The key facts
- According to MWM, the Su-57 has gained more real combat experience than other fifth-generation fighters
- After combat operations, missile threat detection elements were added to the design
- The Russian Aerospace Forces received a new batch of modernized Su-57s — Life.ru previously reported
Assessment by an American publication
The Russian fifth-generation fighter Su-57 has accumulated significantly more combat experience in Ukraine than other modern aircraft of the same class. This conclusion was reached by the American publication Military Watch Magazine, which analyzed the development of the program to create and modernize the aircraft, reports Life.ru. According to the authors, in recent years the Russian aviation industry has substantially increased Su-57 production, as a result of which export deliveries have begun, and experience from real operations is being used to further improve the aircraft.
How it was used and what changed
The publication notes that the fighter was used for suppressing air defenses, conducting air combat, delivering precision strikes, and operating in airspace with a high concentration of enemy air defense assets. In particular, after combat operations, additional elements of a missile threat detection system appeared in the Su-57's design. According to MWM, the aircraft is equipped with the Sh121 avionics suite with N036 Byelka family radar stations, optoelectronic systems, and distributed sensors, whose joint operation is intended to enhance the pilot's situational awareness of the air environment.
Development difficulties and background
Mikhail Strelets, director of the Sukhoi Design Bureau, said that engineers had to find a compromise between low radar observability, high flight performance, and structural strength. MWM also recalled that the program was based on Soviet research: in the early 1990s, the advanced MiG 1.42 was being developed, with its first flight planned for 1993–1994, but the collapse of the USSR and the economic crisis slowed the development of Russian combat aviation.
Delivery context
Earlier, Life.ru reported that the Russian Aerospace Forces received a new batch of modernized Su-57 fighters with expanded combat capabilities: the aircraft passed factory tests and checks by military pilots, after which they were transferred to the troops. It should be noted that the publication is based on Life.ru's retelling of the MWM assessment; the primary source — the American publication's article — is cited in the material through a retelling, and the conclusions are of the nature of the author's assessment rather than independent confirmation.
