Fighter of the 5th generation of the Russian Federation. MiG fifth generation: what will be the new Russian fighter? Successful business

The T-50 is not just a modern combat aircraft. Its appearance speaks of two very important events: it is the first mass-produced combat vehicle fully developed in the post-Soviet period; it's still the first Russian fighter fifth generation.

background

In the mid-70s, the military-industrial complex of the USSR and the USA entered into another race - to develop a fifth-generation fighter. For the uninitiated, all this looked somewhat strange, since fourth-generation fighters - the Su-27, MiG-29, F-14 and F-15 were just getting on the wing. Nevertheless, the best forces represented by the leading design bureaus and scientific centers were thrown into the “battle” from both sides.

They were given a difficult task - in a short time to create a new fighter with unique characteristics: reduced visibility, combat effectiveness of a new level, the presence of a circular information system, the ability to achieve supersonic without afterburner, super maneuverability.

The fifth-generation fighter should feel confident in close and long-range combat, have on-board automated control systems and jamming systems, have increased autonomy, improved aerodynamics, which will provide it with higher maneuverability. He must also be able, if necessary, to correct piloting errors made by the pilot and solve some tactical problems.

intermediate finish

The fact that the Americans were the first to cross the finish line was quite predictable. Their serial 5th generation fighter F-22 Raptor entered service with the Air Force in 2005. Russia then could not boast of anything like this, since its military-industrial complex, destroyed in the dashing 90s, was just beginning to recover.

In fact, directly in the Sukhoi Design Bureau, work on the new machine began only in 1998. Three years later, the concept was finally formulated and received the code name PAK FA - a promising front-line aviation complex. Its other name is T-50.

PAK FA T-50

The T-50 has absorbed almost the entire set of the above characteristics. The machine is multifunctional and "omnivorous". She can handle both air and ground targets. The T-50 is hardly noticeable in any spectrum - visual, thermal and electromagnetic. Thanks to the controllable thrust vector, it shows miracles of maneuverability, has an extended range of flight modes and supersonic speed, which it achieves without resorting to afterburner.

The first three Russian fighters of the 5th generation were assembled in Komsomolsk-on-Amur at the KnAAZ them. Yu. A. Gagarin in 2009, after which their testing began almost immediately. The first flight took place on January 29, 2010. The T-50 was piloted by Honored Test Pilot, Hero of Russia S. L. Bogdan.

Some features of the PAK FA

Stealth

Approximately a quarter of all materials used in the construction are composites based on carbon fiber. Most of all they are involved on external surfaces, which has significantly reduced radar visibility.

For the same purpose, the fighter's weapons are placed in internal closed compartments; the air intakes have a specific configuration, and the airframe is partially made of radar-absorbing coatings.

Engines

As for engines, for now the T-50 flies with two improved AL-41F1s, which it inherited from the Su-35. In the future, he will receive his personal engines with thrust vector control, which will provide him with a speed of 2100 to 2600 km / h without afterburner.

Onboard electronics

The “eyes” of the first domestic 5th generation fighter are a phased array radar (PAR) with a detection range of up to 400 km. At the same time, she "sees" almost everything that flies and moves on the ground, performs the functions of navigation, identification, electronic intelligence and electronic warfare.

Armament

The missile arsenal (in two internal compartments) of the T-50 accommodates 10 missiles, of which 2 are melee and 8 are medium-range. It is complemented by a twin modernized 30-mm cannon with 100 rounds of ammunition. If necessary, additional 14 missiles are placed on external hangers.

Cabin

The cockpit of the new fighter "borrowed" a lot from the cockpit of the Su-35. All by flight characteristics focused on two 15-inch displays. At the same time, the pilot has the opportunity to compose information in the most convenient format for himself. Flight information and aiming are displayed on a widescreen windshield display.

T-50 vs. F-22 Raptor

With the start of testing the T-50, serious disputes are raging in the Internet community about who will still win in a possible air duel of fifth-generation fighters - he or his main counterpart F-22 "Raptor". At the same time, each of the parties puts forward its own “more weighty” arguments, the value of which without a real duel is very doubtful.

Do not belittle the merits of the American machine, created by Lockheed Martin and which has been in service with the US Air Force for 12 years. However, according to many experts, the plane turned out to be extremely expensive - over $150 million each. A total of 187 aircraft were produced, of which 5 were lost as a result of accidents.

