of speed, maneuverability, altitude and the use of offensive small arms. In November 1915, Nieuport II Webe biplanes arrived at the front. This is the first aircraft built in France, which was intended for air combat.

The most modern domestic military aircraft in Russia and the world owe their appearance to the popularization and development of aviation in Russia, which was facilitated by the flights of Russian pilots M. Efimov, N. Popov, G. Alekhnovich, A. Shiukov, B. Rossiysky, S. Utochkin. The first domestic machines of designers J. Gakkel, I. Sikorsky, D. Grigorovich, V. Slesarev, I. Steglau began to appear. In 1913, the heavy aircraft "Russian Knight" made its first flight. But one cannot fail to recall the first aircraft creator in the world - Captain 1st Rank Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky.

Soviet military aircraft of the Great USSR Patriotic War sought to hit the enemy troops, his communications and other objects in the rear with air strikes, which led to the creation of bomber aircraft capable of carrying a large bomb load over considerable distances. The variety of combat missions to bombard enemy forces in the tactical and operational depth of the fronts led to the understanding of the fact that their performance should be commensurate with the tactical and technical capabilities of a particular aircraft. Therefore, the design teams had to resolve the issue of specialization of bomber aircraft, which led to the emergence of several classes of these machines.

Types and classification, the latest models of military aircraft in Russia and the world. It was obvious that it would take time to create a specialized fighter aircraft, so the first step in this direction was to try to equip existing aircraft with small arms offensive weapons. Mobile machine-gun mounts, which began to equip the aircraft, required excessive efforts from the pilots, since the control of the machine in a maneuverable battle and the simultaneous firing of an unstable weapon reduced the effectiveness of fire. The use of a two-seat aircraft as a fighter, where one of the crew members played the role of a gunner, also created certain problems, because an increase in the weight and drag of the machine led to a decrease in its flight qualities.

What are the planes. In our years, aviation has made a big qualitative leap, expressed in a significant increase in flight speed. This was facilitated by progress in the field of aerodynamics, the creation of new more powerful engines, structural materials, and electronic equipment. computerization of calculation methods, etc. Supersonic speeds have become the main modes of fighter flight. However, the race for speed also had its negative sides - the takeoff and landing characteristics and the maneuverability of aircraft deteriorated sharply. During these years, the level of aircraft construction reached such a level that it was possible to start creating aircraft with a variable sweep wing.

Combat aircraft of Russia for further growth of flight speeds jet fighters exceeding the speed of sound, it was necessary to increase their power-to-weight ratio, increase the specific characteristics of the turbojet engine, and also improve the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft. For this purpose, engines with an axial compressor were developed, which had smaller frontal dimensions, higher efficiency and better weight characteristics. For a significant increase in thrust, and hence the flight speed, afterburners were introduced into the engine design. The improvement of the aerodynamic forms of aircraft consisted in the use of wings and empennage with large sweep angles (in the transition to thin delta wings), as well as supersonic air intakes.

Mass production latest fighter Su-57 "no need to force." This was first discussed by the new curator defense complex, and then the head of the profile commission of the State Duma. But a few years ago, very serious hopes were placed on this fifth-generation car - which, it seems, the project did not justify at all. What went wrong?

In an era of rapid technological development, the fifth generation Su-57 fighter will quickly become obsolete, so we need to focus on developing a new, sixth generation aircraft. This was stated by a member expert council State Duma for the aviation industry, head of the Duma commission for legal support development of defense organizations Vladimir Gutenev. “The Su-57 will not be massively purchased in the interests of the Aerospace Forces. But the car has excellent export potential, many countries would like to buy it, ”Gutenev told the Interfax agency.

Let's leave the statement about the "excellent export potential" on the conscience of the deputy - foreigners always buy only those vehicles that the Russian army itself prefers to use. One statement of the deputy contradicts another - if the Su-57 is not massively purchased in the interests of the Aerospace Forces, its export potential can be safely put an end to. The most important thing is why the deputy confirms that the Russian Air Force, in fact, is abandoning the aircraft, on which such hopes were placed and in the development of which such gigantic funds were invested?

