The newest fifth-generation fighter took off with a new engine. Favorites of the sky Supersonic without afterburner

Fifth generation fighters, created in the USA and in Russia, no longer differ much from each other in their technical characteristics and combat capabilities. In some respects, we were able not only to catch up with the Americans, but in some places to surpass them. True, in some cases there is still a backlog, although it is rapidly decreasing. As a result, the Su-57 has a good chance of winning over the F-22 at short range, and a draw with the F-35 at long range

The last pre-production prototype of the Su-57 aircraft, equipped with a new second stage engine, took off

Photo: vpk.name

M The multi-year program to create a Russian fifth-generation fighter has finally reached the finish line. At the end of last year, after numerous modifications, the last pre-production prototype of the Su-57 aircraft, equipped with a new second-stage engine, took off for the first time. The flight lasted 17 minutes and took place in normal mode. “This is proof of the high potential of the Russian aircraft industry, capable of creating highly intelligent advanced systems,” said the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov.

New power point with the working title “product 30”, it is capable of developing a maximum afterburner thrust of up to 19 tons. This is approximately 15–20% more than that of the first stage engine - AL-41F1S. According to the general director of the OKB named after A. M. Lyulka Evgenia Marchukova, such characteristics were achieved due to a sharp improvement in operating cycle parameters, unit efficiency and the use of new structural materials. According to the developers, they managed to reduce the number of parts in the high-pressure compressor of the new engine by almost half compared to the AL-41F1C and provide a significant increase in work by one stage. At the same time, the cost of such a compressor will remain almost the same as that of its predecessor.

In general, “product 30” introduced a number of innovative solutions, and some of them have no analogues in the world

In general, “product 30” introduced a number of innovative solutions, and some of them have no analogues in the world. First of all, these are composite metal-ceramic turbine blades made of especially heat-resistant alloys - they have an extremely complex design. The secret here is not only in the composition of these materials, which, in general, is not so difficult to determine, but also in the technology of their manufacture. Another innovation is a plasma afterburner, which provides oxygen-free engine starting at high altitudes, which increases the survivability of the fighter in close combat. For the same purpose, the engine nozzles can deviate in two planes at once - up-down and left-right, and not just in one, like all other aircraft of this class.

Cruising supersonic

But the most important thing is that thanks to the new engines, the Su-57 can now fly a considerable distance at supersonic cruising speed, that is, without the use of afterburner. This is one of the three most important characteristics that distinguish the fifth generation of fighters from the fourth. The other two are extremely low visibility for enemy radars and are equipped with an onboard radar system with an active phased antenna array (AFAR), which allows you to detect all air targets at a long range and issue a command to destroy them. Note that supersonic cruising flight mode greatly saves fuel, which means it sharply increases the combat radius of the aircraft. Today, there is only one fighter in service around the world that fully meets all the criteria of the fifth generation - the heavy American F-22 Raptor. It is no longer produced, but is on combat duty in the US Air Force and is actively used in combat operations. But the lighter American F-35 fighter, which the United States itself also classifies as the fifth generation, only partially corresponds to it. Due to its design, this aircraft can fly at supersonic speed without activating the afterburner for only about 150 km, or less than ten minutes.

Thanks to the new engines, the Su-57 can now fly a considerable distance at supersonic cruising speed, that is, without the use of afterburner

Photo: WistaNews.ru

Thus, our Su-57 will become the second full-fledged fifth-generation fighter to be put into service. This is expected to happen by the end of next year. Now the new Russian aircraft has already completed the first stage state testing program and is in experimental combat operation. In mid-February, two such vehicles even made a two-day voyage to the Khmeimim airbase in Syria - there they worked out algorithms of action, including the use of specially developed new-generation aviation weapons in combat conditions. 14 different types have already been created, including air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, as well as adjustable bombs. True, the internal compartments of the Su-57 fuselage are unlikely to fit more than eight missiles. That is, the same as the F-22 Raptor. “During the tests, protocols have already been agreed upon information interaction with almost all types of weapons. Work is going on intensely. Launches are just around the corner. This applies to the products of both “Rainbow” and “Vympel”, and the parent company in Korolev,” said the head of the Tactical Corporation missile weapons» (KTRV) Boris Obnosov. All these enterprises have been developing air-launched hypersonic missiles since Soviet times. One of them, as part of the Kinzhal complex, has already been tested with the MiG-31 and has been in service in the Southern Military District for several months. This means that, unlike the American fighter, our aircraft will be the first in the world to receive unique air-to-surface weapons capable of destroying targets at a speed of about Mach 10 at a distance of more than two thousand kilometers. The only drawback of such a missile is that it can only be placed on the external sling of a fighter, which dramatically increases its visibility to enemy radars.