In this regard, the opinion of test pilot Sergei Bogdan, the first who raised the T-50 into the sky, is of interest. In his opinion, having lost in time, Russian developers have gained an advantage in implementing more modern technologies and work. Repeated transfers in the acceptance of the aircraft into service only indicate that the customer, represented by the Russian Aerospace Forces, is interested in a fully finished aircraft.

Assessing the aerobatics of the Raptor at Farnborough, Sergey Bogdan frankly admitted that the Russian Su-30 showed a more advanced program 10 years ago. According to his deep conviction that even in a possible air battle, our T-50 will not yield in anything.

In the family of "fifths" the addition is expected

American F-35

It can already be safely stated that the process of creating fifth-generation fighters will not stop on the F-22 and T-50. So the Americans are next in line for a lighter single-engine F-35 (manufactured by Lockheed Martin), oriented for export.

Chinese J-20

It is being tested in China. Russian and Indian designers are ready to start creating the FGFA fighter based on the T-50. The Japanese do not want to be left behind. Their promising aircraft will probably be called the ATD-X Shinshin.

What will the sixth generation be like?

However, the design idea is already “surfing the expanses” of the future, shaping the appearance of the aircraft of the next, sixth generation. According to Northrop Grumman, the car will be equipped with a laser gun and “add” new stealth technologies. The Boeing concern proposes a "mixed wing" scheme - a kind of "flying wing".

The development of the Russian 6th generation fighter has been going on for at least 5 years. It is known about two participants in the project - the Radioelectronic Technologies Concern (KRET) and the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). According to KRET representative Vladimir Mikheev, two versions of the aircraft will be created - unmanned and manned, flying at a speed of 2 to 5M and armed with electromagnetic guns. The first flight is expected no earlier than 2023-25, the new machine should enter the series by 2030.

The Russian fifth-generation fighter Su-57 (until August 2017 - T-50, PAK-FA) has begun the next phase of testing. About this in an interview with the magazine "Military-technical cooperation" Boris Obnosov, general manager Corporation "Tactical Missiles" (TRV). 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 an airplane, but tactics 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 electronic equipment, all weapons systems, the power plant of the Su-57, according to Murakhovsky, are digitally controlled and "brought to 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.

The head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade spoke about the test program for the Su-57

Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov on Wednesday announced the deadline for completing tests of the Russian 5th generation fighter Su-57 (or PAK FA - a promising front-line aviation complex) with new engines specially created for it. With old engines, not all experts dared to call the Su-57 a 5th generation aircraft - in expert circles this was considered somewhat premature. And now, finally, it has become clear how much longer the Russian Aerospace Forces will have to wait for this plane. According to Manturov, "testing the engine of the second stage may last about three years."

When the newest Russian fighter jet first took to the air - and this happened in 2010 - it flew with AL-41F1 engines. The Su-35 4++ generation fighter is equipped with the same engines. That is why a number of aviation experts have constantly argued that it is too early to talk about the 5th generation of Russian combat aviation.

And here it should be emphasized that the engine of any aircraft is one of its most technically complex components. Designers often say: when a new engine is made for a car, it means that the new aircraft is 60%, if not more, ready.

The Russian Su-57 received new engines recently. It made its first 17-minute flight with the new engines on December 5, 2017. Evaluating it, Denis Manturov said then that PAK FA confirmed the high potential of the Russian aircraft industry, capable of creating highly intelligent advanced systems - a unique airframe, innovative digital filling, and the latest engines.

The new engines for the Su-57 are still labeled "Product 30". It is known that their main difference from the old ones is that thanks to the new engines, the Russian analogue of the American F22 Raptor will be able to make a long supersonic flight. So far, the Su-57 can accelerate to supersonic afterburner and perform a short flight.

According to information from open sources, fuel efficiency has been improved in the "product 30". They develop thrust up to 19.5 tons. Without the use of afterburner on these engines, the Su-57 can fly at a cruising speed twice the speed of sound (2 Mach) - this is over 2000 kilometers per hour. The American F-22 Raptor has a cruising speed of Mach 1.82. The maximum speed of the Su-57 is also higher than that of the American competitor. Ours accelerates to 3 thousand km per hour, and the American - up to 2140 km per hour. They promise that mass production of the Su-57 will begin in 2019, after an initial batch of 12 aircraft is first produced.

