SU-57 FIRES MISSILE
AT A BOARD meeting of Russia’s
Ministry of Defense on May 25,
defense minister Sergey Shoygu
announced that the Sukhoi Su-
had carried out ‘practical launches
of prospective theater- and
tactical-level cruise missiles’ in
February. The trials were part of ‘an
assessment in combat conditions’.
Shoygu discussed the launches
while addressing Russian operations
in Syria.It’s worth noting that two Su-
prototypes, T-50-9 and T-50-11, were
deployed to Syria for two days on
February 21 this year. A little earlier,
in January, the head of the Tactical
Missiles Corporation, Boris Obnosov,
told the TASS news agency that the
rst ring tests of new armament
with the T-50 were ‘not far away’.
It remains unclear if the missile
tests were carried out in Syria.
One of the possible explanationsis the state-of-the-nation speech
delivered by Vladimir Putin on
March 1, when the president
unveiled new Russian weapons,
including the Kinzhal airborne
missile system, a nuclear-powered
cruise missile, and an unlimited-
range torpedo. It’s possible that
other subjects, including the Su-
launch video, were being prepared
for the speech but didn’t make the
nal cut.Shoygu didn’t name the
missile launched from the Su-57,
presenting only low-quality
footage showing the launch of a
large missile from the aft internal
weapons bay. After freefall, the red
missile’s wings are deployed and
the engine res. Among known
Russian airborne missiles, the Su-
weapon appears most similar to the
Raduga Kh-59MK2.
The Kh-59MK2 (this is the export
designation as the Russian name is
not known) is similar to the MBDA
Storm Shadow, intended to destroy
small, hardened targets of known
co-ordinates. In its present form,
the Kh-59MK2 was disclosed in
2015 (an early version of the missile
was presented in 2009). It has a
guidance system borrowed from
the Kh-555 strategic cruise missile
that includes strap-down inertial
navigation corrected by GPS/
GLONASS for the cruise phase, and
an electro-optical digital scene-
matching area correlation (DSMAC)
system for use close to the target,
providing accuracy of 3-5m (10-
16ft). The missile features a square-
section box-shaped airframe with
dimensions matching exactly the
weapon bay of the Su-57, which can
accommodate two of the weapons
side-by-side.This image: One of Britain’s fi rst four
F-35Bs (ZM147) in transit to the UK
on June 6. Crown Copyright/SAC
Nicholas Egan
Inset right: Wg Cdr John Butcher,
offi cer commanding No 617
Squadron, taxiing in at Marham as
the fi rst four aircraft arrive.
Jamie HunterA Kh-59MK2 model at the 2015 MAKS
airshow. Piotr Butowski[NEWS] HEADLINES
06 August 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
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