US plans to develop air targets simulating Russia's Su-57
The US Air Force has issued a request for proposals for contractors capable of creating aerial targets with characteristics similar to Russia's Su-57 fighter, as well as China's FC-31 and J-20.
"The mission of this request is to identify sources capable of developing, integrating, designing, testing, and manufacturing a suite of technical solutions and equipment for aerial targets, capable of simulating advanced adversary aircraft such as the Su-57, J-20, and FC-31 to conduct specific test scenarios" - quoted from the US Air Force's contractor search document.
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| Russian Su-57 aircraft. Photo: Sputnik |
It is known that the targets must be remotely controlled, as well as be able to land independently in case they are not destroyed. The "lifetime" of these targets must be at least 10 flights with 30 hours of flight time before they are destroyed. In addition, their capabilities must be sufficient to simulate the technological characteristics of Russian and Chinese fighters.
"The destroyed targets must be able to emit radio and electronic signals compatible with enemy aircraft (J-20, Su-57, etc.), support radar effective scattering area (EPR), infrared signals or both to be able to conduct a certain scenario test" - quoted from the press release.
Additionally, at least one of the target variants must be capable of flying at a speed of 0.95 Mach (about 1139 km/h).