Of course, all this can be considered a big step forward for the Russian aviation industry, the technological base of which was seriously undermined in the 90s of the last century. However, one should not rest on one's laurels either, as well as discount the fact that a number of countries - the USA, China, Japan - are already working on the 6th generation fighter project. And here they seem to have advanced further than us. In any case, it is already known for sure that in the USA, for example, this car is made by Boeing. The project is called F/A-XX. It is planned to raise it by 2030. The aircraft is to replace the F/A-18E/F "Super Hornet" carrier-based fighters.

Its appearance is already known - the layout was first shown back in 2009, however, later it was subjected to serious revision. F / A-XX - two-seat fighter with two engines. Maximum takeoff weight at the level of 45 tons, range - 3000 km. Nothing is reported about the type of engine, but experts believe that it is most likely a turbojet and is capable of providing supersonic cruising in non-afterburner mode. The maximum speed is not indicated, but experts say it almost certainly does not reach hypersound.

Help "MK": The Su-57 is a promising fifth-generation Russian multirole fighter developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. Until August 2017, the aircraft was known under the factory index T-50. The aircraft was designed to replace the Su-27 heavy fighter in the Russian Air Force. For export deliveries based on the Su-57, together with India, it is planned to create an export modification of the aircraft with the designation "FGFA" (Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft - fifth generation fighter). The aircraft made its first flight on January 29, 2010.

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The rapid development of jet aviation in the post-war years allowed designers to create four generations of fighters one after the other in a fairly short time, but there was a “hitch” with the fifth. Both in the USA and in the USSR, the military expected to receive such combat vehicles in the first half of the 1990s, however, this did not happen. Only at the end of 2005, the F-22 Raptor aircraft began to enter the US Air Force, which became the world's first serial fifth-generation fighter. Five years after that, the Russian “response” to the overseas challenge took off for the first time - the T 50, which later received the designation Su-57, but the mass production of this machine could only be started in 2019.

The history of the development of the fifth generation fighter T-50 PAK FA (Su-57)

In the 80s of the last century, two aircraft were created in the USA, which stood out noticeably against the background of the rest of the military aviation. These were F-117 and B-2 - very different both in their purpose and in appearance combat vehicles that had only one thing in common - they were built using a technology known as stealth. This word can be translated as “stealthy” or “quietly”, but more often stealth aircraft are simply called invisible, since, according to the intention of their creators, they are invisible on the screens of radars and heat direction finders. It is clear that this quality can enhance the capabilities of both fighters and strike aircraft.

F-19 is a mythological stealth fighter that never existed, information about which was actively promoted in the 80s for propaganda or provocative purposes.

The USSR in those years had already begun mass production of the Su-27 and MiG-29, and the next step was to create the so-called MFI - a multifunctional fighter. Stealth in the radar and infrared ranges was one of the main requirements for the new aircraft, at the same time, it had to have some other characteristics:

1. Ability to sustained flight at cruising supersonic speed;
2. Shortened run and run;
3. Supermaneuverability;
4. The ability to equally successfully destroy both air and ground, as well as sea targets.

Special requirements were also placed on on-board equipment: the radar was supposed to be made much more powerful than that of fourth-generation fighters, and software package was supposed to have "artificial intelligence", making the work of the pilot as easy as possible.

The task of building something like the F-117 was not set: customers focused more on the F-22 that was already being developed at that time.

When the USSR collapsed in 1991, new Russia” inherited from two projects of a promising fifth-generation fighter. The first of these, the MiG-1.44, is an aircraft that makes a strong impression even today. The second was a heavier reverse-swept wing fighter, later known as the S-37 or Su 47 Berkut. At first, it seemed that the MiG should become the "Russian stealth", since the S-37 was more of an experimental aircraft. Fate, however, decreed otherwise: although Berkut was indeed destined to shine exclusively at air shows, the “project 1.44” completely froze, because its progress was hindered by a chronic lack of funding.

