Ever since the official unveiling more than a decade ago, Moscow has heralded the capabilities of its fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter as outperforming even the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II of the United States Air Force.
However, Russia has struggled with developing the Su-57 in recent years, with only 10 test prototypes and six serially built aircraft constructed — two of which were lost in test flight disasters.
Despite these difficulties, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), a part of the state-owned tech conglomerate Rostec, has continued to develop the fighter, and this week revealed that an updated Su-57 flew for the first time earlier this month.
“The Sukhoi Design Bureau within the UAC carries out work for further developing the Su-57. On October 21, the upgraded Su-57 fifth-generation plane performed its debut flight at the Gromov Flight Testing Institute’s airfield. The aircraft was flown by the Sukhoi Design Bureau test pilot, Hero of Russia Sergey Bogdan. The flight lasted 56 minutes and ran without any snags,” stated the press office of UAC.
According to the UAC, the Su-57 fighter plane is also testing onboard technology with expanded functionality, the crew’s AI support, and the ability to use a wide range of new types of weaponry.
“The aircraft also offers a possibility to install a second-stage engine,” the statement reads.
The Russian-made Sukhoi Su-57 is a fifth-generation multirole fighter designed to destroy all air, ground, and naval targets. The Su-57 fighter jet is equipped with advanced onboard radio-electronic equipment, including a powerful onboard computer (the so-called electronic second pilot), a radar system spread across its body, and some other innovations, including armament placed inside its fuselage.
The Su-57 AI system performs all of the pilot’s duties, like piloting and weapon preparation.