Such a harsh judgment cannot be considered the opinion of a single deputy, even from a specialized commission. Gutenev stressed that he is in solidarity with the opinion of the new curator of the defense industry, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, in the recent past, Deputy Minister of Defense. There is no point in speeding up the mass production of the Su-57, Borisov said on the air of the Rossiya 24 channel on Monday.

The Deputy Prime Minister paid tribute to the qualities of this fighter: the Su-57 "proved to be very good, including confirming its flight performance and combat capabilities." But at the same time, Borisov noted: today, one of the best aircraft in the world is considered a representative of the previous generation “4+” - the Su-35. Apparently, the Su-35 is quite an effective and at the same time not so expensive option.

A similar argument was made by deputy Gutenev. The Aerospace Forces already have some of the world's best Su-35S fighters in service, he said. According to Gutenev, these vehicles of the “4+” generation are superior in combat qualities not only to the main American counterparts - the F-15 and F-16. To some extent, the Su-35 is not inferior to the F-35 and F-22 - fifth-generation aircraft, the deputy believes.

Such conclusions contrast with the promising plans that were announced at the beginning of work on the T-50 (such was the factory index of the current Su-57). The development of this fifth-generation fighter within the framework of the PAK FA project (Promising Aviation Complex of Frontal Aviation) began back in 2001-2002. It was planned that the fifth-generation fighter, which is at the forefront of military-technical thought (stealth technology, advanced avionics, powerful radars), should become a counterweight to the F-22 and F-35.

Investments in the project were more than impressive. Nine years after the start of work, in 2010, President Vladimir Putin stated that about 30 billion rubles were spent on the first stage of creating the aircraft alone. The same amount, according to the head of state, was required to complete the work.

Then, in 2010, the first flight was made. The Ministry of Defense planned that mass production of new aircraft would begin at the end of 2016. Only from 2016 to this year, the Air Force was supposed to receive eight T-50s annually. The state armaments program until 2020 included the purchase of 52 vehicles. It was planned to form two regiments.

But, as they say, "something went wrong." After 17 years since the start of work, Deputy Prime Minister Borisov stated: the tests of the Su-57 "are going according to plan" (that is, it is still far from entering the series), and in 2018 only two prototypes should be accepted into the Aerospace Forces. Experienced, but not serial.

The deviation from the set course could be noticed back in 2015. The same Yuri Borisov, then in the rank of deputy head of the Ministry of Defense, reported: the department of Sergei Shoigu reserves the right to review the number of purchased vehicles. "Contracted" was only 12 T-50 aircraft. On the other hand, last year the Ministry of Defense ordered about a hundred Su-35S and more than 100 Su-30SM.

Experts believe that the reason for the decline in interest in the Su-57 was "interspecific" competition.

Firstly, in terms of its characteristics, the Su-35 is almost as good as the Su-57. Secondly, the current models of the latest Su-57 are equipped with outdated engines - similar to those used on the Su-brand aircraft operating in the Air Force. The modernization of this "engine" took 14 years, and only in April were state bench tests completed. In May, it was reported that the "flying laboratory T-50-2" (prototype Su-57) continues flight tests with the engine of the second stage. But this engine, referred to as "product 30", as expected, should have been in business for a long time.

The specificity that manifested itself in Soviet times – latest aircraft appear before the engines they need are developed and tested (and this is understandable, given the complexity of manufacturing this essential element aircraft).

Thirdly, the question of cost. The price of one Su-57 unit is about $50 million, or 3.16 billion rubles. For comparison, in 2014, the then Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, Viktor Bondarev, complained about the high cost of the Su-30, Su-35 and Su-34 entering the army: “Each aircraft costs more than 1 billion rubles!” Recall that in the early 1970s, the excessive cost "buried" the project of the promising Su-100 bomber-missile carrier. And not just him.

