Beyond Stealth – Su-57’s Hidden Advantages Over F-22 Revealed

In January 2010, the Su-57, a fifth-generation Russian multirole fighter, became operational for the first time. 2019 marked the beginning of its manufacture in serial quantities. Compared to its American equivalent, the Russian project has, from the beginning, been substantially behind in terms of its timeframe. During the summer of 2022, the Su-57 made its first appearance in combat, at least according to some accounts. Based only on the evidence that has been corroborated, the aircraft has already achieved four victories in the air. NATO referred to the Su-57 for a considerable amount of time as the “worst stealth.” On the other hand, not so long ago, a prominent military analyst expressed admiration for the aircraft.

It is generally accepted that “Flight International,” a British monthly magazine, is one of the most authoritative publications on aviation matters because it is the journal that has been around the longest and is the oldest. The publication has been in circulation since 1909. Today, the magazine boasts a global team of writers and observers responsible for preparing content associated with aerospace-related topics. In addition to writing about the commercial and military aviation industries, the publication “Flight International” also publishes on the commercial and military space industries. Only a few short years ago, the journalists at “Flight International” had a very unfavourable view of the Russian Su-57.

The new aircraft was given the moniker of having the “worst stealth” and obtained ratings substantially lower than its equivalents produced in the United States and China. The demonstrative displays of the Su-57 were referred to as “an aerial circus of the 20th century having nothing to do with modern air combat” by some experts, who went so far as to almost make fun of them. However, observers from Flight International have lately assessed Su-57 favourably. As part of an analysis of the “accomplishments” of the Americans, Ryan Finnerty offered an assessment as part of the analysis.

In his evaluation, Finnerty looked at the current situation with the F-22 Raptor aircraft, which is of the fifth generation. The British observer expressed regret that, despite the passage of several years, the F-22 had not been integrated into the network-centric air combat management system for which it had been expressly intended. In addition, the specialist was critical of the American aircraft, stating that there was no constructive reserve. To put it another way, the F-22 is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to update. In addition, the aircraft is weighed down with technology that has become obsolete quickly but is nonetheless somewhat cumbersome.

Finnerty highlighted the accomplishments of the Su-57 as a juxtaposition to the inadequacies of the American F-22. The knowledge of the British specialist suggests that the Russian aircraft was significantly more successful than was previously believed. In contrast to their American counterparts, Russian engineers designed a plane with a more significant capacity reserve for further modernisation, thereby carrying on the successful legacy of the Su-27 platform. The specialist believes that in the future, the airframe of the Su-57 will be leveraged to install technology for the sixth generation. This includes systems that allow fighters to coordinate their actions with allied unmanned aerial vehicles.