“The Su-57M has different engines, onboard systems, artificial intelligence, powerful onboard radar equipment that can see the enemy further away, and the aircraft’s onboard computer starts working as soon as the pilot sits down in the seat and presses just one button, after which all systems are automatically checked before the flight.
n addition, the wide airframe of the 57th increases lift and makes the fighter stable at supersonic speeds. Supersonic speed is already cruising speed, and without afterburners. The flat fuselage provides stealth. For this purpose, ammunition is placed inside the airframe. Moreover, our 5th generation fighter is constantly improving," Bogdan said.
According to Sergei Bogdan, the Su-57 is currently the only aircraft in the world that can move contrary to the classical laws of aerodynamics.
"Unlike previous generation fighters, the Su-57 can perform both a spin and some completely unthinkable tail-first flights. At the same time, the aircraft remains stable and steady. This is a completely different philosophy of flight, indeed, contrary to the classical laws of aerodynamics. The main advantage of super-maneuverability is that the pilot can lose speed to zero, but the aircraft will be controllable, even at extremely low altitudes," emphasizes Sergei Bogdan.
According to the memoirs of Sergei Bogdan, who describes his feelings during his first and last piloting of the Su-27 fighter:
"At that time it seemed like just fantasy. Then I didn't fly it for a long time. I tested the Su-57. And after several years, it so happened that I took off again on the Su-27.
Then I thought, how am I going to land on this plane? It's so wooden. And after the Su-57, it wasn't just such irony. It felt like I was taking off on a heavy bomber. I thought, how are you going to land? Well, you're a test pilot, why don't you land?
That is, the fourth-generation Su-27 aircraft, which was once considered the best fighter in the world, and which, it would seem, was the height of perfection in its time, after some time it seems like a piece of wood. That is evolution."
The first super-maneuverable fighter with thrust vector control was the Su-35S. Therefore, to convey his idea about the evolution of the Su-57, Bogdan cites for comparison the fact that the Su-27 of generation 4 was replaced by the Su-35 of generation 4++.
"These aircraft are similar only in appearance. But unlike the 27th, the 35th airframe is made using super-strong composite materials. It is lighter, its service life is longer, and its fuel capacity is increased. The Su-35 has new powerful onboard radar equipment, an engine with a three-dimensional thrust vector. Hence its super-maneuverability.
Unlike the Su-27, the Su-35 can literally spin in the sky on one patch. To get this super-maneuverable aircraft out of a spin, a test pilot only needs 500 meters before the aircraft is in a horizontal position.
The fourth generation Su-27 fighter requires about 5 kilometers to exit a spin, i.e. 10 times more altitude. Whereas the Su-57 has already made it possible to put the aircraft into a controlled flat spin and exit it at any desired point," said Sergey Bogdan.
As for the new engine and new flat nozzle for the Su-57, Bogdan shared that the principle of this aircraft is modular. That is, its units can be replaced with others quite quickly. As a result, new engines with a flat nozzle can be equipped in the future on all Su-57 aircraft that are already performing combat work with traditional engines with a deflected thrust vector.
The chief designer of the Su-57, Mikhail Strelets, also shared some details about the new flat-nozzle engines for the Su-57 in an interview, despite the fact that today there is very little that can be said about them.
According to him, the flat nozzle for the new Su-57 engines is a metal composite structure, specially developed and combined with the engine to enable the use of new capabilities on the aircraft.
This solution will allow the aircraft to perform more functions than an axisymmetric nozzle, including providing low visibility in the radar and infrared ranges, which is what determines the characteristic shapes of the nozzle flaps.
The flat nozzle allows the upgraded Su-57 to be used in a wider range of altitudes and flight speeds. In essence, it complements the existing aerodynamic controls in stealth conditions, allowing new control moments to be created in three planes - pitch, roll and traverse.
This software was completely developed by our specialists at Sukhoi Design Bureau, starting from the operating system and ending with highly complex programs, including those with elements of artificial intelligence.
Microprocessors are also domestic, Elbrus architecture. We receive the units from the manufacturing plant, and they come to us absolutely stupid. That is, these are sterile units, in which there is absolutely nothing. That is, today it is at our plant that the foundations and principles of work on improving the Su-57 are formed.
The thing is that one person is simply physically unable to process all the information that a modern aircraft collects. The Su-57's artificial intelligence, like a second pilot, helps to fly in such a way that the pilot can simply drop the control stick and the plane will not stall. It can advise which target is a priority, how to get the aircraft to the right place at the right time, and will also help in an emergency.
In the near future, the Su-57's artificial intelligence will be able to take on everything. Such tests have been underway for several months," Mikhail Strelets shared in an interview with Channel One.
He also stated that in the near future, on the upgraded version of the Su-57, in-flight information from the main computer will be displayed not only on the display, but also on the visor of the new flight helmet, which was developed specifically for the Su-57 fighter.