The current interest shown by the military department in the Su-35 is fully justified. “The fighter has established itself as an excellent aircraft with good performance in terms of flight range. It is important that it can be used as a multipurpose aircraft, as frontline bomber, even as an escort aircraft with a good range - with the "engines" that are on it. And I think that this is not the last engine, they will continue to be developed in terms of increasing the range of its flight, ”explained the former instructor pilot, Air Force Major Andrei Krasnoperov to the VZGLYAD newspaper. Such a “class 4 ++” aircraft lacks one plus to complete invisibility for radars, the expert notes.

As for the Su-57, Krasnoperov believes that this

"Let's just say, a more expensive toy."

“The fact that the characteristics of the Su-57 are very similar to the Su-35, especially in terms of the engine, is understandable, but a new engine is being developed, and it will appear. All this does not come immediately and, of course, requires costs, ”the pilot emphasizes. In the meantime, “in order to keep our country’s defense capability at the required level, it is necessary to purchase those aircraft that are available and that are reliable – this applies primarily to the Su-35,” Krasnoperov emphasizes. We add that this raises the question - why the bet on the Su-35 was not made earlier?

The expert also recalls that “American F-series aircraft have suffered several accidents and, in general, they have many failures. That is, the project is damp.” Recall that the F-35 fighter, the latest and extremely expensive (Lockheed Martin presented as an achievement the reduction in its cost from 100 million to 85 million dollars apiece), was subjected to harsh criticism. In particular, a lot has been said about him with bailouts, which, apparently, so far.

Critics are of the opinion that high-tech, but expensive fifth-generation fighters, both domestic and American, represent a kind of “dead end” in the evolution of combat aircraft. It cannot be said that the Ministry of Defense directly confirms this opinion. But let us pay attention to the statement of Deputy Gutenev mentioned at the beginning. He, among other things, said that work should begin on the next generation combat aircraft, which would become a transitional link between manned and.

And this means that we will most likely never see the mass production of the Su-57.

Panic in the NATO leadership began as soon as the fifth generation fighter took off for the first time in the air with a new power plant that allows reaching the speed of sound without the use of afterburner. Edition on German Contra Magazin recognizes it as an outstanding fifth-generation aircraft and a big problem for NATO, since the North Atlantic bloc has the best fourth-generation fighter Eurofighter, American F-22 and F-35 due to their shortcomings, they are not taken into account, and even Chinese aircraft of the new generation are left far behind.

The new engine of the Russian fighter

On a frosty January morning in 2010, under the factory designation, for the first time, it broke away from the concrete airfield and made a test flight of a new fifth-generation aircraft. It was demonstrated to the public at MAKS-2011, and in 2017 the car received a new index - with which it continues test flights.

At the end of 2017, on December 5, a test flight with the second stage engine, the so-called "product 30", continued for 17 minutes, which was successful, testing and testing in the air of the new engine will continue for another three years.

The accumulated huge potential in the aircraft industry was successfully used when creating the engine of the second stage for and this once again proved that the groundwork that the Russian aviation industry received in Soviet times is not lost and is used to create highly intelligent digital systems.

Second stage engine for SU-57

In this power plant, the nozzle has a flat surface inside and a jagged edge along the outer contour, which is important for obtaining the best stealth technology and maintaining high maneuverability.

Mixing hot air from power plant with an external cold stream, it becomes more intense when the machine is maneuvering and forces the cold stream to pass between the outer edge and the inner surface, which significantly reduces the visibility of the aircraft in the infrared range.

Compression-expansion of the power drive is a design feature of the Russian engine nozzle Su-57 and American cars of the fifth generation.

Despite this similarity in the Russian power plant, the compressor impellers are structurally made of radio-absorbing elements, which most effectively increases the stealth and maneuverability of the Russian aircraft and makes it possible to fly supersonic in cruise mode. According to experts, these qualitative changes prove superiority over the Raptor.