Unlike the American fighter, our aircraft will be the first in the world to receive unique air-to-surface weapons capable of destroying targets at a speed of about Mach 10 at a distance of more than two thousand kilometers.

As stated by the Deputy Minister of Defense Yuri Borisov, by the end of this year his department will sign a contract for the supply of an initial batch of 12 Su-57 fighters. However, after the training of flight personnel at the Lipetsk Aviation Center, the number of purchased fighters will increase sharply - to at least 60 aircraft in the next five to seven years. And in the longer term, the Su-57 will become the main strike complex of our front-line aviation. But will it be better than its foreign competitors? And will he be able to win a technological duel against them in an aerial confrontation?

Combat functionality vs low visibility

It is no secret that all fifth-generation fighters in the USA, Russia and China are made using stealth technology, which reduces the aircraft's visibility to radars and allows, as far as possible, to implement the First Look - First Kill principle. ). This applies to the design of the airframe itself, its skin, and the materials used. By the way, this is why the armament of such aircraft is placed, as a rule, only in the internal compartments of the fuselage, although external hangers on the wings are also provided for additional missiles. But in the latter case, the visibility of the fighter to radars, primarily for ground-based complexes Long-range air defense with powerful radars is increasing sharply. And the detection range increases to maximum. Essentially, this means that an aircraft overloaded with missiles simply turns into a target that is relatively easy to shoot down.

Fifth-generation fighters that have entered service and are at the testing stage

Model	Su-57	F-22A	F-35A	J-20
Lead developer	Sukhoi Design Bureau	Lockheed Martin/Boeing	Lockheed Martin	Chengdu Aircraft
Maximum speed (km/h)	2800	2410	1930	1700
Supersonic flight range (km)	2000	1500	2200	n. d.
Service ceiling (km)	20	20	18,2	20
Empty weight (tons)	18,5	19,7	13,3	19,4
Normal take-off weight*	30,6	29,2	24,4	32
Effective dispersion area (ESR; sq. m)	n. d.	0,005–0,3	0,001–0,2	> 0,5
10	10,3	9,1	n. d.
Maximum missiles for air combat**	8	8	6	8
Maximum air-to-surface missiles**	4	–	2	2
Maximum adjustable bombs**	4	2–8	2–8	2
Radar	H036 "Squirrel"	AN/APG-77	AN/APG-81	KLJ-5
Number of transceiver modules in the radar	1526	1980	1200	1856
Detection range of 4th generation fighters (km)	200–280	165–225	190–230	n. d.
Detection range of 5th generation fighters (km)	80–90	75–90	110–120	n. d.
Cruise missile detection range (km)	140–170	110–140	120–140	n. d.
Take-off run (meters)	280	250	200	> 350
Share of composites in airframe structure*** (%)	25–70	40–60	40–60	< 20
Price (millions of dollars)	n. d.	206–350	95–117	110
Status	experimental combat operation	in service	in service	operational readiness
Combat radius (km)	more than 1000	760	1080	n. d.
Maximum thrust in afterburner (tf)	2×19	2 × 15.8	1 × 19.5	2 × 16****
Thrust-to-weight ratio in afterburner at normal take-off weight with full tanks	1,2	1,08	0,96	0,94

*With ammunition and full fuel tank.

**Only in internal compartments as standard on current moment(the number of missiles and adjustable bombs varies depending on the mission, but cannot exceed the maximum combat load).

