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 engines that were running were already at their maximum. At the moment the engines were turned on, the fuel in their nozzles "burned out", and the plane flew off on an unplanned afterburner, giving the pilots seats in the rear ... The mahometer immediately flew out of measurement limits. Already on the ground, the crew was pleased that they heard the characteristic roar from the plane 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: they often have very limited time (in terms of fuel or even thermal heating) to fly in supersonic, and sometimes it is impossible in principle with a combat load.
Therefore, if someone from the air companies boasts that, like, they can have the now fashionable "non-afterburner" supersonic sound, in reality it is most likely an "attraction" unrelated to the actual operation of the aircraft.
Now, I don’t remember whether I wrote here about the memoirs of one American test pilot about the flight on the Su-27?
In short: it was on Nezalezhnaya, which offered freshly gouged Soviet "dryers" at the price of scrap metal to anyone. Well, the Americans took care. They only asked to present the product with a person: to conduct demonstration flights according to a given program. The American flew in a Su-27 with a Ukrainian pilot. There were no suspensions under the plane. According to the plan, they were supposed to gain about 7 km, accelerate with the afterburner to M = 1.5 and then, turning off the afterburner, climb up to 10-12 km. We gained 7 km, gave afterburner, accelerated to the desired Mach, turned off the afterburner ... To the surprise of the American pilot, the flight speed dropped, but remained supersonic - of the order of M = 1.2. At this speed, the "drying" gained (!) Another height of up to 12 km. After completing the "regime", the Su-27 successfully returned back to the airfield, going at the same speed M = 1.2! That is, the mountain-a-a-azdo returned from the landfill faster. Not, it is clear that the plane is "naked", and even the "spark" - light, but still!
Here the Americans and "ahijaknulo": "We must take!"
Our former "drying" somewhere above Nevadshchina
Therefore, when the Swedes say that someone flew them on non-afterburning supersonic, you can only chuckle: "Ha, there are only four!"
Because only cruising supersonic will provide acceptable survivability of promising stealthy strike aircraft operating without fighter cover in Anti-Access Area-Denial zones.
Consider the conceptual design of Lockheed Martin's LRSA (Long Range Strike Aircraft) in 2007:
Why was it abandoned? Because in American realities, this design does not exactly fit into today's requirements of no more than 550 million dollars per car with a series of 80-100 cars.
This is what the LRS-B design looks like from the New Bomber Team of Boeing and Lockheed Martin now:
In competing with New Bomber Team Nortrop Grumman, the concept differs only in details:
Do I need to write that the transition from supersonic to subsonic design was primarily due to economic reasons?
As a rule, one cannot consider any weapon system separately from other systems. However, there are exceptions - for example, a long-range strike aircraft operating in the enemy's air defense zone without support from its front-line (tactical) aviation.This is how the Americans considered the concept of New bomber on horizon for 2018 (The Bomber 2018), aka LRSA, and some eight years ago:
"The B-52 and B-1 are not expected to engage a target in guarded enemy territory without the help of advanced airframes like the stealthy F-22 Raptor, according to Lt. Col. Tony Siler, ACC chief of the Ground Dominance Capability Team. "We refer to it as," Kick down the door, "" said Colonel Siler. Taking down a portion of the enemy "s air defense is the initial part of air warfare." A B-1 or B-52 can "t penetrate guarded territory on its own - but the new bomber could be expected to penetrate, engage, and return without any help."
It was planned that a promising long-range strike aircraft would operate in A2AD zones completely independently. "" We refer to it as, "Kick down the door" ... new bomber could be expected to penetrate, engage, and return without any help."
Within a few years, economic realities forced to abandon this concept and, within the framework of the NGB (Next Generation Bomber) program and later the LRS-B (Long Range Strike Bomber) program that replaced it, rely on a kind of simplified and cheaper B-2. Such an LRS-B will require support from tactical aviation in the A2AD zones, similar to which, for example, was accompanied by the B-2A bombers raids in 1999 on targets in Serbia:
"The B-2A had a solid air cover in the skies of Serbia, which included an EA-6B electronic warfare aircraft and F-15C fighters with the informational support of the Sentry AWACS. Such tactics contradict the principles of using stealth aircraft (to act alone, In addition, the price of one sortie of a bomber was sharply increasing. It was also necessary to work very delicately to coordinate the joint actions of many different types of aircraft. This could not but affect the efficiency of the combat employment of bombers. and ensuring the required secrecy. However, the Americans (especially after the loss of the first F-117), probably relied more on the power of the air cover, and not on the combat survivability of the Spirit itself. "
At the same time, for the failed project to modernize the B-1B into a two-speed B-1R, for example, such "raider" scenarios were considered:
They came in a couple (at the moment when the F-22A had practically exhausted their missile potential in a collision with a numerically superior enemy) and defeated everyone.