Su-57 equipped with the latest weapons

On the Russian began testing a new generation of aviation weapons. The Tactical Missiles Corporation has developed and created the latest high-precision weapon system for the fifth generation fighter, which is located both inside the fuselage and on external hardpoints. The weapon is currently being tested in the air and the results will be known soon.

The Raduga and Vympel design bureaus are involved in the creation of high-precision weapons for the new vehicle, but, for reasons of secrecy, it is not yet known what exactly these weapons will be. These design bureaus it is planned to equip a new generation supersonic aircraft with medium and long-range air-to-air missiles RVV-SD and RVV-BD.

The latest missile armament of the Su-57

Design Bureau Raduga plans to supply air-to-surface weapons consisting of Kh-58UShK and Kh-38 missiles. NPO Novator has plans to supply ultra-long-range air-to-air weapons, which include the KS-172 missile.

A little earlier in 2016, the NNPU-50 gun mount was tested on a model of the front of a combat aircraft, the bomb and missile load only inside the fuselage will be 4.2 tons, and eight suspension points will be used for aircraft weapons on the outer surface. Testing weapons for the fighter is the final cycle, in 2018 it is expected to enter combat units, but so far with the engine of the first stage.

Conclusion

It is obvious that the North Atlantic bloc cannot yet oppose our aircraft, and it must be admitted that the revolution in the United States in the field of aircraft construction has brought American aviation to the brink of destruction, since the evolutionary process of creating new aircraft has been disrupted. In Russia, they consistently developed the entire chain of Sukhoi Design Bureau machines from to and in the USA they neglected this, for which they paid.

The Su-57 is a secret vehicle in many respects. No one will bring the exact characteristics and composition of weapons on a silver platter. The official website of JSC Sukhoi Company has scarce information about the potentially high capabilities of the aircraft, such as good maneuverability, long supersonic cruising, measures to ensure low radar visibility, etc. “The aircraft has a wide range of weapons, both air-to-air and air-to-surface, providing a solution to fighter and strike missions,” the resource notes. There is even less information on the website of the machine manufacturer (KnAAZ). She's almost gone.

One can, of course, recall the numerous statements of officials with lengthy wording and frankly unrealistic deadlines for implementation. Everyone knows the value of such statements. Let us recall, however, that at the time general manager of the Tactical Missiles Corporation, Boris Obnosov said that fourteen types of weapons are being developed specifically for the Su-57, including air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles of various ranges and targeting methods, as well as adjustable bombs.

Saying is one thing, doing is another. Moreover, the release of ammunition from the internal compartment (especially at supersonic speed) requires long tests. This is much more difficult than integrating a bomb or missile onto external mounts.

Surprisingly, some quite respected experts and publications, talking about the Su-57, cite purely conjectural characteristics of the machine, taken from Wikipedia. From everything listed there, it is possible to judge several things with certainty. First, a production aircraft based on the T-50 is likely to have both internal and external holders. With an emphasis, of course, on the first option, because in the second case it will be possible to put an end to stealth. Secondly, and more importantly, the aircraft will receive four internal compartments:

- two side (BGRO). It will house short-range air-to-air missiles;
- two main (OGRO). They will have medium-range air-to-air missiles and air-to-surface weapons.

All these compartments can be seen on the aircraft prototypes. Will anything change on the production version? Probably not. In any case, the number and general arrangement of weapons compartments will remain the same. No wonder some experts proudly call the aircraft "an early pre-production model." Indeed, it has already outgrown the early prototype stage, and will not change conceptually. We are not talking about the installation of engines of the second stage instead of the usual AL-41F1: this is a topic for a separate discussion.

Point one. Concept

By the way, about the concept. There is a misconception that it is impossible to compare the Su-57, F-22 and F-35. Like, different cars. And the default domestic fighter is much more versatile. There is some truth in this, but this idea should not be taken literally. Perhaps the aircraft will be such in the future, but now we do not know all its capabilities. It is worth saying that the "Raptor" and "Lighting", contrary to popular belief, have a fairly wide range of opportunities to hit ground targets. Although they lose somewhat in terms of the total potential of the same F-15E (this is assuming that the enemy does not have modern anti-aircraft missile systems and detection tools).