Meanwhile, Sukhoi Design Bureau specialists were able to organize the serial production of the commercially successful Su-30 aircraft, the proceeds from the sale of which made it possible to develop new models of machines, despite the deplorable situation in which the Russian aircraft building complex was located.

The creation of a prototype of the fifth generation T-50 fighter officially began in 1999. Two years later, the Russian Air Force once again compiled a list of characteristics that the new aircraft should have had. Now it has received the preliminary name PAK FA - a promising front-line aviation complex. Previously, it was supposed to build a heavy MFI fighter and a cheaper LFS (light front-line aircraft) at the same time. Now the two projects have been merged. It is possible that this decision was influenced by the experience of the United States, where the F-35, which was originally developed as a "cheap addition" to the more powerful F-22, eventually became, on the contrary, prohibitively expensive.

It is also worth noting that it was decision in principle about the refusal to create a special version of the PAK FA with a vertical landing and short takeoff - apparently also impressed by the difficulties that American designers faced.

Sukhoi JSC received an official order for the development of a promising fifth-generation fighter in 2002. In 2004, India began to be involved in this project, which had previously purchased Su-30 aircraft and was interested in strengthening its Air Force. It was assumed that mass production of new machines could be started in 2015, and total cost work will amount to about five billion dollars.

It is noteworthy that OJSC Sukhoi was simultaneously involved in the project passenger aircraft RRJ, now known as the "Superjet". Nevertheless, priority was still given to military programs, half of which in one way or another related to the future T-50. Flight prototypes of these machines were built in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where the first run of a promising fighter took place at the end of 2009.

Flights began in January 2010. At first, the T-10M-10 flying laboratory took off, and at the end of the month, the T-50 aircraft took off from the airfield, and after 47 minutes made a successful landing. From that moment on, the "biography" of the Su-57 entered a fundamentally new stage.

Flight tests

The first flaws in the design of the T-50 were identified even before the start of flights - during technical runs along the runway. I had, in particular, to correct the ground braking system and steering. Luckily, it wasn't a big deal.

The first stage of the test program included seven flights in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, however, only five were completed - one in January and two each in February and March. In April, two T-50 fighters were loaded into the An-124 and sent to Zhukovsky, to the air force base. At the end of the same month, another test flight took place.

Supersonic speed was first reached on March 14, 2011. The total number of flights by the end of October 2013 exceeded 450. At the same time, at least one of the experimental fighters was already equipped with a radar station. The program of state testing of the aircraft has not been fully completed (completion is scheduled for this year), but back in 2018, the Su-57 was tested in combat conditions in Syria. As you know, such aircraft as the F-35 and F-22 can be located in the airspace of this country and in its vicinity, which makes it possible to compare the capabilities of the onboard equipment of the T-50 and American fifth-generation fighters.

The main purpose of the Su-57

T 50 - fifth generation fighter, developed primarily as a "successor" heavy fighter Su-27. Nevertheless, the range of the new machine is much wider - it is a multi-purpose aircraft.

Su-57 can be used to solve the following tasks:

1. Interception of air targets;
2. Gaining air supremacy;
3. Neutralization of air defense systems;
4. Search and destruction of all types of ground targets, including highly mobile small objects and well-protected stationary fortifications;
5. Conducting reconnaissance;
6. Electronic warfare.

Unlike the Su-27, which was intended mainly for air combat, the T-50 is versatile, and its stealth makes it much easier to complete tasks. This aircraft is able to successfully withstand American fifth-generation fighters.

The design of the T-50 fighter

In the external appearance of the aircraft, there is a certain similarity with other models created at the Sukhoi Design Bureau, but even a superficial examination clearly shows that the Su-57 is much more “flat” than its predecessors. This form is due, as you might guess, to the desire to reduce radar visibility.

cockpit

The design of the Su-57 canopy is likely to change in the future. However, there is no doubt that the radar-absorbing coating applied on its inner side will be preserved. It is possible that the rear part will be redone, which so far does not differ in its structure from a similar element on the Su-27.

The cockpit interior is somewhat reminiscent of the Su-35S fighter - there is a unification of the set of equipment. Three multifunctional indicators are installed. Two of them are equipped with fifteen-inch screens, the third is somewhat smaller and is located on the right side and lower than the others. In addition, a wide-angle collimation system is used to display information - part of the data is projected onto the glass of the pilot's helmet. The cockpit has a voice informant and an oxygen generator.