If we return "to our penates", that is, to the PAK DA, then we need a supersonic long-range strike aircraft that also carries an "air-to-air" weapon for operations in A2AD zones without any support from our front-line (tactical) aviation.
We do not have such a number of air bases around the world, a large aircraft carrier fleet and a powerful fleet of refueling aircraft like the Americans have to support long-range strike aircraft flights to intercontinental ranges with groups of front-line fighters and electronic warfare aircraft. PAK YES must have the ability " infiltrate, find and return unaided."
And yes, the ill-fated UCLASS from the previous post. After all, it was also intended as a deck vehicle for independent long-range penetration into A2AD zones and solving shock problems there. But you see, they appreciated the chances - we burst into tears. If the B-2A, which needed cover from the EA-6B and F-15C, even in the night sky over Serbia in a multi-hour flight with an average speed of 720 km / h, then this miracle has a cruising speed of 580 km / h. How this miracle will independently exist without the cover of electronic warfare aircraft and fighters in the cruel world of over-the-horizon, multi-position, balloon radars of the future and zonal air defense missiles and fighters (possibly unmanned) guided by their target designations, in principle, it is clear - bad, but not for long.
Where UCLASS is being read today, a colleague knows better
Russia has made progress in creating a unique engine for the fifth generation aircraft
In contact with
classmates
Victor Martynyuk
Photo wikimedia.com
In the shadow of the news about the nomination of Vladimir Putin, there was an extremely important event for the national aviation. The promising Russian Su-57 fighter made its maiden flight with a new engine ("product 30"). This means that our country has acquired a full-fledged fifth generation aircraft. The Su-57 will definitely be included in the State Armament Program, which must be approved by the President, and the first batch of fighters will go to the Aerospace Forces in 2018-2019.
Network centric war
The Su-57 is better known as the T-50 and the Advanced Frontline Aviation Complex (PAK FA). The fighter received a similar name in August 2017. According to the declared tactical and technical characteristics (TTX), this machine belongs to the fifth generation. Russia has been striving to create such an aircraft since the 1990s. The preliminary design of the T-50 was completed at the Sukhoi Design Bureau in November 2004, and in 2010 a prototype took to the skies for the first time.
The main differences between the fifth generation and the fourth (according to experts, are rather arbitrary) are in the maximum automation of the control process, multifunctionality, stealth ("flat" geometry and special materials in the design) and high speed characteristics (reaching supersonic speed in non-afterburner mode) ...
The pilot of such a machine receives information from all information carriers within a radius of hundreds of kilometers thanks to advanced software and a radar station. It is believed that the fifth generation fighter is intended for combat operations in the conditions of the so-called network-centric war.
In military terms, the participants in the theater of military operations (TMD) are connected by a single information and communication field, which allows them to assess the situation in detail and respond more quickly to its change. The events taking place can literally be observed on the monitor screen. This deprives the enemy of surprise and room for unexpected maneuvers.
In practice, if we take the Syrian operation of the Aerospace Forces as an example, network-centric warfare will be expressed in the fact that the information received from the drone on the location of the terrorist command post will be available to the Special Operations Forces units, airborne Su-57 crews and headquarters. The theater participants will be able to control the process of destruction of the enemy object in real time.
Ridiculous situation
The key problem of the PAK FA was the lack of an appropriate engine. Since 2010, these years, prototypes of the Su-57 have flown on AL-41F1 engines ("product 117"), which are installed on machines of the previous generation.
When creating and finalizing the PAK FA, the domestic designer managed to solve many technical and technological problems. According to unconfirmed reports, some of the materials and components were purchased abroad. Imported products made it possible to ignore the problems in the production of composites and some aggregates (in particular, electronics).
With the introduction of the sanctions regime, Western states practically stopped military-technical cooperation with Moscow. In addition to this, the Su-57 did not have a suitable engine. Judging by the test results, the designers managed to solve the vast majority of the difficulties that arose, and in a relatively short time.
Experts suggest that at the beginning of 2017, Russia was ready to launch mass production of the Su-57. However, the lack of an engine slowed down this process and shifted the dates for the adoption of the machine into service. It was impossible to delay the launch of production, if only for reputation reasons. The car took off seven years ago, and during this time the federal media turned the PAK FA (like the Armata tank) into a PR project.