Let's analyze in more detail. The F-22 fighter, in addition to two 450-kg GBU-32 JDAM bombs, can operate on the ground using GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb miniature ammunition with a range of more than 100 kilometers. In total, eight units can be placed in the internal compartments. In turn, modifications of the Lightning for the Marines and the Navy - the F-35B and F-35C - should receive an even more advanced GBU-53 / B in the foreseeable future. This is the next generation of the Small Diameter Bomb, which in theory can hit ground targets very effectively using an infrared homing head.

Reset GBU-39

Due to the low price and small size of the Small Diameter Bomb, many experts consider it the most promising aviation strike weapons. In other words, we can say that American fifth-generation fighters and the Su-57 will not differ conceptually. Ideally, each of them should be a multi-purpose machine capable of effectively dealing with both air and ground targets.

Point two. Air-to-air missiles

There are two misconceptions here that cannot be put into one paragraph. Some believe that the aircraft will not be able to carry weapons inside at all, and the compartments exist only "for show." It makes no sense to criticize this unprofessionalism. There is footage from the Ministry of Defense showing a Su-57 launching a missile from an OGRO. There is also information from reliable sources about earlier missile launches during the tests (it is impossible to verify them, however).

Another thesis is perhaps more interesting. A number of experts are trying to "shove" six, and sometimes eight medium-range missiles into the main compartments. Meanwhile, the estimated dimensions of the OGRO, together with the known dimensions of the missile armament, suggest that in the main compartments the aircraft can carry up to four medium-range air-to-air missiles.

During tests on the external holders of the T-50, products of the RVV-AE family (or mock-ups of this missile) were noticed. It is likely that they, or to be more precise, their modifications, item 180 and item 180-BD, will become the basis of the fighter's armament. In each of the two side compartments, most likely, one RVV-MD short-range missile will be placed. Thus, all air-to-air missiles are likely to there will be six. And these will be short-range and medium-range missiles.

RVV-AE

More vague is the integration into the complex of ultra-long-range missiles, such as the R-37M or the semi-mythical KS-172. It seems generally doubtful that the functions of the MiG-31 will be completely shifted to the shoulders of the 57th. These are cars of different classes after all. It is also unknown how many of these ultra-long-range missiles can be placed in the internal compartments of the Su-57.

Point three. Work on ground targets

As we have already noted, the Su-57 was never created as an uncompromising air fighter. And recently, the media said that the aircraft will be able to use the latest Drel aerial bomb, which is capable of planning for 30 kilometers and destroying targets with self-aiming submunitions. The mass of the planning bomb cassette equipped with self-aiming submunitions is 500 kilograms. Recall that homing elements as part of aviation ammunition have previously been used by both the United States and the Russian Federation.

During tests on the T-50, one could see missiles of the X-31 family on the external holders. There are anti-ship (X-31A) and anti-radar (X-31P) versions of the missiles. Earlier, the Ministry of Defense announced that they intend to install the missiles both on external holders and in internal compartments. The rocket, for all its merits, looks too big for such an aircraft. This is not surprising, given that it was developed back in the USSR. It is clear that the fifth generation fighter needs not so much ammunition. Otherwise, either a) stealth is lost (when using external holders); or b) the impact potential of the aircraft will be limited (due to limited space in the internal compartments).

Su-57 with Kh-31

The most intriguing in this regard was the information about the launches of promising multi-purpose stealth cruise missiles Kh-59MK2 from the internal compartments of the aircraft. The Russian Ministry of Defense even presented a spectacular video about this. Contrary to the name, the Kh-59MK2 has little in common with the Soviet Kh-59 Gadfly. The new missile is an analogue of the new American AGM-158 JASSM. It has an inertial guidance system integrated with an optical-electronic homing head and GPS / GLONASS systems. Estimated flight range - 500 kilometers. In other words, the Su-57 will not have to enter the zone of destruction of enemy anti-aircraft missile systems.