***By mass and surface area.

****For WS-15 engines.

A confrontation in an air battle with a vehicle of a similar class is a different matter. This is where stealth technologies, coupled with onboard radars, play a decisive role. It is well known that the visibility of an aircraft is characterized by its effective dispersion area (ESR). This is a formal parameter that is measured in units of area and is a quantitative measure of the property of an object to reflect electromagnetic wave. The smaller this area, the more difficult it is to detect the aircraft and, accordingly, to hit it with a missile. In any case, the detection range is sharply reduced. So, almost all fourth-generation fighters have an ESR of more than 1 square meter. m, and for fifth-generation cars it is several times less. And although the exact data is kept secret, most experts are inclined to believe that, for example, the F-22 and F-35 have an average RCS of approximately 0.2–0.3 square meters. m. True, the developer of the aircraft, Lockheed Martin Corporation, assures that the ESR of the F-22 when irradiated by the radar from certain angles does not exceed 0.0001 square meters. m. “On the radar, this plane is reflected like a golf ball,” Americans like to boast. But if such an indicator is actually achieved, then only with the frontal influence of the radar of another similar aircraft at the same altitude.

Here it must be said that the ESR of complex objects cannot be calculated using formulas, since it is measured experimentally with special instruments in anechoic chambers or at test sites. Moreover, its value very much depends on the direction from which the aircraft is irradiated, and for the same aircraft it is represented by a range of indicators in which the best values ​​for the scattering area are recorded when the aircraft is irradiated in the forward hemisphere. Thus, there simply cannot be accurate EPR indicators, and the figures released by Lockheed Martin are just minimum values range, its lower limit. Several years ago, the chief designer of the Su-57 Alexander Davydenko estimated the average EPR value of the F-22 at 0.3–0.4 square meters. m and at the same time emphasized that “we have similar requirements for visibility.”

Nevertheless, one cannot help but admit that American fifth-generation fighters really have exceptional stealth. For example, in the F-22 this is achieved, among other things, by a high proportion of composite materials. There are at least 40% of them in the airframe design. Moreover, almost a third of this amount comes from thermoplastic carbon fiber reinforced plastics and radio-absorbing materials. The latter constructively shape the edges of the aircraft's wings. Most The airframe is made of composites based on bismaleimides - heat-resistant polymers that can withstand temperatures up to 230 °C. But in the design of the nozzle devices, radio-absorbing materials based on ceramics are used, which also reduce the radar signature of the aircraft. At the same time, the engine nozzles themselves have a flat shape. This feature of their design makes it possible to reduce visibility in the infrared range, but at the same time it can become disastrous in close air combat, since it significantly limits the aircraft’s maneuverability, since the engines can only deflect up or down.

“On the radar, this plane reflects like a golf ball,” Americans like to boast. But in fact, if such an indicator is actually achieved, then only with the frontal impact of the radar of another similar aircraft at the same altitude

It is no secret that at least on the first prototypes of the Su-57, the engines had round nozzles with a radio-absorbing coating, but were not protected by ceramic plates. On the one hand, this significantly increased the RCS of our aircraft, but on the other hand, it allowed it to actively maneuver in close air combat. The plane could perform aerobatic maneuvers of virtually any complexity, which are so popular with air show spectators. In fact, these most complex elements of piloting have an important practical significance- many of them are designed to avoid enemy missiles fired at an aircraft. Whether these design solutions will be retained on production vehicles is unknown. The latest Su-57 prototypes are somewhat different from the first models. After strengthening the airframe structure and some other changes, our fighter became several tens of centimeters longer: its nose cone was changed, and the classic air pressure receivers disappeared from the outer skin, and were replaced by complex systems measurements of altitude and speed parameters.

But one parameter definitely remained unchanged - thrust-to-weight ratio. Our fifth-generation serial fighter will have the tallest aircraft of its class in the world. If you do not take into account weapons (the payload weight of heavy fighters is approximately the same), then the Russian aircraft is more than a ton lighter than the F-22, and together with fuel, bombs and missiles they have almost the same take-off weight. But at the same time, the two Su-57 engines can produce a maximum afterburner thrust of 38 tons per second, while the F-22 only has about 32 tons per second. And the thrust-to-weight ratio of the single-engine F-35 is even less - about 19.5 tons per second.

All this cannot but affect the flight characteristics of aircraft. If the flight range of the Su-57 is more than 2000 km, and the combat radius is about 1000 km, then the F-22 has about a quarter less. The situation is approximately the same with maximum speed. For the Su-57 it is more than 2800 km/h versus 2400 km/h for the F-22 and 1900 km/h for the F-35. At the same time, the airframe of our aircraft, like its American competitors, is made of composites and radio-absorbing materials. By weight they are approximately a quarter of the weight of an empty Su-57, which is slightly less than that of the F-22, and by surface area - 70%, which is slightly more than that of the American.

