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

The United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has patented a drone that is dropped from an aircraft and independently decides to strike.

The carrier aircraft delivers the drone to the line of combat contact on an external sling, drops it, but maintains contact with it. The UAV has an operator control function, but at the same time the drone can independently make decisions about attacking an object that matches the target characteristics.

He is helped in this by an optical system that contains:

● a camera operating in the visible wavelength range;

● or a camera operating in the infrared wavelength range;

● or a system of cameras operating in both visible and infrared wavelengths.

The drone's optical system works in conjunction with an on-board intelligent search and guidance system based on trained neural networks. When using a camera operating in the near and/or far infrared wavelength range, detection and recognition of targets is possible at any time of the day and in any meteorological conditions.

Reconnaissance information about detected targets, telemetric information about the performance and location of the drone, and video footage of the target before it is hit are transmitted to the ground control post or air command post.

The warhead of the UAV is a high-explosive charge, a high-explosive fragmentation charge, a high-explosive fragmentation incendiary charge, and a shaped charge.

At the same time, it is not clear whether the UAC actually already has ready-made samples or whether this is just a “patent of an idea.” There are no technical characteristics of the drone. Perhaps they are simply secret, or perhaps they do not exist at all yet. We are waiting for details and combat use.


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Two per bay. I'm not sure about three. D-30 diameters obviously 30cm, and per @paralay, Su-57 bay width is 0.9m. Even if it's 1m, I'm not sure about. Maybe at different height, but it in turn raises question about bay depth.
Assumption was that singular munition have to fit 4.2x0.42x0.42, i.e. Kh-69 size(which is already generous).
To have pairs, one of dimensions has to be halved.

There are such munitions in development in Russia, but UMPB isn't one - too big. It's more of a normal modern standoff 250-ish weapon, like Hammer. If we'll see multipositional pylons for them(2/3) - it will be it.

Maybe heavy bombers can abuse this form-factor, though.
 
There are such munitions in development in Russia, but UMPB isn't one - too big.
UPMB is not big. The only prblem is rudders, that can be made foldable.
It's a weapon that must fit into 300mm MLRS tube by design. And L : D ratio is ~10:1 judging by photos shown. This is less than eithre Kh-69 or Kh-58USHK, which can be carried by two per bay.
 
First combat loss of Su-57 (note the cage of cope) at Akhtubinsk Airbase:



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE2P-1KGs9g
 
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Will await to see what further developments occur, if the plane is repairable or not.

I expect the Russians to finally begin to act and start building something approaching a quick set up hardened shelters for aircraft.

As Michael Kofman noted, they do adapt, but typically only after getting punched on the nose.
 
If you going to discuss shelters, enclosures and airfields defense, create new topic and do it there.
 
View: https://x.com/haltman/status/1799892476339122364



 
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How do you come to that conclusion?
Difficult to assert at this point. Mind you those prototypes are still flying around. And Aktubinsk base is a test center.
The serial jets are still attached to Knaaz on-amur base near its factory.
Sure some of them are detached and operate from other airbases around Russia.

There is also the dummies. We know they made dummies out of other jets.
 
Defense Updates has put out a video about the potential loss of an Su-57:


The Ukrainian military has managed to damage Russia’s most advanced fighter jet.
Main Directorate of Intelligence or GUR wrote on its Telegram channel, “On June 8, 2024, a Su-57 multi-purpose fighter of the aggressor state was hit on the territory of the Akhtubinsk airfield in the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation, located 589 kilometers (365 miles) from the line of combat,”
It added, “The pictures show that on the seventh of June the Su-57 was standing intact, and on the eighth, there were ruptures from the explosion and characteristic spots of the fire caused by the fire damage near it.”
In this video, Defense Updates reports on the first-ever combat loss of the Russian Sukhoi Su-57 Felon
Chapters:
00:11 INTRODUCTION
01:53 RUSSIAN CONFIRMATION
05:18 ROLE IN UKRAINE

Whether or not the Su-57 was a prototype, pre-production or production Putin will definitely be blowing his top in private.
 
And news came out and it seems much of the metropolis upgrades will be implemented on su-57 fighters in 2025. It's a bummer as there were blurbs saying that we might see izd30 engines on fighters made this year. I am guessing it will probably be next year though.
 

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