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Sukhoi PAK-FA / FGFA: Updates,News & Discussions

Overview

A fifth-generation fighter jet combines new developments such as thrust vectoring, composite materials, supercruise, stealth technology, advanced radar and sensors, and integrated avionics to improve pilot situational awareness significantly.

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Su-57 (Source The Sputniknews)
Currently, Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, F-22 Raptor and the Chengdu J-20 are to be considered operational 5th generation fighter jet.

Key Points

  • Stealth remains an essential attribute of high-intensity conflict
  • Su-57 may not be a real fifth-generation fighter jet
  • Improved air-to-air missiles will be an essential factor in keeping the fifth-gen fighter competitive
  • Legacy unstealthy fighters in an A2/AD IADS environment will not sustain in a modern warfare
The Su-57 first flew in 2010 and had experienced considerable trouble during its development period. Things got so bad that the Indian Air Force, a frequent buyer of Russian military hardware and partner in the program, wants to bail on the project.

Russia claims that it will soon join the very exclusive stealth club with the imminent arrival of its fifth-generation fighter, the Su-57. Russia has placed 12 firm order of Su-57 fighter jet.

Stealth Characteristics

Stealth technology allows a pilot to shoot at another aircraft without the enemy having the ability to shoot back because they cannot see them. Stealth refers to the inability of the enemy to detect the aircraft, commonly by radar. The smaller the radar cross-section of an aircraft, the more difficult it is to detect and the stealthier it is considered to be. Stealth does not mean invisible though; stealth means less visible from a certain distance of an adversary’s aircraft.

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Su-57 and Su-35 Side by Side (Source The Drive)
In the year 2010, Sukhoi Design Bureau added some exterior stealth characteristics–having a fuselage made of composite materials coated in radar absorbent paint.

From the design point of view, Su-57 has more extensive radar cross section comparing with another operational fifth-generation fighter jet. The Su-57 will match or compete the low-observation parameters of fifth-gen aircraft. Regarding visibility, Su-57 may out-matched any current fourth-generation fighter jet.

The stealth technology of Su-57 is more of advertising technology. The aircraft is still visible to a certain extent, but modern Gallium Nitride technology based AESA radar such as Raven ES-05.

Compromised Design

You would not generally want to have a separate canopy break in a production stealth airframe, but you do see canopy break on a Su-57. Sukhoi used puttied fasteners on the vortex flap as a general lack of design finesse outside the airframe.

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The problem is that the tunnel between is almost purely vertical which means that, unless you are operating exclusively over a friendly environment, anything looking up is going to get a multipath return that is too much of an inherent design compromise to the airframe configuration to be ameliorated.

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Take a closer look at the jet’s technical drawings to be sure; there is not enough serpentine in the inlet trunking to mask the engine face, even with the very long visible ducts. By itself, this is a disaster design concept to be called a stealth aircraft.

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The camouflage on the Su-57 looks like paint. It’s crudely applied in some areas, and it’s very diversity of colour patterning means it’s going to be subject to divergent thermal as well as RF behaviours, due to the size of pigment balls. The engine exhaust is also visible similar to the Su-35 which make it visible by a modern IRST.

Advanced Handling Characteristics

According to Michael Kofman, a senior research scientist at the think tank CAN, Su-57 will be a step above a fourth-generation aircraft – regarding how manoeuvrable it is, Russian aircraft are always quite capable, very manoeuvrable. However, the Su-57 does not pose any severe threat to other fifth-generation fighter jets with superior electronics, situational awareness, and stealth capability.

Supercruise Capability

The Supercruise is the ability to cruise at supersonic speeds without using engine afterburners. At the core of every plane is the engine – it is all about the engine.

The Saturn/Lyulka 117/AL-41F1 engine that has powered Su-57 has many maintenance issues. Indian Air Force (IAF) always complaint about Russian engines. Russian engines have been smoky and require many hours of maintenance. Su-57 has not designed modular aircraft for an engine to be replaced quickly without attention from a skilled engineer from MRO facilities.

While writing this article, Su-57 was not capable of supercruise. Su-57 used its afterburner when required.

Advanced Radar and Sensor

Su-57 does not house a single AESA radar and sensor to support the pilot rather than a single radar installed on its nose cone; there’s an L-band active phased antenna array housed in it. There are two more arrays on either side of the cockpit and an additional pair on the wings. Russian media claim these sensors allow the Su-57 to detect as many as 60 targets 400 km away. The Su-57 is yet to be capable of integrating with off-board and onboard sensors, datalinks and digital information systems.

For some time, the Su-57 program had been criticised as being the same engine, radar, avionics as the Su-35, but installed in a stealthy-looking airframe.

Digital Data presentation

Gallium Nitride (GaN) is a new semiconductor compound that can amplify higher power radio frequency signals than GaAs at microwave frequencies. It is expected to have more significant output power compared to GaAs; theoretically, if GaAs module can transmit 10 watts, a GaN sibling module can transmit 50 watts.

The manufacturer of Radar, NIIP product brochure mentions GaAs T/R modules being used for Su-57’s primary radar. Su-57 is yet to be proved any off-board digital data exchange and sharing with other aircraft.