Avionics

If the aircraft of the fourth generation installed one radar station, then the Su-57 is equipped with a whole complex of radars with five antennas. This makes it possible to equip the fighter with a "smart skin" capable of observing the entire surrounding space. In addition, the equipment includes an optical-electronic location system.

1526 transceiver modules that make up the active phased antenna array of the T-50 main airborne radar make it possible to detect ground, sea and air targets at long distances, ensure their stable tracking and missile launch. In the slat of the fighter there is another radar that operates in the decimeter range, allowing you to detect enemy aircraft made using stealth technology.

The exact characteristics of the avionics remain secret at the moment. In addition, it is possible that they will change over time.

Glider

Like the earlier aircraft of the Sukhoi Design Bureau, the T 50 fighter has an aerodynamic design with an integrated layout - the trapezoidal wing and fuselage form a single bearing surface. The ratio of these two elements has changed somewhat as the plane has become much flatter. Because of this, the fuselage has noticeably expanded.

It is worth paying attention to the influx in the front of the wing. The pilot can turn this element, which performs the same role on the Su-57 as the front horizontal tail on the experimental Su-37 - it improves maneuverability. The presence of PGO as a separate element somewhat reduces the reliability of work onboard systems, but at the same time increases the effective dispersion surface, that is, makes the aircraft more visible, so it was decided not to use it.

The mechanization of the high-lying wing is provided by flaperons, ailerons and deflected socks. Keels T-50 are installed in such a way as to ensure the dispersion of radio waves falling on them.

Application composite materials allowed to significantly reduce the weight of the airframe, which, in addition, became simpler in its design, compared with the Su-27. The designers believe that this will make it possible to simplify the serial production and repair of the aircraft.

Power point

The main engine of the T-50 should be the Type 30, which does not yet have the official designation. Despite the fact that the fighter has already made test flights with such a power plant, very little is known about it. It is clear that this is completely new pattern. Estimated thrust - up to 18,000 kgf.

At the first stage, AL-41F1 engines were installed on the fifth-generation Russian fighter. Their thrust is up to 15,000 kgf in afterburner, and up to 9,500 kgf in normal mode. Engines, in addition, have a controlled thrust vector (up to 20 degrees).

Widely spaced nacelles with adjustable air intakes are used to accommodate the motors.

Tactical and technical characteristics

Official data on the Su-57 remains secret. For this reason, its characteristics can be estimated quite approximately, based on open information about the terms of reference and other information that got into the media.

Flight characteristics

The flight range can be increased up to 5500 km through the use of two external tanks.

Specifications

No data characterizing the value of the RCS (effective dispersion surface) of the aircraft was published. Foreign assessments are hardly worth considering seriously, since they are very far from even the most minimal objectivity. The 5th generation T 50 fighter is slightly larger than the F-22, which theoretically could mean that the Russian aircraft is easier to detect on the radar, but all this is just guesswork.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Su-57

Given that the plane still hasn't passed full program tests, and information about its combat use in Syria was not disclosed, it is rather difficult to assess both the positive and negative features of the T-50 fighter.

The benefits should include:

1. The aircraft was made with self-reliance. It has no imported parts. In particular, the entire element base of electronic equipment is Russian;
2. In terms of its speed, both maximum and supersonic cruising, the Su-57 is confidently ahead of its main rival, the American F-35 fighter;
3. The unification of on-board electronics with the Su-35 simplifies pilot training;
4. The declared cost of the aircraft is much lower than that of foreign competitors.

The downsides are more difficult. For example, it is known that India withdrew from the program to create the Su-57, stating that the on-board equipment of this machine does not meet the requirements for fifth-generation fighters. In addition, it was also said that the Russian aircraft is not inconspicuous, which puts it in a deliberately vulnerable position. All these statements, happily picked up by the Western press, were not supported by any evidence. Only one main disadvantage can be noted with confidence - the Su-57 has not yet entered service, while the F-35 is already being actively exported.

The main armament of the fighter

The T-50 is equipped with a 9-A1-4071K aircraft gun. It is an improved version of the long-known GSh-30-1. The main armament complex consists of a set of air-to-air and air-to-surface guided missiles. They can be placed in the internal compartments (in this option, the maximum secrecy of the aircraft is ensured), as well as on external hardpoints.

