In the future, a two-seater Su-57 will possibly be in demand for export said the first deputy chairman of the board of the Military-Industrial Commission, Andrey Yelchaninov, in an interview with Interfax on Wednesday.
Follow New Defence Order. Strategy on Google News.
When asked about meeting the deadlines for delivering the aircraft to the Ministry of Defence, he said that it will be completed on time by the end of December.
Assessing the Su-57 project
Su-57 is one of the basic programs in the interest of the Ministry of Defence. This is a platform on the basis of which a whole family of aircraft, including specialized ones, can be born. Perhaps for the first time in the history of aviation, such a huge volume of tests will have to be performed: 10 aircraft are involved in them, more than 4,200 flights have been performed. They have not been fully completed yet. But there is complete confidence that the aircraft in the form that is being transferred to the troops will complete state tests in 2021, all technical problems have been resolved.
Second-Stage Engine for Su-57
We hope that within the framework of this or the next serial contract, the aircraft will already be supplied with a new engine. Yes, this is a rather lengthy procedure, but the re-motorisation of an aircraft has always been a slow process, which requires both a large number of flight tests and an assessment of the interaction of all systems with the power plant.
New Weapons for Su-57
The peculiarity of the Su-57 is that it carries not only weapons that are already used by other types of aircraft (MiG-29, Su-30SM, Su-34), but also new types of weapons that will be used from the inside of the fuselage space. Their tests are planned to be completed in 2021 as part of the aviation armament complex. They are created from scratch, these are completely new samples, with new characteristics, using new guiding principles. This is a really big step forward. The Su-57 is a smart aircraft with smart weapons - air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles.
Export of Su-57
A product that is highly appreciated domestically by the Ministry of Defence will also be in demand by our foreign partners. Negotiations are underway with potential buyers.
Various delivery options are being considered: separate aircraft and aircraft with a full range of weapons, with an after-sales service system. In addition, at the request of the customer, the appearance of the aircraft can be modified. So we are confidently talking about the export prospects of the Su-57.
It is possible that a two-seater Su-57 will be in demand for export. We are able to create it: now this need is being rethought by both our Ministry of Defence and potential customers.
This is an excerpt from the interview published by Interfax.
