By the end of August, four new fighters were built for 2022. This was stated by the executive director of United Aircraft Corporation Yuru Slyusar to TASS. “Four serially produced Su-57 fifth-generation multirole fighters were built today under a government contract with the Ministry of Defense of Russia.”
The news gives a hint of optimism to the Russian Air Force, especially against the background of the economic sanctions that Russia is suffering as a result of its invasion of Ukraine. The lack of supplies of Western technology [mainly microchips] is having its impact, but it has apparently not stopped the production of the Russian flagship. “The Su-57 program continues and the future is clear,” added Slyusar.
Just a week ago, at the end of August, BulgarianMilitary.com reported that Russia is building new production facilities for the serial production of its Su-57 stealth fighters. Russian sources report that the new production assembly lines have been opened at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur aviation plant in the Far East.
The news Su-57 production facilities
It is expected that the number of Su-57s produced will increase in the coming years, sources say. Inside the new production facilities, the Russian Federation is building avionics test facilities, a fuel dock, and an engine test station, people familiar with the matter said. According to unconfirmed information and according to Russian sources, the new production facilities will have facilities for pilot training with virtual reality systems.
The Russian online portal Voenno Delo says that the plant in Komsomolsk on Amur in the Far East will also install the latest engines, long expected by the Russian Air Force. It is about the notorious Izdelie 30 engine, which will bear the trade name Saturn 30. The new plant will also carry out assembly work on the Su-57 on electronic warfare and laser protection systems.
About Su-57 Felon
The Su-57 is the first Russian fighter to claim to be the fifth generation with integrated stealth technology. It is a twin-engine fighter, something that is expected for Russian fighter jets. In Russia, the aircraft began to exist in a program created nearly 20 years ago. This program is called Perspective Frontline Fighter [PFI – Perspektivnyi Frontovoy Istrebitel in Russian].
Russian aviation engineers claim that they have been able to meet the requirements of the Russian military command and Russian fighter pilots. Namely – the plane should be wide-profile. I.e. air mission performance, land and sea strike air superiority, versatile jet, supercruise, stealth, super maneuverability, advanced avionics, and large internal payload.
A total of 76 fighters are to be produced for the Russian Aerospace Forces. According to the plans of the Ministry of Defense, in two years [in 2024], Russia should have 22 active Su-57 Felon stealth fighters. United Aircraft Corporation will have to build the remaining 54 fighters by the end of 2028.