In other words, in conditions of long-range air combat, our fighter, all other things being equal, has a much greater chance of successfully completing all anti-missile maneuvers and evading weapons fired at it. But still main indicator the survivability of a fifth-generation aircraft is its avionics, including radars and radars.

"Squirrel" is ready for battle

It was on this that the Americans initially made their main bet when creating the F-22 and F-35. It is known that the first of these aircraft is equipped with the AN/APG-77 radar, and the second - AN/APG-81. Both of these stations have AFAR, consisting of many receiving-emitting modules. In the first case, there are just under two thousand, and in the second - only 1200. Note that the use of radars with active phased array antennas marked the transition from silicon electronics to revolutionary heterostructures and monolithic microwave microcircuits based on arsenide or gallium nitride.

Key indicators of fifth-generation fighter programs in the USA, Russia and China

Model	F-22A	F-35A/B/C	Su-57	J-20
Cost of the creation program (billion dollars)*	66,7	55,1	> 5	n. d.
First flight	1997	2000	2010	2011
Start serial production	2001	2006	2019	2017
Total issued**	195	256	10	11
Number in national armed forces	186	216	2	2
Number in the armed forces of other countries	No	40	No	No
Program status	not produced	in production	in experimental combat operation	in pilot production
Current planned procurement volume for national aircraft**	-	2443	12–60	40
Planned export volume**	export prohibited	400	-	-

Sources: Lockheed Martin, Pentagon, author's estimates

*Including R&D.

**As of March 2018.

And it’s clear why. The emergence of AFAR makes it possible to implement the idea of ​​network-centric warfare, when combatants are united in single network, and, for example, a fighter becomes a command post for ground troops, air defense forces and a group of combat aircraft. And here the Americans have advanced further than we have. If in Russia radar modules are made on the basis of gallium arsenide, then in the USA they are made on the basis of gallium nitride. Gallium nitride remains operational at temperatures up to 200 °C, while arsenide remains functional at half that temperature. Accordingly, the powers are different: almost 20 W per channel versus 7 W. This makes it possible to increase the signal potential and, as a result, increase the radar range or reduce the antenna diameter. According to Lockheed Martin, the radars on the F-22 and F-35 can detect targets with an ESR of 1 sq. m in normal mode at a range of up to 225 km and up to 193 km in LPI (low probability of interception) mode. And, say, cruise missiles with an EPR of 0.1 square meters. m they will be able to detect at a range of 110–140 km. Considering that the Su-57 is equipped with the N036 Belka radar with 1526 receiving-emitting modules, which are made on the basis of gallium arsenide, the power of our avionics, in theory, should be noticeably less than that of American systems. But in reality this is not the case. The thing is that the Belka consists of five antennas with AFAR, three of which operate in the X-band, and two more in the L-band. Moreover, they, along with the means electronic warfare are dispersed over the entire surface of the fighter and make up the so-called smart skin of the Su-57. It is this that provides the pilot with a 360° view and allows him to detect subtle targets at a great distance and issue a command to destroy them.

In conditions of long-range air combat, our fighter, all other things being equal, has a much greater chance of successfully completing all anti-missile maneuvers and evading weapons fired at it

But that's not all. Optical-location stations of the Atoll complex are also installed in front of the Su-57 cabin. They control all airspace in the optical range along the entire perimeter of the aircraft and can detect aircraft at a distance of several tens of kilometers by thermal radiation and direct air-to-air missiles at them, as well as protect the aircraft itself from attacking enemy missiles. However, OLS can be used quite effectively against ground targets - they ensure the use of aircraft weapons with television or laser homing heads. The Su-57 also has several missile detection sensors in the ultraviolet range, as well as jamming systems in the infrared range. In general, with the help of the Belka, our fighter can simultaneously track up to 60 targets and attack up to 16 of them. This is less than the radar capabilities of the F-22 and F-35, which track up to 100 targets and can attack up to 20 simultaneously. But here we are dealing specifically with the capabilities of radars, and not the aircraft themselves. Thus, the F-22 has a maximum of eight missiles in its internal compartments. That is, as much as the Su-57. And, for example, the internal ammunition load of the F-35 is only six air-to-air missiles. So, even if they wanted to, these planes would not be able to destroy 20 air targets.

