Combat aircraft

program — funds that Russia is beginning

to run short of.

PAK FA program

The Su-57 — designated T-50 within the

design bureau — is being developed

within the PAK FA (Perspektivnyi

Aviatsionnyi Kompleks Frontovoi Aviatsii

or Future Air Complex of Tactical Aviation)

program that began around 1998. On

April 26, 2002, Sukhoi’s T-50 proposal was

chosen over the rival MiG E-721.

The aircraft features standard

features for a fifth-generation fighter

including supercruise and supersonic

maneuverability, stealth, and sensor

fusion. The only official estimate of the

T-50’s radar cross-section — given by

This is Su-57

T-50-8, which

wears a ‘shark’

scheme, and is

one of 10 flying

prototypes.

Piotr Butowski

Sukhoi in a patent submitted in December

2013 — states that it’s around an ‘average

figure of 0.1-1m^2 ’. Contributing most to

the reduction in radar cross-section is

the internal weapons carriage as well as

carefully chosen angles on the faceted

fuselage sides and the edges of the wing

and tail surfaces.

All the Su-57’s systems and sensors

are coupled and controlled by a central

computing system. These include

the Sh121 radio-electronic suite that

comprises the five-antenna N036 Byelka

(Squirrel) active electronically scanned

array (AESA) radar and L402 Gimalai

(Himalaya) ECM, as well as the 101KS

Atoll electro-optical suite that takes in the

101KS-V infra-red search and track (IRST),

four 101KS-U missile approach warning

sensors (MAWS) and two 101KS-O

directional infra-red countermeasures

(DIRCM). Furthermore, the 101KS-N

navigation and targeting pod is under

Above: Fo r

missions not

requiring stealth,

weapons can

be carried on

external pylons.

In this case,

dummy R-77 and

Kh-31 weapons

are fitted. Piotr

Butowski

FORCE REPORT // RUSSIAN FIGHTERS

92 May 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net

91-93 Russian Fighters Su-57 C.indd 92 21/03/2018 12:16