The Russian man in the street had some incredible expectations of the Su-57. First of all, the citizens were inspired with the idea that the American fifth-generation aircraft F-22 and F-35 are an expensive toy, and our new fighter (for some unknown reason) will be definitely better. In recent years, a huge amount of material has been released comparing the capabilities of the PAK FA and the latest US aircraft.
Thanks to this presentation of information, Russia found itself in a very ridiculous situation. The Su-57, as the media vied with each other, is the coolest fighter of our time, but there is no engine for it. This circumstance buries the meaning of any arguments in favor of the PAK FA, and journalists and all kinds of experts said little on such an uncomfortable topic.
The development of the engine for the PAK FA was classified. The presentation of the demonstration sample took place on November 11, 2016 at the A. Lyulka Development Bureau (Moscow), in October 2017, the first photographs appeared. It is assumed that the "product 30" will be able to develop thrust in cruise mode in 107 kilonewtons and in afterburner mode - in 176 kilonewtons.
The designers were faced with the task of creating an engine with increased thrust (that is, very powerful) and an economical mode of fuel consumption. The first flight may indicate that the lion's share of the problems was eventually solved. According to official information, the tests of "product 30" were carried out routinely, the flight lasted 17 minutes. Piloted by the Su-57 Hero of Russia Sergei Bogdan.
“This is proof of the high potential of the Russian aircraft industry, capable of creating highly intelligent advanced systems - a unique airframe, innovative digital filling, the latest engines,” said Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov.
The introduction of the Su-57 into service will allow Russia to maintain its status as the second largest aviation power after the United States. At the moment, only the United States can boast of achievements in the field of the latest aviation technologies that have been implemented in practice. China believes it also has a fifth generation aircraft, but the Chengdu J-20 fighter lacks a suitable engine.
Fifth generation fighters, created in the United States and in Russia, already differ little 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 a number of cases there is still a gap, 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 engine of the second stage, took off
Photo: vpk.nameM The long-term program for the creation of a fifth-generation Russian fighter has finally reached the home stretch. 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 proceeded as usual. "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.
The new power plant with the working name "product 30" is capable of developing a maximum thrust at the afterburner of up to 19 tons. This is about 15–20% more than that of the first stage engine - AL-41F1S. According to the general director of the A.M. Lyulka Design Bureau Evgeniya Marchukova, such characteristics were achieved due to a sharp improvement in the parameters of the operating cycle, the efficiency of the units and the use of new structural materials. As the developers assure, they managed to reduce the number of parts in the high-pressure compressor of the new engine by almost half in comparison with 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 practically the same as that of its predecessor.
In general, a number of innovative solutions have been introduced in “product 30”, and some of them have no analogues in the world.
In general, a number of innovative solutions have been introduced in “product 30”, and some of them have no analogues in the world. First of all, these are composite metal-ceramic turbine blades made of extra 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 the plasma afterburner, which provides oxygen-free engine start at high altitudes, which increases the survivability of the fighter in close combat. For this, the nozzles of the engines can be deflected in two planes at once - up and down and left and right, and not only in one, as in all other aircraft of this class.
Cruising supersonic
But most importantly, thanks to the new engines, the Su-57 can now fly a considerable distance at supersonic cruising speed, that is, without using 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 airborne radar system with an active phased antenna array (AFAR), which allows detecting all air targets at a long range and issuing a command to destroy them. Note that the supersonic cruise flight mode greatly saves fuel, which means that it sharply increases the combat radius of the aircraft. Today, in the whole world, there is only one fighter that fully meets all the criteria of the fifth generation - this is the heavy American F-22 Raptor. It is no longer produced, but is on alert 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 ranks as the fifth generation, matches it only partially. Due to the design features, this aircraft can fly at supersonic speed without turning on 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 using afterburner.
Photo: WistaNews.ru
Thus, our Su-57 will become the second full-fledged fifth generation fighter to enter service. This is expected to happen by the end of next year. Now the new Russian aircraft has already completed the state test program of the first stage 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 the algorithms of actions, including the use of specially designed new generation aircraft weapons in combat conditions. 14 different types of them have already been created, including air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, as well as corrected aerial bombs. True, the Su-57's internal fuselage compartments are unlikely to fit more than eight missiles. That is, the same as the F-22 Raptor. “During the tests, protocols of information interaction with almost all types of weapons have already been agreed. The work is going hard. Launches are not far off. This applies to the products of both "Raduga" and "Vympel" and the parent company in Korolev, "said the head of the Tactical Missile Armament Corporation (KTRV) Boris Obnosov... All these enterprises have been developing air-launched hypersonic missiles since Soviet times. One of them, as part of the "Dagger" complex, has already been tested with the MiG-31 and has been in service with the Southern Military District for several months. This means that, unlike the American fighter jet, 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 Mach 10 at a distance of more than two thousand kilometers
According to the Deputy Minister of Defense Yuri Borisov, by the end of this year, his department will sign a contract for the supply of a pilot batch of 12 Su-57 fighters. However, after training flight personnel at the Lipetsk Aviation Center, the number of acquired fighters will increase dramatically - at least up to 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 they be able to win a technological duel in aerial confrontation?