Thus, the ability to detect targets early is likely to be critical in medium-range dogfights. Our aircraft is slightly better than the F-22, if we take into account cruise missiles and fourth-generation fighters, and is only a few kilometers inferior to the capabilities of the F-35 in terms of earlier detection of fifth-generation fighters. But we must understand that all this is just estimates. Apparently, not only experts, but even the US and Russian military do not know the real indicators. And this is easy to explain. In Syria, F-22s avoid appearing on our radars; they rarely fly into the active zone Russian complexes Air defense S-400. Therefore, it is not yet possible to compile an accurate radio-electronic profile of these aircraft. True, US Air Force Lieutenant General Veralynn Jameson recently stated that “the sky over Iraq and Syria has become for Russia a real storehouse of information about our actions.” However, this still concerned mainly not technical characteristics American aircraft, and the tactics of their use by the US Air Force. Finally, there is some reason to believe that the Research Institute of Instrument Engineering (NIIP) named after V.V. Tikhomirov, when creating more advanced versions of the Belka, nevertheless switched to using gallium nitride. In any case, the general director of NIIP Yuri Bely in an interview with Izvestia, he stated that his institute was able to assess the shortcomings of previous developments and began to use the latest scientific achievements, including in terms of smart cladding.

The emergence of AFAR makes it possible to implement the idea of ​​network-centric warfare, when combatants are united into a single network, and, for example, a fighter becomes a command post for ground troops, air defense forces and a group of combat aircraft

“The characteristics of the radar have been confirmed in the main modes - when scanning airspace and earth's surface“, - Mr. Bely clarified. Moreover, Ryazansky instrument factory has already released the first samples of a new radar with AFAR. If they are indeed made on the basis of gallium nitride, then the Belka’s target detection range capabilities will inevitably increase. But even if this is still far away, the Su-57 in its current form can at least compete on an equal footing with the American F-22 and F-35. Our fighter has a good chance of winning in close air combat and a draw in long-range combat.

Those who have read books like “Entertaining Physics” know that the invisible man himself becomes blind. Why? So we see perfectly well with a transparent glass lens, right? And the eye is also a lens, with all that it entails... Or so: it is invisible, but at a height of 170 cm two transparent eyes gaze out. Horrible!

The same problem with stealth. Imagine walking at night wearing black clothes. You can't be seen. But the road and oncoming passers-by are not visible to you either. And you turn on the flashlight... But the on-board radar is not a flashlight, it’s a powerful searchlight! It turns out that stealth is blind as a mole. Or he's not stealth. And the reasoning that the stealth will see you much earlier than you see it, and therefore will fire a missile at you first, is very doubtful.

It will be objected to me that the latest fighters There is a radar with an active phased antenna array (AFAR), which can probe the space with an inconspicuous thin beam. But even the thinnest beam is still much more powerful than that dead reflected signal that your radar usually sees. Will they say that the onboard radar sees only its reflected signal? So it is necessary to regard the radar designers as idiots, who were still too lazy to provide for such a mode of operation.

Not only is the stealth blind, he is also mute. Well, at least he's not deaf and dumb. You can use the radio station in reception mode, but talking to yourself is also unmasking. Either in plain text or in encrypted codes. That is, stealth aircraft cannot even exchange information from the radar with each other, as the MiG-31 and Su-27 do. Sit and stupidly do what the earth tells you and the GPS shows you. If the enemy hasn't silenced them...

Another problem. The Americans either did not know or forgot that there are different radio waves. For example, in the USSR, airborne aircraft radars operated at a wavelength of approximately 3 cm, shipborne radars - 10 cm, and ground-based ones - 30 cm. This range is also called meter (in the press), although in fact it is decimeter. And radio waves in this range are reflected from objects in a completely different way than three-centimeter ones. Roughly speaking, the “stealth” in it is clearly visible.

Moreover, soon after the appearance of “stealth”, news appeared about the development of a radar that sees them. There were no details, except for the humorous phrase that this was “a victory of reason over common sense,” but, judging by the photo, this is a multi-frequency radar.

But even with on-board radars, oddities arise that make one doubt the victorious reports: “Test pilot Larry Nielsen, in an interview with World Air Power Journal, stated that the N-019 radar (developed by NPO Phazotron) installed on the MiG-29 sees B-2 (this is an American stealth bomber, strategic, absolutely insane in price) even against the backdrop of the earth. In his opinion, it can almost certainly be assumed that the MiG-31 and Su-27 radars are also capable of selecting such a target, and at a much greater range.”

