Russia upgrades Su-57 fighter to 6th generation?

Russia's announcement to upgrade the Su-57 to the 6th generation while it has not yet deployed any 5th generation fighters has made experts skeptical.

Russian Su-57 fighter. Photo: Aviationist

Viktor Bondarev, chairman of the Russian Federation Security and Defense Council, on November 1 hinted that the Su-57 stealth aircraft could be upgraded to the standard of a 6th generation fighter. However, the fact that Moscow has not yet announced the definition of a 6th generation fighter makes Bondarev's statement controversial, according to National Interest.

"This is truly a great aircraft, which can integrate the characteristics of both 5th and 6th generation fighters, and at the same time possesses the potential for deep modernization. It integrates the best features available in modern Russian and world aviation science," Mr. Bondarev declared.

The US Air Force and Navy are studying the necessary features of a 6th generation aircraft, but have only proposed general criteria and have not yet determined the mandatory features of future fighter projects. In the context of Russia not yet having a 5th generation fighter in service, the announcement of developing or upgrading fighters to 6th generation standards has made military experts skeptical.

The US Air Force has begun research on a new generation fighter called "Piercing the Air Defense Network" (PCA) to replace the fifth generation fighter F-22 Raptor. However, the Pentagon is very cautious in considering the necessary features before officially starting the project.

The US Air Force is still not sure if the PCA will become a completely new fighter and is leaving options open after the 2030s. Meanwhile, the US Navy is also analyzing the research solution for the "Next Generation Air Superiority (NGAD)" fighter project under the codename F/A-XX. They have also not determined the features needed in the new fighter.

Modern generations of fighters. Click on the image to see the full version.

The same thing happened in Russia, where there has been no real analysis of the features needed for a 6th generation fighter, as well as the threats it will face in the future. The Su-57 fighter may be very powerful in the next 10 years, but it cannot be the basis for developing a 6th generation fighter in the next 20-30 years.

Most likely, the statement about upgrading the Su-57 to Russia's 6th generation standard is just Mr. Bondarev's personal opinion, expert Majumdar commented.

According to VNE