Combat functionality vs low visibility
It's 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 also applies to the very structure of the airframe, and its skin, and the materials used. By the way, this is why the armament of such aircraft is, as a rule, placed only in the internal fuselage compartments, although external suspensions on the wings are also provided for additional missiles. But in the latter case, the fighter's visibility for radars, primarily for long-range ground-based air defense systems with powerful radars, increases sharply. And the detection range is increased to the maximum. Basically, this means that the missile-laden aircraft simply turns into a target that is relatively easy to shoot down.
Fifth generation fighters put into service and undergoing testing
| 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. etc. |
| Service ceiling (km) |
20 | 20 | 18,2 | 20 |
| Empty aircraft weight (tons) |
18,5 |
19,7 |
13,3 |
19,4 |
| Normal takeoff weight * |
30,6 |
29,2 |
24,4 |
32 |
| Effective scattering area (EPR; sq. M) |
n. etc. |
0,005–0,3 |
0,001–0,2 |
> 0,5 |
10 |
10,3 |
9,1 |
n. etc. |
| Maximum missiles for air combat ** |
8 |
8 |
6 |
8 |
| Maximum air-to-surface missiles ** |
4 | – | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum corrected aerial bombs ** |
4 |
2–8 |
2–8 |
2 |
| Radar |
Н036 "Squirrel" |
AN / APG-77 |
AN / APG-81 |
KLJ-5 |
| The 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. etc. |
| Detection range of 5th generation fighters (km) |
80–90 |
75–90 |
110–120 |
n. etc. |
| Detection range of cruise missiles (km) |
140–170 |
110–140 |
120–140 |
n. etc. |
| Takeoff run (meters) |
280 |
250 |
200 |
> 350 |
| The share of composites in the airframe structure *** (%) |
25–70 |
40–60 |
40–60 |
< 20 |
| Price (mln USD) |
n. etc. |
206–350 |
95–117 |
110 |
| Status |
experimental combat operation |
in service |
in service |
operational readiness |
| Combat radius (km) |
over 1000 |
760 |
1080 |
n. etc. |
| Maximum thrust at afterburner (tf) |
2 × 19 |
2 × 15.8 |
1 × 19.5 |
2 × 16 **** |
| Afterburner thrust-to-weight ratio at normal takeoff weight with full tanks |
1,2 |
1,08 |
0,96 |
0,94 |
* With ammunition and full fuel tank.
** Only in internal compartments in the standard set at the moment (the number of missiles and corrected aerial bombs varies depending on the mission, but cannot exceed the maximum combat load).
*** By mass and by surface area.
**** For WS-15 engines.
Another thing is confrontation in aerial combat with a vehicle of a similar class. This is where stealth technology, coupled with airborne radars, plays a decisive role. It is well known that the signature of an aircraft is characterized by its effective scattering 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 an electromagnetic wave. The smaller this area, the more difficult it is to detect the plane and, accordingly, to hit it with a rocket. In any case, the detection range is sharply reduced. So, almost all fourth-generation fighters have an EPR of more than 1 sq. m, and in cars of the fifth generation it is several times less. And although the exact data are kept secret, most experts tend to believe that, for example, the F-22 and F-35 have an average RCS of about 0.2-0.3 square meters. m. True, the developer of the aircraft - the corporation Lockheed Martin - assures that the RCS of the F-22 when irradiated by the radar from certain angles does not exceed 0.0001 sq. m. "On the radar, this plane is reflected like a golf ball," - Americans like to brag. But if such an indicator is actually achieved, then only with the frontal impact of the radar of another of the same aircraft at the same altitude.
It must be said here that the RCS of complex objects cannot be calculated using formulas, since it is measured empirically with special instruments in anechoic chambers or at test sites. Moreover, its value depends very much on the direction from which the aircraft is irradiated, and for the same aircraft it is represented by the 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 the minimum values of the range, its lower limit. Several years ago, the chief designer of the Su-57 Alexander Davydenko estimated the average value of the RCS of the F-22 in 0.3-0.4 sq. m and at the same time emphasized that "we have similar requirements for visibility."