This is about those MiG-29s that ended up in NATO after the unification of the two Germanys, that is, the most ancient modifications of the MiG-29. http://suavia.info/page/23/ But the radar on the small MiG-29 is quite weak...

And from the same place: “...The report on the MiG tests was heard by a Congressional commission. It noted, in particular, that “the planned work to reduce the radar signature of the B-2 to the required level is many times higher in cost than the work aimed at modernizing the radar of Soviet fighters.”

And this phrase really finishes off: “Detection range aircraft equal to the fourth root of the change in the ESR value. For example, if a radar is capable of detecting a target with an ESR of 10 sq. m at a range of 100 miles, then a target with an EPR of 5 sq. m will be detected only at a distance of 84 miles. Target with EPR 1 sq. m will be detected at a distance of only 55 miles. Thus, reducing the ESR by 90% reduces the detection range by 45%. Reducing the EPR by 1000 times will reduce the detection range by 82%.”

But that's not all. There is, after all, such a cunning radar as “Kolchuga”. It does not emit anything at all, that is, it is even problematic to destroy it if you do not know exactly where it is hidden. And she sees stealth aircraft no worse than ordinary aircraft, and will even be able to distinguish them from other types. How does it work? I'll explain it very roughly.

There are always some radio waves on the air. Radio stations, television transmitters, base stations mobile communications, etc., etc. They looked at some square with their receiving antennas and remembered the picture. If an airplane appears in this square, the picture will change dramatically, because radio waves are reflected from the plane, flow around it, etc. If stealth appears there, even one that absorbs all the waves, the picture will still change, even brighter. And from the nature of the changes you can see: stealth! “Guys, great catch! Rockets to battle!

Of course, the mathematics there is very complicated. But “Kolchuga” has been in the series for a long time, which means we got it done. But the British, as they say, also tried to develop something similar. Moreover, they greatly simplified their task in advance: they used only mobile communication frequencies (tell me, is this available in Afghanistan or Iraq? Will it definitely work during the war?) Alas, the English sirs did not have enough wiles even for this. But “Kolchuga” was produced not only in Russia, but also in Ukraine, at the Donetsk “Topaz”. What needs to be done? Accuse Ukraine of allegedly selling it to Iraq. And for this bench, request a complete set design documentation and a commission for the plant... How many secrets has Ukraine already squandered... And for some reason they beg for cheap gas from Russia, and not from the USA or England...

And the news that an additional long-wave radar has been developed for the PAK FA and Su-35, the antennas of which will be built into the leading edges of the wing. Stealth is not a problem for her.

There are many more ways to deal with invisible people. This is a general law: for every poison there is always an antidote, for every sword there is a shield. It is foolish to rely on a wunderwaffe: by the time you widely introduce it into the troops, an antidote will already be found.

In general, invisibility is a good thing, we should strive for it, but make a fetish out of it, like some people do, especially by sacrificing others for it important characteristics, it wasn't worth it at all.

Well, so as not to run twice, let’s briefly talk about other requirements for the fifth generation.

Non-afterburning supersonic

Probably not everyone knows that the cruising speed of most modern fighters is exactly the same as that of passenger aircraft: 850-900 km/h. This is the most economical flight mode. But in order to catch up with the adversary, you can turn on the afterburner and accelerate to about 2500 km/h. The only problem is that afterburning engines are very power hungry.

So they decided that the fighter should fly at a speed of 1500-1800 km/h without turning on the afterburner. To do this, first of all, it is necessary to increase the engine thrust. True, whatever one may say, air resistance also needs to be reduced.

Why do you need to increase cruising speed? After all, you can catch up or escape with afterburner, but in normal flight you can get by at subsonic speed. It is believed that such a fighter will have the initiative in battle, maneuver around a slower enemy, get behind him faster, etc. But super-maneuverability is much better for these purposes. As one English pilot said, when the Su-27 was first shown abroad, he and his colleagues timed the turn, and were shocked that a full turn on the Su-27 could be done, according to them, in 10 seconds. Other fighters need several times more time for this. Another thing is that at high speed, the time that a ground enemy has to shoot you down before you attack him is reduced. And escape after the attack too.

