Even though they haven’t signed up a single export partner to defray some of its huge development costs, that doesn’t seem to be a stumbling block for either Suhkoi or the Russian government who have apparently decided to move forward and go into full production with the Su-57. Billed as a fifth generation fighter, the Su-57 is actually less advanced than either the F-22 or F-35 largely because it isn’t nearly as stealthy as either Lockheed aircraft. The Indian Air Force was supposed to purchase the aircraft from Sukhoi to help alleviate its overall cost, but they decided to back out of their commitment a few years ago largely for this very reason.
Popular Mechanics had this to say about the Russian decision to move forward on the project. “According to TASS, a Russian government-owned state media source, Moscow signed a contract for 76 Su-57s last June. At the time, Russia had only committed to buying 16 of the fighters. United Aircraft Corporation, the parent company of the Sukhoi bureau, somehow made the jet twenty percent cheaper, prompting the larger buy.
The big question is how the Su-57 magically got cheaper. Currently there are nine Su-57 prototypes flying, all powered by the AL-41FM1 engine. The AL-41FM1 generates 32,000 pounds of thrust, and the big Su-57 is equipped with two of them. However, the Su-57 is supposed to be equipped with the more powerful Item 30 engines and reportedly cannot cruise at Mach 1 or faster without them. The Item 30s have proven difficult to develop but the Su-57 finally flew with them in 2017. Does the cheaper price reflect the use of the older, less powerful engines? If not, did UAC cut corners on some other aspect of the aircraft’s design?”
For more information on the Su-57, visit Popular Mechanic’s run down on the new aircraft.