Russia's only operational fifth-generation fighter-jet, the Sukhoi Su-57 Felon. This aircraft boasts advanced aerodynamics which enable it to fly supersonic even without afterburners. It also features canted thrust vectoring jets which increase the range of its missiles. Additionally, its single-barrel 30 mm cannon has a firing rate of 1500 rounds per minute. The Su-57 also has a virtual co-pilot on its flight deck. This allows it to collect vital information from aircraft sensors.
The Su-57 is the first Russian aircraft to be produced from scratch. The aircraft's design was largely built on titanium alloys. The aircraft has been produced in several variants. Some will be mass-produced. Others are being marketed to other countries to export potential.
The Su-57 was originally intended to be the first of a new generation of Russian stealth fighters. But, the lack of funding as well as technical issues hampered development. Although a few prototypes were built, the project's development has been a challenge. There have been several setbacks to the program. One was the engines of the prototypes that were in their first stages cracking at a public demonstration and another when a test flight crashed. Lt. Col. Ilya Sizov, the Deputy Regiment Commander of the Eastern Military District newspaper Suvorovsky Natisk stated that while there is no official confirmation of a third Su-57 batch, two were spotted at an airbase near Novosibirsk.
Lack of funding is the biggest obstacle to Su-57's development. Since the Su-57's initial development in 2007, the Kremlin isn't always following through on its orders. Budgetary problems within the Russian defense system have been made worse by global sanctions. Earlier this year, India withdrew from the program, which has cut the Su-57's developmental budget by as much as $7 billion. Russia has not stopped looking for partners for this project, despite its loss. South Korea, Turkey and Brazil have expressed an interest in the jet.
In 2022, the Su-57 was originally expected to be delivered to the Russian Air Force. However, the United Aircraft Corporation has announced expansion plans that will help to accelerate the production of the fighter. These plans include adding more production lines and a motor testing station to support Su-57 orders. Four aircraft were built as of today.
Despite all the setbacks and challenges, the Su-57 remains a promising fifth-generation fighter. It can perform flat rotations with minimal altitude loss and can be used to perform high angles of attack maneuvers. Its artificial intelligence system is seen as a key component of future "sixth-generation" aircraft. A unique feature of the Su-57 aircraft is its onboard cluster computer, which turns it into a data center in space. Artificial intelligence is also able to gather data from the aircraft’s sensors, providing crucial information for the human operator.
Next phase of Su-57 manufacturing will see the upgrades of the aircraft's engine. The thrust provided by the new "izdeliye" 30 engines will be around 16 tonnes. They are expected to be operational by 2023.