Sukhoi Su-57 / T-50 / PAK FA - flight testing and development Part II [2012-current]

[Deino]

Does anyone know what these bubble looking things in the canopy glass could be? Appears around 1:03.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Condensation or collected perspiration, I'd say.

 

[Deino]

Condensation or collected perspiration, I'd say.

Hmmm? It looks more like an air-bubble than drops?

 

[flanker]

Well, you should know that opinion is the panacea of the free men and cease to be only when proved irrefutably to be wrong. Then denial or negationism they can be.

Untill this day, you will have to let me say what I honestly think is a valid assersion my dear. Thank you.

Nice word salad with nothing said, babe. Stay ignorant.

Does anyone know what these bubble looking things in the canopy glass could be? Appears around 1:03.

View attachment 629839

Doesn't look like moving bubbles to me, imho some sort of production fault. Probably not material. I thought it was bubbles in the canopy too cause they didnt move as one would expect with water, however, if one looks at the 22s shot or so of the same cockpit they cant be seen. So either the shots were taken at completely different times with different canopies (extremely unlikely) or they are just water indeed.

Here is another video:

Same story there, no canopy bubbles seen. Also worth noting is that the dark grey camo T-50-8 has a different left intake under vertical stabs than the usual. I checked, and sure enough T-50S-1 had the same style intake.

 

[GARGEAN]

I checked, and sure enough T-50S-1 had the same style intake.

Assembly photos?

 

[Ainen]

Condensation or collected perspiration, I'd say.

Hmmm? It looks more like an air-bubble than drops?

Shitty quality of canopy was long rumored for early articles.
Looks like we have a proof. Interesting that editors missed this.

 

[TomcatViP]

Nice word salad with nothing said, babe. Stay ignorant.

Another internet cowboy, I see (throwing insults at ppl from behind your screen) . Sad.

 

[Josh_TN]

I believe on another forum I declared that the Russians would never *sell* Su-35; color me surprised. I think the entire order was two dozen airframes, which is a blatant technology transfer not an operational force. I've no doubt Su-57 will be a real thing that is produced by the dozens, but I think the 76 order won't be met anywhere near the 2025 end date that the Russians are floating. That would require at least an aircraft every month startying NOW. Seems exceedingly unlikely we get there until the end of the decade.

 

[GARGEAN]

2027. Not 2025.

 

[kaiserd]

2027. Not 2025.

The stated date appears to vary depending the source; the April 2019 Combat Aircraft Journal article, quoting an Kommersant article, stated 2028.
But I would agree with generally skeptical opinions being expressed - even if you do build that many Su-57s in this timescale given that it sounds like they’ll won’t be that many of them and they’ll have different engines, avionics etc. (and unlike as was the case for the F-35 this can’t be the start of many hundreds/ thousands of them).
This sounds more like the recipe for a small expensive “paper force” for “national moral” type reasons rather than the basis for a sensible procurement strategy.

 

[flanker]

I checked, and sure enough T-50S-1 had the same style intake.

Assembly photos?

Nah, early assembly video from ~May (iirc). See attached pic.

Shitty quality of canopy was long rumored for early articles.
Looks like we have a proof. Interesting that editors missed this.

See my correction, the "bubbles" are only seen in one shot, all the other shots of same frame with same pilot doesnt show them.

 

[icyplanetnhc (Steve)]

I checked, and sure enough T-50S-1 had the same style intake.

Assembly photos?

Nah, early assembly video from ~May (iirc). See attached pic.

Shitty quality of canopy was long rumored for early articles.
Looks like we have a proof. Interesting that editors missed this.

See my correction, the "bubbles" are only seen in one shot, all the other shots of same frame with same pilot doesnt show them.

I’m surprised that the production standard “Stage Two” Su-57 still has that many visible metal reinforcements. I was under the impression that it was supposed to have a reworked internal structure to avoid that?

 

[Trident]

See my correction, the "bubbles" are only seen in one shot, all the other shots of same frame with same pilot doesnt show them.

 

[Samoderzhets]

The contract is for procurement during the current rearmament program of 2018-2027. So through 2027, which can be expressed as "by 2028".

If we assume following production:

2020: 1
2021: 2
2022: 6
2023: 10
2024: 14
2025: 14
2026: 14
2027: 14

We get to 75 by 2028. And it is nothing unbelievable.

Su-35S production for comparison (includes frames for China):
2011: 2
2012: 8
2013: 12
2014: 12
2015: 14
2016: 14
2017: 20
2018: 20


About the RAM treatment of Su-57:

Rivets surrounded by RAM (2nd stage prototype T-50-8):

Rivets with no RAM surrounding them (1st stage prototype):

Contrary to the rather popular misconception that no PAK FA frame so far has a RAM treatment, actually all the 2nd stage prototypes have it. But the RAM doesn't cover all the surface areas. The borders of the RAM coverage are pretty clear on this picture of the first flying 2nd stage proto:

The first serial frame appeared to follow the same pattern:

One would imagine that in the areas with RAM treatment, the rivet holes in the RAM coverage could cause some disturbances for the electromagnetic wave, but that is probably not relevant if we are not talking about RCS in the range of 0.0001. While clearly in different category stealth-wise compared to Super Hornet, Eurofighter and Rafale, some finer RCS reduction measures are lacking compared to F-22 or J-20.
I wonder what kind of a bottleneck the first stage engine presents for RCS. Obviously the conventional nozzle alone affects it negatively from non-frontal sectors, but if the radar blocker is not meant to work optimally alone, needing 5th gen inlet guide vanes for proper results then the aircraft is handicapped from frontal sector as well with the old engines. That could explain why complete RAM coverage isn't useful for the current version. Of course it is also totally plausible, that a 0.0001 level (with its own drawbacks like the weight increase from more RAM) wasn't seen as optimal for a fighter designed to perform its most crucial role (defensive counterair i.e. defense of own airspace) within the framework of very powerful friendly IADS.

