5 features of Russian stealth fighter that make the West admire

On May 9, the Russian military held a large-scale parade with the participation of about 13,000 soldiers, 159 vehicles and 75 aircraft of various types to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany. The Su-57 stealth fighter squadron was one of the modern weapons that appeared for the first time at this event.

The Su-57 is often considered to have a stealth capability that is much inferior to that of the US's 5th generation fighters such as the F-22 or F-35, and only slightly better than the Chinese J-20 model. However, Western analysts still point out 5 highly appreciated advantages of this aircraft model, according toDrive.

Side-mounted radar

Su-57 is equipped withSh121 integrated multi-purpose radio-electronic complex (MIRES), including the N036 Byelka radar and the L402 Himalayas electronic warfare system.

The N036 itself is not a single radar station, it is made up of an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar N036-1-01 at the nose of the aircraft, along with 4 radar clusters N036B-1-01 and N036L-1-01 on the two flanks and leading edge of the Su-57 fighter.

"This is a very innovative and advanced radar configuration, allowing the Su-57 to extend its target tracking range, especially against enemy stealth fighters," said analyst Justin Bronk at the Royal Military Academy of the UK.

In addition to increasing the Su-57's surveillance range, the N036 radar configuration allows the fighter to perform "beaming" tactics.ray)more effective than any other fighter.

When performing cBeaming tactics, fighter aircraft often maintain a flight path perpendicular to the nose of the enemy aircraft, in order to deceive the surveillance and fire control radars using the Doppler pulse principle on enemy aircraft.

At this angle, the relative speed of the fighter to the enemy radar is very small, causing the sensors on the enemy aircraft to consider the fighter as "terrain interference", such as mountain tops or birds in the sky, and stop tracking.

The weakness of this tactic is that the aircraft cannot track the enemy because the radar on the nose is pointed in another direction. This weakness is completely overcome thanks to the radar cluster mounted along the side and wing of the Su-57, allowing it to continuously track the target in many different conditions, regardless of the angle between the two aircraft.

Optical-electronic reconnaissance system

The Su-57 fighter uses the 101KS Atoll optical-electronic sensor cluster in the nose, similar to the infrared reconnaissance and tracking (IRST) complexes on previous Russian 4th and 4+ generation fighters. Western aircraft are often not equipped with IRST, so they must carry external sensor clusters when performing missions.

The advantage of IRST is that it operates on a passive principle, without emitting a signal to alert the target. It determines the heat signal from the enemy aircraft's engine, which is very useful for detecting stealth aircraft, which are difficult to track by radar.

The 101KS Atoll complex is also equipped with multiple missile approach detection sensors (MAWS) and two high-energy laser directional emitters. This allows the aircraft to detect incoming threats, especially heat-seeking missiles that do not emit a radar signal.

If a target is detected, one of the laser clusters will emit a beam that blinds the heat-seeking missile’s seeker, a solution that is more effective than traditional decoys. Expert Tyler Rogoway said laser projectors are usually only found on transport aircraft or helicopters. By installing them on the Su-57, Russia has become a pioneer in this field.

Good performance on field runways

Soviet and Russian fighters have always been designed to operate on rough runways with lots of debris. The MiG-29 has air intake covers to prevent debris from entering the engine during taxiing and landing, and the Su-27 and later variants have titanium meshes that do the same.

The Su-57 stealth aircraft does not have a similar system, but it still possesses many features to cope with the harsh conditions on a field runway. They use durable landing gear with large tires, while the front landing gear is equipped with a shield to prevent debris from hitting the engine during takeoff and landing. This allows the Su-57 to launch from a variety of locations, not necessarily from an airport with full infrastructure.

In contrast, most American fighters are not optimized for field operations, always requiring carefully prepared airports and runways to avoid damage during operation.

Engine using vector thrust system (TVC)

TVC engines are often found on Russian 4+ generation fighters such as the Su-30SM and Su-35S, allowing them to perform "super-maneuverable" aerobatics. Instead of relying on conventional aerodynamic control methods, TVC engines can change the direction of thrust, allowing the fighter to perform aerobatics even at zero speed.

The latest Su-57 variant is being tested with the Saturn Izdeliye 30 engine, which stands out for its high thrust and fuel efficiency, improving the aircraft's stealth capabilities thanks to the use of new composite materials and a sawtooth exhaust design.

The Izdeliye 30 features three-dimensional TVC, making the Su-57 the world's first fifth-generation fighter to be equipped with this type of engine. The US F-22 only uses two-dimensional TVC, while China is still struggling to develop its own domestic WS-15 engine with limited TVC capabilities.

Unique in-body weapon bay

The Su-57 has two weapons bays placed vertically in the fuselage and between the two engines, instead of parallel under the air intake like the US F-22 and F-35. Each Su-57 can carry at least 4-6 medium-range air-to-air missiles, along with the ability to equip a number of large smart bombs to increase flexibility for each specific mission.