Su-57 launches Kh-59MK2

In general, an inconspicuous aircraft equipped with a long-range inconspicuous missile is a weighty argument in any "dispute". Some even suggested equipping the missile with a nuclear warhead in addition to a cluster and penetrating warhead. On the other hand, until there is an analogue of the relatively cheap JDAM and SBD bombs in Russia, it is difficult to talk about mass corrected air-to-surface weapons. The cost of such missiles as the Kh-31, and even more so the Kh-59MK2, is quite high by default.

The Russian fifth-generation fighter Su-57 (until August 2017 - T-50, PAK-FA) has begun the next phase of testing. Boris Obnosov, CEO of the Tactical Missiles Corporation (TRV), spoke about this in an interview with the Military-Technical Cooperation magazine. According to him, the weapon system for the Su-57, which is being developed by the company, is currently undergoing flight testing.

“We have moved on to practical flights. I think that in the near future we will see the result, ”says the general director of TRV.

The development of the Su-57 began almost 20 years ago, back in 1999. Then the project was called "Promising Aviation Complex of Frontal Aviation" (PAK-FA). New aircraft developed by OKB im. Sukhoi is to be replaced by the Su-27 fighters and MiG-31 interceptors in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces. Among the foreign analogues of the fifth-generation Russian aircraft are the F-22 Raptor fighter and the F-35 universal attack aircraft, which entered service with the US Air Force.

Its first flight was an aircraft under the factory index T-50, built on aircraft factory them. Yu.A. Gagarin in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, committed in 2010. As of August last year, 11 aircraft were produced. And in December, a new engine designed for the Su-57 with increased thrust and fuel efficiency, known as "product 30", was tested. Previously, an upgraded version of the AL-31F engine was installed on the Su-57. It is also used on Su-35S aircraft.

As the commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Colonel-General Viktor Bondarev, said in August 2017, the Ministry of Defense will receive a new car in 2018.

"T-50, or Su-57, soon, with next year, will begin to enter the troops, and the pilots will master and operate it, ”Bondarev said then.

However, as Konstantin Makienko, deputy director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, noted in an interview with RT, this does not mean that the aircraft will enter combat units this year.

“The plane flew with the engine of the second stage in December 2017. Fine-tuning the engine, especially with a new gas generator and a new hot part, is a very long process, the expert explains. - Therefore, I think that 12 aircraft will be purchased, and all of them will go formally to the Aerospace Forces, but in fact to the GLITs (929th State Flight Test Center of the Ministry of Defense named after V.P. Chkalov in Akhtubinsk Astrakhan region. — RT), maybe in Lipetsk (State Order of Lenin Red Banner Training Center for Aviation Personnel and Military Tests of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation named after V.P. Chkalov. - RT), where they are no longer working out the aircraft, but the tactics of combat use.

• Wikimedia / Rulexip

According to the expert, the Su-57 will be at the testing stage in the structure of the Aerospace Forces for several more years. In addition to testing the new engine, the use of new aircraft weapons (ASP) will also be tested.

“The use of ASP is also not an easy thing. You need to work it out in different modes, different situations, strike at different targets, ”the expert notes.

Speaking about the goals of creating the Su-57, Makienko said that this fighter is designed to "strengthen the positions of the Russian Federation in the air."

“This fighter is needed in order to hold air,” the expert concluded.

Impact force

A feature of the Su-57 is the combination of the functions of an attack aircraft and a fighter. This is reflected in weapons systems as well. The Su-57 can be equipped with a 9-A1-4071K aircraft cannon, missiles of the "" class: R-73 / RVV-MD (short range), K-77-1 / RVV-AE / SD (medium range), K-37M / RVV-BD (long range), as well as air-to-surface missiles: Kh-38ME (short range), Kh-58UShKE (anti-radar), Kh-35UE (tactical anti-ship) - and KAB-500S guided aerial bombs. The maximum combat load of the aircraft is 10 tons.

