By Kris Osborn, President, Warrior
(Washington DC) Video posted on both pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian social media appears to show a 5th-generation Su-57 operating with Russia’s stealthy Okhotnik S-70 armed drone, a fact which further confirms the now well-known Russian use of Su-57s against Ukraine and its efforts to enable manned-unmanned teaming.
While the Su-57s have reportedly only been used in a small capacity in the Ukraine war, the presence of the jet on video on social media in the warzone raises significant questions about the maturity and operational capabilities of Russia’s 5th-gen stealth fighter.
Su-57 vs F-35 & F-22
Is the Russian Su-57 truly a 5th-generation fighter capable of rivaling the F-35 and F-22? The answer to this simply may not be known, apart from what little detail can be gleaned from the Russian media and a simple observer’s eye view of the Su-57s external configuration.
The aircraft does look stealthy, and as a dual-engine stealth fighter with tailfins, it does slightly resemble the F-22, if a little wider.
Su-57 Mystery
Little is known about how much of a threat Russia’s 5th-generation Su-57 poses to adversaries.
Russian media says many things about the airframe’s performance parameters, yet little seems to be known about its computing, weapons interfaces, sensing, and manned-unmanned teaming capabilities.
Certainly looking at the configuration, the Su-57 does look stealthy with its blended-wing body and rounded fuselage.
However, how might it compare with the F-35 in regard to sensing and high-speed, AI-enabled computing able to gather sensor input from disparate pools of data and perform immediate analysis and organization to present integrated information to a pilot?
Additional specs on the Su-57 suggest it can hit speeds of Mach 2 and travel ranges out to 2,200 miles.
This makes the jet slightly slower than an F-22, which can reportedly hit speeds of Mach 2.25. Also, the Su-57 may not have a thrust-to-weight ratio able to rival an F-22, meaning it may not be as competitive as a complete air-dominance platform such as the F-22.
It is reported that the Su-57 has an AESA, or Active Electronically Scanned Array radar and phased array radar, supported by extensive electronic countermeasures.
Further detail suggests the Su-57 operates with an F/A-18-like Infrared Search and Track targeting technology, which among other things, enables fighter jets to operate in a high-threat “jamming” environment.
Are There Enough Su-57s to Create a Threat
Regardless of the extent to which the Su-57 can truly rival U.S. 5th-generation aircraft, Russia’s next-generation aircraft primarily suffers from a numbers problem. There are just not that many of them, as multiple public reports say there are currently somewhere between four and 15 operational Su-57 aircraft, and Russia’s TASS news agency has reported plans for the country to acquire 76 Su-57s over the next five years.
The U.S., for example, operates as many as 300 F-35s or more, and that is not including the fast-arriving NATO and European F-35s, so this gives the U.S. and NATO a sizeable margin of superiority when it comes to a possible air superiority war with the Su-57.
There is also the question of manned-unmanned teaming, as Russian media reports have made mention of efforts to connect drones with manned fighter jets using what the U.S. Air Force refers to as a “loyal wingman” type of scenario.
The U.S. Air Force, for instance, has shown that its Valkyrie drone is able to share real-time data with an F-35, and it does not seem at all clear that Russia’s Su-57 is in any way capable of such use of technology.
Russia’s Izvestia news reports that the Su-57 is working to network with Russia’s S-70 Okhotnik B-drone. The extent of Russian progress with this may be unknown, in terms of whether the Su-57 can operate with the ability to control drones in real-time.
The Su-57 may present a significant threat to both Ukraine and the West given its reported specs, technologies, and stealthy configuration.
Su-57 Felon: What We Know
The aircraft certainly looks stealthy with its flat, rounded-wing, body-blended fuselage, has a reported range as far as 2,200 miles, and reaches speeds of Mach 2.
The quality of its computing, sensing, weapons, and targeting are likely much more difficult to determine, yet answers to those questions are likely to indicate whether the Su-57 can, in fact, rival an F-35.
What kind of range and resolution do the Su-57s sensors have? What about mission systems, onboard computing, and weapons guidance? The F-35 has, for instance, shown in wargames that its computing and long-range, high-fidelity sensors are able to see and destroy large numbers of enemy fighters from stand-off ranges where it remains undetected. How does the Su-57 compare in this respect?
Available data says the Su-57 operates with an Active Electronically Scanned Array radar and phased array radar, supported by extensive electronic countermeasures and infrared search and track targeting technology (IRST). The IRST on the Su-57 may or may not be similar to the one currently operating on the U.S. Navy’s Block III Super Hornet. The F-18s IRST is designed to operate effectively in a “jamming” environment
However, regardless of the extent to which the Su-57 can truly rival U.S. 5th-generation aircraft, Russia’s next-generation aircraft primarily suffers from a numbers problem. There are just not that many of them, as multiple public reports say there are currently somewhere between 4 and 15 operational Su-57 aircraft, and Russia’s TASS news agency has reported plans for the country to acquire 76 Su-57s over the next five years.
The U.S. alone already operates as many as 300 F-35s, not including the fast-growing allied force of European F-35s, numbers which clearly outmatch a small number of Su-57s in terms of an ability to “mass” formations and cover a large operational envelope.
Russia may also be behind with 5th-generation manned-unmanned teaming or “loyal wingman” operations wherein drones are controlled from the cockpit of the aircraft. The U.S. Air Force has, for instance, demonstrated an ability to network or share information between an F-35 and its Valkyrie drone, a breakthrough development that inspires new tactics and further innovation.
In a similar fashion, Russia’s Izvestia news reports that the Su-57 is working to network with Russia’s S-70 Okhotnik B-drone. The extent of Russian progress with this may be unknown, in terms of whether the Su-57 can operate with the ability to control drones in real-time.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