I heard the opinion that supersonic flight worsens invisibility, but why was not explained. If true, then this is another disadvantage for supersonic cruising speed.

December 5, 2017 at the Leningrad Institute named after. MM. Gromov committed first flight of the newest Russian fifth-generation fighter Su-57 with a 2nd stage engine.

The first Russian fifth-generation fighter Su-57, also known as T-50, with a second-stage engine was tested in Zhukovsky. At the helm was Hero of Russia, chief pilot of the Sukhoi Design Bureau Sergei Bogdan. The flight duration was 17 minutes, it was carried out normally in accordance with the conditions of the flight mission.

The second flight deck (no. 052) was turned into a flying laboratory. It currently only has one new engine. Ahead are tests in various flight modes, development and treatment of childhood diseases. Next year they will take off the Su-57 with two.

Russia has begun production of fifth-generation aviation radars for the Su-57>>

As stated by Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, this is a big breakthrough for the Russian aircraft industry, whose specialists have shown that they are capable of creating highly intelligent advanced systems. The new aircraft has a unique airframe, innovative digital features and newest engine. It was the lack of a new modern engine that was one of the arguments of those who refused to call the T-50 fighter a fifth-generation machine.

The engine is completely new and not an upgrade. It has a new fan, hot part, and control system. According to a representative of UEC, the engine has introduced “many innovations, which in some cases do not have a close analogue in the world.”Nozzle second stage engine ( "product 30") has a serrated outer edge and a smooth, flat surface- this reduces the aircraft's visibility to radar while maintaining a high thrust-to-weight ratio. For the same purpose The compressor impellers in the new engine are made of radio-absorbing material. During flight, especially during maneuvers, hot air from the engine mixes with cold atmospheric air, reducing the Su-57's vulnerability to heat-seeking missiles. To enhance cooling, a flow of outside air is passed between the outer edge of the nozzles and their inner surface. To reduce infrared signature, the F-22 designers made the nozzles flat, which negatively affected the Raptor's maneuverability.

For obvious reasons, there is no detailed information about the design solutions used in the engine. However, the requirements placed on it are known.

Firstly, this certain level power supply – the ability to make long flights at supersonic speeds without afterburner. Nowadays fighters fly at cruising speed (subsonic), and go supersonic only with afterburner. The transition to supersonic without afterburner provides fundamentally new combat capabilities. According to various estimates, the second stage engine is 20–25% more efficient than the AL-41F1 engine (type 117).

Secondly, these are increased specific indicators, in particular, thrust per unit mass of the engine.

Thirdly, increased requirements for collateral low visibility of various ranges.

The best fighters of Russia >>

On November 11, 2016, at the A. Lyulka Experimental Design Bureau (Moscow, a branch of PJSC UMPO), the first launch of a test bench sample of the demonstrator engine “product 30” - the second stage engine for the T-50 fighter - took place.

One of the unique developments of Russian engineers for the second stage engine is composite metal-ceramic turbine blades. They are made of particularly heat-resistant alloys and have an extremely complex design. Of course, it is impossible to recreate such an element simply by seeing and copying the engine. The secret is not only in the composition of the unique alloys, which is easy to find out, but also in the casting technology. In Soviet times, teachers at aviation universities half-jokingly promised students the Lenin Prize if they could figure out how to increase the heat resistance of turbine blades by 100 degrees. The efficiency of the engine directly depends on this parameter.

It is known that among the unique developments, in addition to engine blades, a plasma afterburner (ignition system) is also used, which ensures high reliability of ignition of the flame in the afterburner at high altitudes. In other words, this allows oxygen-free engine starting at high altitudes, which increases the survivability of the fighter.

Also the motor will have good characteristics on gas-dynamic stability. This will allow the aircraft to perform all maneuvers without exception, including aerobatic maneuvers.

KRET has completed the program for import substitution of Ukrainian components >>

The engine of the second stage also received high throttle response, which will allow, by making prompt decisions to perform a particular maneuver, to increase thrust to the required values. Finally, it will use a completely digital control system, which will have the highest degree of reliability and reliability.