“If we talk about the gun, then this is, in principle, the well-known automatic 30-mm gun of Shipunov Design Bureau (GSh-30-1. — RT), - told RT about the features of the weapons of the Su-57 Chief Editor magazine "Arsenal of the Fatherland" Viktor Murakhovsky. - But new ammunition is used, for example with a plastic driver, which increases their initial speed, and the resource of the gun barrel increases several times.

• Aviation gun GSh-30-1
• Wikipedia

In addition, according to Murakhovsky, it is planned to use projectiles with remote detonation in various parts of their flight trajectory.

Testing of the gun began in 2016 in the Moscow region at the State State Scientific Testing Ground for Aviation Systems in Faustov. The rate of fire of the product, designed to destroy all modern armored targets, reaches 30 rounds per minute.

As for guided air weapons, they, as Murakhovsky notes, will form the basis of the Su-57 ammunition load.

“This is a new generation of short, medium and long range air-to-air missiles and a new generation of high-precision air-to-surface weapons. These are both anti-ship and anti-radar missiles, ”the expert notes.

• Fifth generation fighter Su-57
• Wikimedia / Dmitry Zherdin

Victor Murakhovsky emphasizes that the corrected bombs of this aircraft will be guided by a laser beam or use an inertial satellite navigation system for homing. According to the expert, small-caliber bombs will also be used - less than 100 kg, the need for which was demonstrated by the operation in Syria.

“Both loitering munitions are being developed, and whole line other products,” says the expert.

smart power

According to Makienko, everything related to missiles or ASP is a very closed topic. In the very general view improvement of the ASP, the expert notes, is to increase the noise immunity, increase the range, maybe reduce the dimensions, "since all this must be placed in closed compartments."

The last requirement, according to experts, is due to necessity. To do this, almost all weapons are hidden inside the side.

“The Su-57, as a fifth-generation complex, can provide supersonic cruising flight without the afterburner of a regular aircraft engine,” Murakhovsky notes. “The configuration of the Su-57 airframe is such that it has a smaller effective scattering area (ESR) than aircraft of previous generations.”

The visibility of the Su-57 aircraft for radars by Russian and foreign experts is estimated in the range from 0.1 sq. m to 0.4 sq. m. For comparison: EPR Su-27 - more than 10 square meters. m.

"Also distinctive feature The Su-57 is using the so-called digital board," Murakhovsky said.

The aircraft has an electronic co-pilot - an on-board computer that can take on some of the functions of controlling the aircraft and conducting combat. So, a combat radar station with an active phased antenna array allows you to simultaneously recognize up to 60 targets and aim weapons at 16 targets at once. The Himalaya complex with the function of smart skin, in turn, interferes with the homing heads of enemy missiles.

All radio-electronic equipment, all weapons systems, the power plant of the Su-57, according to Murakhovsky, are digitally controlled and "wound up on a common digital bus."

“The units of the unit have a modular design, which makes it possible to implement new modes of flight control, the operation of the power plant, the use of weapons, communication systems,” said the military expert.

According to Murakhovsky, the modular scheme allows fighters to be integrated into single system command and control of aviation and air defense and use them as part of the so-called reconnaissance and strike contours (combined under one leadership means of reconnaissance and destruction).

“This reduces the cycle time of combat control during combat operations and, accordingly, the reaction time to the appearance of the enemy by about three to five times compared to existing options", - the expert notes.

According to Murakhovsky, a thorough development of all Su-57 systems is now to be done.

“The new combat complex from a cannon to high-precision weapons requires full development on this aircraft, not only in terms of the use of the product itself, but also integration with control and weapons systems not only of the Aerospace Forces, but also of other types of troops,” the expert emphasized.