Su-57 Felon
The Sukhoi Su-57 is a Russian-made fifth-generation multirole fighter designated to destroy all types of air, ground and naval targets. The Su-57 fighter jet features stealth technology with the broad use of composite materials, is capable of developing a supersonic cruising speed, and is furnished with advanced onboard radio-electronic equipment, including a powerful onboard computer (the so-called electronic second pilot), the radar system spread across its body and some other innovations, in particular, armament placed inside its fuselage.
The Russian Armed Forces received the first Su-57 fighter in 2020. Russia’s Aerospace Force will get 22 Su-57 fighters by late 2024, and their number in the Russian Armed Forces was intially planned to grow to 76 by 2028.
Scramble Magazine reported 29 October 2019 that the name Frazor, assigned to the Russian 5th generation jet fighter was replaced within NATO. The Sukhoi Su-57 is now officially reported as "Felon". Frazor was used as a temporary working name for the PAK-FA and T-50 program, not for the production aircraft Su-57. Russia’s T-50 (PAK FA) fifth-generation fighter jet has received the serial index of Su-57, Aerospace Force Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Viktor Bondarev said in an interview with the website of Zvezda TV Channel on 11 August 2017. “The decision has been taken, the plane has been christened. Su-57 is what we are going to call it now”. The nomenclature follows the Su-27 Flanker , Su-37 "Super Flanker", Su-47 "Berkut" designation sequence.
International assessments of the Su-57's stealth characteristics remain mixed. Analysts suggest the aircraft outperforms legacy fourth-generation fighters in low observability but does not reach the same standards as the F-22 Raptor or F-35 Lightning II, particularly in rear-aspect stealth. The Su-57 maintains good front-aspect stealth allowing it to operate closer to contested battlespace than fourth-generation Russian fighters, but its overall radar cross-section reduction is considered inferior to American counterparts due to design compromises and manufacturing limitations.
The aircraft incorporates stealth shaping, radar-absorbing materials, internal weapons bays, supermaneuverability through thrust-vectoring engines, supercruise capability, integrated avionics, and large payload capacity. According to U.S. assessments, the Su-57 will be nuclear-capable via a forthcoming hypersonic missile similar to the Kinzhal. The aircraft has demonstrated carriage of Kh-69 cruise missiles with approximately 40-mile range and integration with various guided bombs and air-to-air missiles including the developmental K-77M ramjet-powered missile with claimed 140-mile range.
The Su-57 program faced multiple compounding challenges that severely limit its strategic impact. Western sanctions imposed after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and intensified following the 2022 Ukraine invasion have blocked access to critical Western components, forcing Russian manufacturers to source electronics from Asia or smuggle components illegally. The Russian aerospace industry lags significantly in composite materials and lightweight alloy production compared to Western manufacturers, limiting airframe optimization. Manufacturing capabilities remain decades behind leading aerospace nations, with production proceeding at painstaking single-digit annual rates.
Economic constraints from sanctions, depressed oil prices, and massive military expenditures in Ukraine drastically reduced available funding for advanced weapons programs. The Russian defense industry must prioritize production of mature platforms like the Su-35S (over 100 in service), Su-34 (over 130 in service), and Su-30SM that shoulder the majority of combat missions and have sustained significant losses in Ukraine requiring replacement. The Su-57 remains a niche asset serving more as a technological demonstration and prestige project than a backbone combat aircraft.
Comparisons with U.S. and Chinese stealth fighter programs highlight the Su-57's limited impact. The United States operates over 1,000 F-35 Lightning IIs and maintains approximately 180 F-22 Raptors despite ending production. China has produced over 200 J-20 fighters with production continuing at substantial rates. Russia's 16-20 operational Su-57s cannot meaningfully contest American or Chinese air superiority in any hypothetical conflict despite the aircraft's genuine technological capabilities.
The Su-57 platform has been designed with an open architecture allowing integration of new technologies across an anticipated 40-50 year service life according to United Aircraft Corporation leadership. Future developments may include the Izdeliye 30 engines, enhanced AESA radar systems, hypersonic missile integration, loyal wingman drone teaming with the S-70 Okhotnik, and various avionics upgrades. Whether Russia can sustain development and procurement of these improvements while managing ongoing military commitments and economic challenges remains highly uncertain.
In conclusion, the Su-57 represents a genuine technological achievement demonstrating Russia's ability to develop and produce a fifth-generation stealth fighter with advanced capabilities. However, chronic underfunding, production challenges, limited procurement, export failures, and the enormous strategic demands of the Ukraine conflict have ensured the aircraft remains a marginal factor in Russia's overall air combat power rather than the transformational capability originally envisioned when the PAK FA program launched in 1999.
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