Russia accelerates comprehensive modernization of Su-57, what signs for the battlefield?

Since entering limited operation in 2020 and full unit deployment in 2024, Russia's 5th generation fighter Su-57 has continuously appeared in upgrade reports.

The head of the Rostec defense corporation, Sergey Chemezov, recently said that the Su-57 aircraft is in the process of being completed. He emphasized that Russia is conducting a comprehensive modernization program, including the structural components, electronics and weapons of the Su-57.

Su-57 fighter with three open weapons bays and Kh-58 anti-radiation missiles

Chemezov dismissed criticism of the Su-57, saying it was largely due to industrial competition, adding that the Su-57 received positive reviews from international partners as well as Russian pilots themselves.

According to Chemezov, the Su-57 has a big advantage over its foreign rivals thanks to its extensive combat testing. This fighter has been operating in Syria and is currently actively participating in the special military operations area, thereby testing all combat scenarios.

The Su-57 takes on a number of new roles, while also demonstrating its stealth capabilities in a real combat environment. Notably, the aircraft can launch surface-to-air missiles from beyond the range of enemy air defenses, allowing for more complex air defense suppression maneuvers – something the F-22 cannot do and the F-35 can only achieve after receiving the Block 4 upgrade package in the 2030s.

In the Ukrainian battlefield, the Su-57 is said to have performed a variety of missions, from air defense suppression, dogfighting, penetrating heavily defended airspace to long-range precision strikes. This makes the Su-57 the only 5th generation aircraft in the world to have undergone such extensive combat operations.

Even among post-Cold War fighters, no other model has been tested in operations of comparable complexity. Sergey Bogdan, head of the Sukhoi design team’s flight test department, said that combat feedback is helping to continuously improve the Su-57. He asserted that the aircraft will continue to be refined throughout its operational life, with any innovations implemented before it enters mass production.

Su-57 fighter of the Russian Aerospace Forces

However, the Su-57 is still considered inferior to the US F-35 or China's J-20 and J-35 in some aspects, especially in avionics and stealth capabilities - areas where the Russian industry is still limited.

This may be a disadvantage in the age of networked warfare. However, the Su-57 program compensates with other advantages, such as the early integration of a diverse array of weapons, including hypersonic missiles, anti-radar missiles, and stealth cruise missiles. In addition, the Su-57's operating and maintenance costs are significantly lower than those of the F-22 and F-35 thanks to a simpler design that prioritizes maintainability; a notable example is the use of fiberglass radar-absorbent materials instead of complex stealth coatings.

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