The “typical” version of weapons for working on air targets is 8 medium-range missiles RVV-SD and two short-range missiles RVV-MD. Instead of the RVV-SD, it is planned to use the K-77M in the future, capable of hitting highly maneuverable enemy aircraft at a distance of up to 180 kilometers, which will greatly expand the potential of the Su-57 as an interceptor.

To destroy ground targets, up to 8 KAB-500 guided bombs or guided missiles with a total weight of up to 4,220 kg, including the latest X-59MK2, can be placed in the internal compartments.

The total weight of the Su-57 combat load reaches 10 tons.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

The Russian Federation will receive the latest 5th generation fighter T-50. The plane is expensive, about one hundred million US dollars in today's exchange rate, and the average taxpayer may well have a question about the advisability of spending such a large sum of money.

Why do we need PAK FA, and other questions

Do our military need such an expensive “toy”, is there an urgent need for it, and what will be its role in ensuring a peaceful sky over our country? What opponents will the aircraft meet in the alleged and probable air battles? Will he be able to emerge victorious from them and what is the probability of such an outcome? What tasks will this “front-line aviation complex”, and even a promising one, have to solve? What are its features and characteristics? And who was the first to start the next round of the air force race? The last question can be the key to answering all the others.

Race in the air

The arms race has always taken place in the history of mankind. The advantages of the army, which owns the most advanced models of technology, if not one hundred percent, then at least significantly influenced the outcome of wars. Since the mid-forties, the rapid development of jet aviation began. One after another, generations of fighters were replaced, each of which differed from the previous one with all the best technical specifications: speed, rate of climb, ceiling, maneuverability, caliber and number of barrels of airborne small arms, the presence and number of missiles of various types, means of detection and navigation. There have been five generations so far. The last of these includes the American F-22 and F-35, the Chinese J-20 and the Russian T-50. The fifth generation fighter can be immediately distinguished from the aircraft, which until recently were considered the last word in aviation technology.

External differences

So what are external signs Their first and main difference lies in their somewhat angular outlines, unusual after the beautiful smooth silhouettes of MiGs, Sabers, Phantoms and Dry, which everyone has become accustomed to over the past decades. Of course, aesthetics have nothing to do with it. The outer contours, consisting of planes intersecting at a certain angle, are due to the ability of surfaces to reflect radar radiation so that, to the greatest extent possible, they do not return to the receiving antenna of the locator, but go somewhere to the side. The same requirement dictated the absence or minimization of armaments on external suspensions, which, due to the complex geometric shape, “shine” especially brightly. People who understand a little about aviation will also note the third sign by which a fifth-generation fighter can be distinguished. PAK FA T-50, like its foreign counterparts-contemporaries, has a rotary thrust vector. If this technical term is translated into common language, this means that the nozzles are able to rotate about the longitudinal center line in two or three planes. In all other respects, they have approximately the same design as previous models.

materials

The appearance of technology does not allow us to judge many other parameters that are inaccessible to the eye. New fighter The fifth generation T-50 is made not only from titanium and aluminum alloys, to a large extent (almost half) its design is made using composite plastic materials. Technological advances in chemical products have opened the way for the use of polymers to make parts that were previously only made of metal. This immediately solved many problems: the weight became less, the risk of operational corrosion also decreased, but the main effect was low visibility for air defense systems. Polymer chains serve as a kind of damper that dampens high-frequency radiation. Recent advances in this area have found application in the materials for the manufacture of the T-50. The fifth generation fighter must be highly maneuverable, stealthy and have supersonic speed characteristics. Therefore, it needs to be light, strong and reflect as little as possible high-frequency radiation.

"Raptor" - "first pancake"

The Americans were pioneers in the implementation of the principles of the fifth generation of fighter aircraft. They also tasted the first bitter fruits of experience.

Low radar visibility, which has become an urgent need in conditions modern war, created by aircraft designers great amount problems. Ideas about aerodynamics had to be revised, which significantly worsened flight performance. Strength also suffered. The Raptor can withstand less loads than the Phantom, which was the workhorse of the US Air Force during the Vietnam War (4.95g / 0.8 max for the F-22 versus 5.50g / 0.8 max for the F-4E ). Its speed is also lower than that of aircraft developed in the late 50s and gained combat experience in the 60s.

