With continuing war action in Ukraine, Russia is having a hard time producing its fifth-generation fighter jet Su-57. However, in an interview with Izvestia, Vladimir Artyakov-First Deputy General Director Revealed that Russia was planning to produce 22 serial Su-57s by 2024. So far, only ten Su-57s have been produced, and this means twelve more need to be manufactured in the future. That means a production rate of six Su-57 fighters per year-which is way behind the current yearly output of nearly 50 F-35s made by Lockheed Martin.
There is, however, a silver lining despite these production hurdles. According to Artyakov, flight tests of the Su-57 equipped with the new Izdelie 30 engine are underway, and that’s expected to seriously improve the fighter. “Aircraft with the second stage engine are now undergoing flight tests,” said Artyakov, who also claimed that plans were in place for the delivery of the Su-57 with this new engine under the current serial contract.
The Su-57 has been designed to fly both on the first and second series engines. Even the first-stage engine allows the fighter to meet the basic criteria of a fifth-generation jet, says Artyakov.
It was announced that the Russian Aerospace Forces had received four more Su-57 fighters. The claim was made that those Su-57s were already equipped with their Izdelie 30 engines; Artyakov’s latest comments would appear to suggest that may have been a bit of a hairy prediction.
Izdelie 30 is the high-power turbofan engine developed by United Engine Corporation of Russia to power the Su-57. Izdelie 30 features advanced technologies such as 3D printing, ceramic matrix composites, and digital engine control systems. Increased maneuverability and stealth capability are provided by the thrust vectoring nozzle of the engine.
Several reasons make the current production rate of Su-57 low. First and foremost, a lack of financing has been one of the major obstacles. First, the Su-57 has been an expensive project to develop, and the economic situation in Russia has made it hard to find the required money for large-scale production. Second, the Su-57 is a hi-tech aircraft; its building is cumbersome and requires advanced technology and skilled manpower. Acquiring the required technology, and expertise, and the shortage of skilled workforce have thwarted the progress of building this aircraft by Russia. Thirdly, some technical issues arose during the development process, that delayed the production. Finally, competition from other advanced fighter jets on the international market has further limited Russia’s attempts to secure export orders and thus volume production capability.
Meanwhile, Russia’s fifth-generation stealth fighter Su-75 Checkmate is set to make its maiden test flight in 2025 as confirmed by Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov at the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg. Initially, Russia was supposed to make the maiden flight happen in 2023. This was followed by Moscow’s plan to start serial production of the Su-75 in 2027 unless further delays are experienced.
The Su-75 Checkmate is a single-engine stealth fighter, most likely fitted with the Izdelie 30 engine before its initial test flights. The design for building up speeds to Mach 2 and of low radar signature, the armament is to be carried inside, as in the case of the Su-57. The Su-75 will also have an unmanned version while United Aircraft Corporation Rostec intends to produce 300 lots within the next 15 years for both domestic and international markets.
Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov says the Su-75 prototype uses some Su-57 onboard equipment, like the onboard computer and engine, recomputed for Su-75 requirements. Although Moscow has not decided yet if it wants to buy the Su-75 for the Russian Aerospace Services, according to Chemezov, he hopes the Russian Ministry of Defense will take the Checkmate in the future.
And though it has not yet ironed out the details of how it is going to make advanced fighter jets like the Su-57 or Su-75, it remains anybody’s guess as to how these will face the competition in the sky from the world’s military aircraft.