The new engine will throw America offThe Russian F-22 Raptor (Raptor is a fifth-generation multirole fighter developed by Lockheed Martin, Boeing and General Dynamics with a Pratt & Whitney F119* engine) is really far away. Taking into account the better airframe and the increase in thrust-to-weight ratio (36 tons per second versus 32 for the American), the indicators will be appropriate - speed 3,000 versus 2,410, afterburning 2,100 versus 1,960, range 2,700 versus 1,900, ferry range 5,500 versus 3,220. And this is with a detection range of 400 versus 210, with missiles with a range of 240 (180 tested) versus 100 (80 tested). However, there is a more serious point - the required runway for the Su-57 is 350 meters, for the F-22 it is 915 m.

It is known that the Su-57 belongs to the class of heavy fighters. The aircraft can carry 10 missiles for air combat and 10 missiles for attacking ground targets. At the same time, 9 types of missiles will be new, specially designed for the new aircraft.th generation. Su-57s are also equipped with 30-mm aircraft cannons.

The plane has a fundamental new complex deeply integrated avionics with a high level of control automation and intelligent crew support. This allows the aircraft pilot to concentrate on performing tactical tasks.

The first flight of the PAK FA took place on January 29, 2010 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Since then, nine aircraft with Stage 1 engines have participated in flight tests.

In 2018, the Russian Ministry of Defense plans to conclude a contract for the supply of the first batch of fifth-generation Su-57 fighters to the troops. They will begin to enter service in 2019, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov promised.

MiG-31BM practicing landing with one engine running >>

* Pratt & Whitney F119 is an aviation high-temperature turbojet engine with an afterburner and a thrust vector controlled in the vertical plane, developed by Pratt & Whitney for the 5th generation Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fighter. Option - F119-PW-100. The F-22 aircraft is equipped with two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines with afterburners with a thrust of 15876 kgf, and equipped with a thrust vector controlled in the vertical plane.

These engines have a non-afterburning thrust of about 11,000 kgf and allow the aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds without the use of afterburner, which is an important tactical advantage. The engine nozzles have a flat shape, which reduces the aircraft's visibility in the infrared range. The design of the nozzle devices uses ceramic-based radio-absorbing material, which reduces the radar signature of the aircraft.

otherwise it will turn out that the Ministry of Defense has written off a supersonic bomber from combat aviation in record time!

And so, having completed the task, the crew of “Victor” took a breath and gave “ignition” to the stopped engines. At the same time, let me remind you that the running engines were already at maximum. At the moment the engines turned on, the fuel in their nozzles “burned out”, and the plane flew with an unplanned afterburner, giving the pilots a hard time… The machometer immediately flew out of the measurement limits. Already on the ground, the crew was pleased that they heard the characteristic roar from an aircraft flying at supersonic speed!

So “Victor” became at that time the largest supersonic aircraft in the world!

In general, speaking about supersonic aircraft, experts note that many of them are “supersonic” on paper: supersonic flight is often very limited in time (in terms of fuel or even thermal heating), and with a combat load it is sometimes impossible in principle.

Therefore, if one of the airline companies boasts that, for example, they can achieve the now fashionable “non-afterburning” supersonic sound, in reality this is most likely an “attraction” unrelated to the actual operation of the aircraft.

I don’t remember if I wrote here about the memories of an American test pilot about flying a Su-27?

In short: it was on Nezalezhnaya, which offered freshly worn Soviet “dryers” at the price of scrap metal to anyone. Well, the Americans were concerned. They were only asked to present the product in person: to conduct demonstration flights according to a given program. The American took off in a twin Su-27 with a Ukrainian pilot. There were no suspensions under the plane. According to the plan, we were supposed to gain about 7 km, accelerate with afterburner to M = 1.5 and then, turning off the afterburner, rise to another 10-12 km. We gained 7 km, gave afterburner, accelerated to the required Mach, turned off the afterburner... To the surprise of the American pilot, the flight speed dropped, but remained supersonic - about M = 1.2. At this speed, the “drying” gained (!) another altitude of up to 12 km. After completing the “mode”, the Su-27 successfully returned back to the airfield, flying at the same speed M=1.2! That is, the mountain returned from the training ground much faster. No, it’s clear that the plane is “naked”, and even the “spark” is light, but still!

Here the Americans gasped: “We have to take it!”

Our former “drying place” somewhere above Nevadshchina

Therefore, when the Swedes say that someone flew them at non-afterburning supersonic speed, one can only grunt: “Ha, only four!”