One would not be surprised to see some fighter design philosophy differences between the DCA leaning Russians and OCA leaning Americans.

 

[Deino]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1243831261631840256

 

[flanker]

See my correction, the "bubbles" are only seen in one shot, all the other shots of same frame with same pilot doesnt show them.

View attachment 629897

Hmm, just one bubble and looks to be in a different location. IMHO, we are still looking at water here, another possibility is maybe something on the lens of the camera?

 

[VTOLicious]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1243831261631840256

Interesting stuff on that website linked to the tweet...

 

[kaiserd]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1243831261631840256

Interesting stuff on that website linked to the tweet...

I think everyone would like a clearer look at how this (or something very close to this) is happening in practice

 

[flanker]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1243831261631840256

Interesting stuff on that website linked to the tweet...

UVKU-50L is for the main bays, hence for different weapons. And as seen, it is not a rail system but an ejector, R-73 family uses rails. Secondly, the door doesnt open like that, as seen both from the video and the patent, it opens towards the intakes. I could have sworn i have seen datasheet for the sidebay rail, but i cant find it...

 

[flateric]

It's all, all wrong - starting from the main weapons bay shapes and finishing with wrong launcher for a wrong missile...

 

[Trident]

Bort #510 with RAM on the radome tracing the position of the canted radar array face inside:



(https://vk.com/mil?w=wall-133441491_319384)

 

[Deino]

It's all, all wrong - starting from the main weapons bay shapes and finishing with wrong launcher for a wrong missile...

In that Chinese CG or in the link added?

 

[stealthflanker]

The Chinese CG.

It seems the patent that clearly depict how the missile is released is completely ignored and people just make things up. I wonder if the patent is not clear enough on the mechanism.

For me tho it is very clear. Prob i should try animate one.

 

[flanker]

It's all, all wrong - starting from the main weapons bay shapes and finishing with wrong launcher for a wrong missile...

Please remind me flateric, is there a datasheet for the sidebay rails out there in the open ala UVKU-50L/UVKU-50U? Again, could have sworn seeing it...

 

[flateric]

nope. just a patent for a side bay

 

[FighterJock]

nope. just a patent for a side bay

Would love to see that patent for the side bay flateric, or is there a link to it on the internet?

 

[flanker]

nope. just a patent for a side bay

Would love to see that patent for the side bay flateric, or is there a link to it on the internet?

I even posted it on this page in a previous comment, but here it is again.

 

[QuadroFX]

Fresh official photos







(c)Russian MoD

 

[dan_inbox]

Is this paint scheme supposed to be a camouflage and help avoid id? Really?

 

[stealthflanker]

Well, dont beat me if my interpretation of the patent is still inaccurate. But here is the orientation of R-73 missile in Sidebay.

This is when the bay ois open and the missile is about to launch.

The launching position, so the launcher is lowered then the pylon part which handles the missile move bit forward to clear the seeker viewpoint.

From top side

Not depicted is of course the heat resistant plate which will resist and direct the initial blast from the launch.

 

[FighterJock]

Thanks for trying stealthflanker.

 

[Evgeniy]

Is this paint scheme supposed to be a camouflage and help avoid id? Really?

Now, with the "pixel" version of the color decided.
Naturally, later, they can introduce a new option.

 

[Rhinocrates]

Is this paint scheme supposed to be a camouflage and help avoid id? Really?

This is high resolution at close range in clear air in full daylight against a high contrast background. The opposite of all of these will apply in real combat situations. The idea is not to make the aircraft invisible, but to make it easy to misjudge its distance when making instant decisions.

 

[flanker]

More here.

 

[Grey Havoc]

The idea is not to make the aircraft invisible, but to make it easy to misjudge its distance when making instant decisions.

As well as to help confuse optical trackers.

 

[yasotay]

All in all a very nice looking fighter. Though I still like the SU-30(whatever) with the little flippy things up front better.

 

[stealthflanker]

So an animation. sorry for the clipping tho, that's just me misplaced the R-73's.

 

[FighterJock]

So an animation. sorry for the clipping tho, that's just me misplaced the R-73's.

Nice animation of the working of the Su-57's side bay stealthflanker, thanks for posting it.

 

[Evgeniy]

Стало известно, когда истребители Су-57 получат новейший двигатель

Поставки истребителей пятого поколения Су-57 в ВКС России спланированы в два этапа: до середины 2020-х годов с двигателем четвертого поколения, после – с двигателем пятого поколения, сообщил заместитель министра обороны Алексей Криворучко журналу «Национальная оборона».

vz.ru

Well, in principle, they said about such a term, by mouth.
There will probably be another contract for the Su-35S, until 2025.

 

[flateric]

Стало известно, когда истребители Су-57 получат новейший двигатель

Поставки истребителей пятого поколения Су-57 в ВКС России спланированы в два этапа: до середины 2020-х годов с двигателем четвертого поколения, после – с двигателем пятого поколения, сообщил заместитель министра обороны Алексей Криворучко журналу «Национальная оборона».

vz.ru

it was known back in December http://redstar.ru/fundament-oboronosposobnosti-otechestva-nadyozhen/