Armament

All stealth fighters are still vulnerable to infrared guided missiles. Both Russian and Western Fighter jets have IRST. The Russian Aircraft carry more armament than western Aircraft. In WVR combat, Su-57 has a slight edge over Western Fighter Jet, but in a BVR combat, the very stealthy fighter has the upper hand and capable of engaging enemy fighter jet before it can detect another stealth fighter.

The greater range of the Russian K-77M may be an advantage, but not against a low-observable stealth fighter, but the NATO already fielded superior ramjet-powered Meteor BVR air-to-air missile that can defeat low observable aircraft. Su-57 will operate closer to ground-based positions, which may be acceptable given Russia’s security posture and supported air defence systems such as S-400.

Conclusion

The Janes 360 reported citing Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval that Indian Air Force is pulling out of 11 years old collaboration of fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) with Russia. The Indian Air Force always questioned the technological capabilities of Su-57 or PAK FA fighter jets especially stealth and radar capability.

The Su-57 is a work in progress, its final capabilities unclear. In other words, said one Russian aerospace analyst, “It looked like a next-generation aircraft, but below the surface, it was less than what it appeared.”
 
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New Russian Su-57 Stealth Fighter Crashes During Tests

3 hours ago
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topwar.ru

A Russian fifth-generation stealth fighter jet has crashed during tests in the country’s Far East, news agencies reported Tuesday.

The incident occurred days before Russia’s Aerospace Forces were due to receive their first serial-produced Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet. Its developer Sukhoi plans to deliver a total of 67 fifth-generation Su-57s to the Russian Aerospace Forces by 2028.

“The Su-57 crashed during a test flight 111 kilometers from its home airfield,” Russia’s state-controlled United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said as quoted by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.

Its civilian pilot catapulted and survived the crash in the Khabarovsk region, Interfax cited an unnamed source as saying.

The Su-57 — also called the T-50 and PAK FA during development — has been billed as Russia’s answer to the U.S. F-22 Raptor stealth fighter.

Russia has combat-tested the Sukhoi Su-57 in Syria and showcased it at military parades. The aircraft had been tested at least twice in Syria, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, said last week.

An unnamed Russian military official told RIA Novosti that pilot error or a technical malfunction are believed to have caused the Su-57 crash.
 
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An unnamed Russian military official told RIA Novosti that pilot error or a technical malfunction are believed to have caused the Su-57 crash.


A failure in the FCS
 
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I wish we cancelled this Program after getting at least one Su-57 in our hand so that we can gain knowledge and Technology with RE worth money that we spent on this project.

Like Turks we made a huge mistake.
 
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there is no evidence to suggest that Russia’s radar absorbant coatings are as functional as the coating applied to American stealth aircraft F22. America has a decades-long head start in research and development on this front. NPO Saturn Izdeliye 117 engines fail to meet the generally accepted guidelines for a fighter to qualify as a fifth-generation platform in short they cannot maintain super cruse for sustained periods. combined with the the design is still crude which is the final nail in the coffin for indian funds
 
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there is no evidence to suggest that Russia’s radar absorbant coatings are as functional as the coating applied to American stealth aircraft F22. America has a decades-long head start in research and development on this front.


1. stealth material is only affecting 10% of the stealthy;
2. Su-57 is designed to fight in the battle against F-22 and F-35, not winning a stealthy competition. 2 different thing.

NPO Saturn Izdeliye 117 engines fail to meet the generally accepted guidelines for a fighter to qualify as a fifth-generation platform in short they cannot maintain super cruse for sustained periods.

117 engine is not the target engine, it is only interim.

combined with the the design is still crude which is the final nail in the coffin for indian funds
It is too early to tell.
The availability of Indian funds is depending on the progress of Chinese J-20 and European 5g plane program.
 
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1. stealth material is only affecting 10% of the stealthy;
2. Su-57 is designed to fight in the battle against F-22 and F-35, not winning a stealthy competition. 2 different thing.



117 engine is not the target engine, it is only interim.


It is too early to tell.
The availability of Indian funds is depending on the progress of Chinese J-20 and European 5g plane program.

In my opinion F22 is the bench mark for 5 generation and Su57 is no way near close to it in its present from in any aspect.
as far as availability of fund Russian's are not even gonna get a penny for now.
 
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In my opinion F22 is the bench mark for 5 generation and Su57 is no way near close to it in its present from in any aspect.

F22 is the benchmark for 5 generation fighter jet, but it doesn't mean that Su-57 can't give her a decent fight in the war even though Su-57 may not be able to match F-22 in most of areas.

You have to realise that there is one big difference between Su-57 and F-22: F-22 was designed to break Soviet air-defense network INDEPENTLY while Su-57 was designed to fight with SUPPORT of air defense system.

as far as availability of fund Russian's are not even gonna get a penny for now.

Yes for now.
 
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Su-57 was designed to fight with SUPPORT of air defense system.

that makes it's Role as a point defense fighter rather than air dominance fighter which is one of the specs of a true 5th Gen. Mig 31 or current SU series can fulfill that role any decent 4+gen will do that job
 
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