Modest flight characteristics are also due to the need for intra-fuselage placement of weapons. MiGs, "Phantoms" and "Tomcats" carried missiles under the wings, and almost all of their interior space was occupied by the power plant, fuel tanks, cockpit, avionics and other important components. Of course, the extra volume impairs aerodynamics. And this entails very serious consequences. If the Raptor is nevertheless detected, and the enemy fires a missile at it, then all that remains for the pilot is to eject in advance. There is little chance of getting away from the blow.

It costs about 350 million. One hour of his flight, taking into account the salary of the pilot, "pulls" $ 44,000. It is expensive. The Raptor F-22 has already been discontinued.

Chinese "black eagle"

In China jet fighters began to build with a delay of one generation. At the dawn of the national aviation industry, there were no own designs, they were copied. Therefore, the Chinese modestly attribute their Stealth J-20 to the fourth generation, although by world standards it rather corresponds to the fifth. Little is known about the Chengdu, but judging by its appearance, it largely remains the bearer of the ideas of Soviet designers.

The failed MiG-1.44 project inspired Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation engineers to create a similar compositional scheme. The Black Eagle, as the J-20 is also called, received engines from Russian aircraft. For the fifth generation fighter T-50, the designers of the Sukhoi Design Bureau provided for double-circuit power plants with variable thrust vector in two planes. Details are unknown, but two engines develop thrust up to 18 tons, which, of course, is more than that of the J-20.

Another American

In the late eighties, an ambitious program to rearm the Marine Corps began in the United States. To replace the Hornet, the F-18 needed a new aircraft with some of the hallmarks of the next generation of aircraft. The task was complicated by two requirements presented by the Pentagon: the possibility of sea-based ship-based and the lowest possible cost. The aircraft developed by Lockheed-Martin F-35 "Lightning" ("Lightning") won the competition. In terms of its flight and operational characteristics, as well as its combat qualities, it is inferior even to Russian Su-35 class interceptors. The T-50, a fifth-generation fighter, vastly outperforms it in almost every way.

How to identify a leader?

Currently, three aircraft can theoretically claim prizes in choosing the best modern interceptor. At the same time, the very comparison of fifth-generation fighters seems to be a difficult task. T-50, F-22, J-20 and even F-35 are classified samples, the details of their designs are a state secret, and they can only be judged by the fragmentary information that nevertheless leaked to the press during their exhibition shows. Nevertheless, certain conclusions can be drawn.

Comparison of "Dry" with "Raptor"

Due to the lack of detailed technical information, it makes sense to use the simplest estimation method, geometric. The PAK-FA is larger than the Raptor, meaning more rockets or guided bombs can fit in its weapon bays. So it is, according to published data, it carries 10 SD in the fuselage and 6 more under the wings (the F-22 has 12 and 4, respectively). At the same time, Western experts point to a deterioration in stealth when using external suspensions, but Russian engineers vaguely hint that they own the Plasma-Stealth technology, which eliminates this drawback. You can also judge whose 5th generation fighter is better by the radius of combat use. The T-50 can cover 5.5 thousand km, while the F-22 is only 3.2 thousand km. The advantages of the Raptor are manifested in a special thermal trace dissipation system, as well as in a radar operating with optimal radiation power. Both of these features make it difficult to detect infrared. It also has a high supersonic cruising speed (Mach 1.8, like the T-50), allowing it to arrive at the scene of air combat faster. And what's next?

Alleged fight

The maneuverability of the Russian fifth-generation T-50 fighter is significantly better than that of the American F-22 interceptor. This, with all other comparable parameters, determines success in modern air combat, judging by the military experience of recent decades. At the same time, both aircraft were created to solve a variety of tasks, including for strikes against ground targets. Unlike the American “colleague”, the Russian T-50, a fifth-generation fighter, can also be a supersonic attack aircraft, while the Raptor needs to slow down before firing.

Without detracting from the merits of the American interceptor, it can be assumed that in the case of air combat, other things being equal, success will accompany the Russian aircraft more often than the American one. Experts even call the approximate ratio of possible losses: one to four. In practice, it is better not to check this figure.