MOSCOW: Russia gave a dazzling aerobatic display of its most advanced fifth-generation fighter jet that kept the audience in awe with its manoeuvres.
All eyes were on the Sukhoi Su-57 that took to the skies each day at MAKS 2019 at the Zhukovsky International Airport.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is aggressively marketing the Su-57 as among the best in its class, to its allies like Turkey and India at a time when defence sanctions are being enforced by the United States on certain countries.
United Aircraft Corporation director-general and chairman Yuri Slyusar said the Su‑57 was a multifunctional fifth-generation fighter designed to destroy all types of aerial targets in long-range and close battles.
“Apart from destroying the enemy’s air defence system and surface targets, it can monitor the airspace from long distances from its bases and can engage the enemy’s airspace control system,” he said at the five-day airshow that ends on Sunday.
The Su‑57’s maiden flight was on Jan 29, 2010 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
Slyusar said that by 2017 the production of Su‑57 prototypes took off with the completion of the aviation complex and its systems, which significantly increased the pace of its flight tests.
“Currently, there are ten prototypes undergoing flight tests that include stability and controllability at altitudes and flight speeds at supercritical angles of attack.
“The on-board equipment and its applications have also been tested, during real combat operations in Syria,” he said, adding that in-flight refuelling was also successfully conducted.
The prototype Su‑57 has begun testing a new generation engine, with reduced fuel consumption and increased thrust.
“The Su‑57 has a number of unique features, combining the functions of a strike aircraft and a fighter.
“It is equipped with a fundamentally new complex of fully integrated avionics, which provide a high level of flight automation and artificial intellectual support for the crew.
“This greatly reduces the load on the pilot and allows him to concentrate on the tactical mission,” said Slyusar, whose company is a subsidiary of Rostec State Corporation.
He added that the on-board equipment made it possible to exchange information in real time with land-based control systems and the airborne team, in addition to operating independently.
“The Su‑57 employs a wide range of airborne munitions, both air-to-air and air-to-surface types, to effectively complete its fighter and strike missions.
“The aircraft has the ability for covert missions due to its low-level radar, infra-red and optical signatures.
“The auxiliary power unit of the Su‑57 provides a high level of autonomy of the aircraft, a reduction in fuel consumption and extending the engine’s operational life,” said Slyusar.
Additionally, he said the on-board oxygen-producing unit provides for a highly autonomous aircraft operation.
“An explosion-proof fuel system has been incorporated with the availability of the generator-type neutral gas system.
“With the combination of all the characteristics, the aircraft has the potential of achieving an unprecedented level of combat survivability,” he said.
Slyusar added that the complex technical innovations incorporated in the Su‑57 allowed it to achieve a qualitatively new level of technological characteristics and effectiveness, making it a superior flying machine over all modern aircraft in its class.
Last year, the Russian Defence Ministry inked a contract for the first batch of Su-57, touted as Sukhoi’s most advanced aircraft.