Nevertheless, it must be admitted that the 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 is accounted for by thermoplastic carbon-fiber reinforced plastics and radio-absorbing materials. The latter constructively form the edges of the aircraft wings. Most of 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. In this case, the nozzles of the engines 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 destructive in conditions of close air combat, since it significantly limits the aircraft's maneuvering capabilities, since the engines can only deflect up or down.
“On the radar, this plane is reflected like a golf ball,” Americans like to brag. But in fact, if such an indicator is actually achieved, then only with the frontal influence of the radar of another aircraft of the same at the same height
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 they 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 aerobatics of virtually any complexity, which are so popular with the audience of air shows. In fact, these complex piloting elements are of great practical importance - many of them are designed to evade enemy missiles fired at an aircraft. It is not known whether these design solutions will be retained on production vehicles. The latest prototypes of the Su-57 are somewhat different from the first models. After strengthening the airframe design and some other changes, our fighter became several tens of centimeters longer: its nose cone was changed, and classical air pressure receivers disappeared from the outer skin, which were replaced by complex systems for measuring altitude and speed parameters.
But one parameter has 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 the weapons (the mass of the combat load for 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, two Su-57 engines can deliver a maximum thrust at afterburner of 38 tons per second, while the F-22 has only 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 for the F-22 these figures are about a quarter less. The situation is approximately the same with the 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 that of its American competitors, is made of composites and radio-absorbing materials. By weight, they make up about a quarter of the empty weight of the Su-57, which is slightly less than that of the F-22, and in terms of surface area - 70%, this is slightly more than that of the American.
In other words, in conditions of long-range air combat, our fighter, other things being equal, has a much higher chance of successfully performing all anti-missile maneuvers and avoiding weapons fired at it. Still, the main indicator of the survivability of the fifth generation aircraft is its avionics, including radar and radars.
"Squirrel" is ready for battle
It was on him that the Americans initially made the 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, which consists of a plurality of transceiver modules. In the first case, there are a little less than two thousand of them, and in the second - only 1200. Note that the use of radars with active phased antenna arrays marked the transition from silicon electronics to revolutionary heterostructures and monolithic microwave microcircuits based on gallium arsenide or nitride.
Key Indicators of Fifth Generation Fighter Programs in the United States, Russia and China
| Model | F-22A | F-35A / B / C | Su-57 | J-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creation program cost (USD billion) * |
66,7 |
55,1 |
> 5 |
n. etc. |
| First flight |
1997 year |
year 2000 |
2010 year |
2011 |
| Start of serial production |
year 2001 |
2006 year |
2019 year |
2017 year |
| 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 |
| The current planned volume of purchases for the national aircraft ** |
- |
2443 |
12–60 |
40 |
| Planned export volume ** |
export prohibited |
400 |
- |
- |
Sources: Lockheed Martin, Pentagon, author estimates
* Including R&D.
** As of March 2018.
And it's clear why. The advent 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 forces, 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 - on the basis of gallium nitride. Gallium nitride remains operational at temperatures up to 200 ° C, while arsenide - at half the temperature. Accordingly, the power is different: almost 20 watts per channel versus 7 watts. This makes it possible to increase the potential of the signals and, as a consequence, increase the range of the radar or reduce the antenna diameter. If you believe the data from Lockheed Martin, then the radars on the F-22 and F-35 can detect targets with EPR 1 sq. m in normal mode at a distance of up to 225 km and up to 193 km in LPI mode (low probability of interception). And, say, cruise missiles with an RCS of 0.1 sq. m they will be able to detect at a distance 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 actually it is not. The thing is that the "Belka" consists of five antennas with AFAR at once, three of which work in the X-band, and two more - in the L-band. Moreover, they, together with electronic warfare equipment, are dispersed over the entire surface of the fighter and make up the so-called smart skin of the Su-57. It is she who provides the pilot with a 360 ° view and allows him to detect inconspicuous 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 higher chance of successfully performing all anti-missile maneuvers and avoiding weapons fired at it.
But that is not all. In front of the cockpit of the Su-57, optical-location stations of the Atoll complex are also installed. They control the entire airspace in the optical range along the entire perimeter of the aircraft and can detect aircraft by thermal radiation at a distance of several tens of kilometers and direct air-to-air missiles at them, as well as protect the aircraft itself from attacking enemy missiles. However, OLS can be quite effectively used against ground targets - they provide the use of aviation weapons with television or laser homing heads. The Su-57 also has several sensors for detecting missiles 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 accompany 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 precisely with the capabilities of the radars, and not the aircraft themselves. So, the F-22 has a maximum of eight missiles in its internal compartments. That is, the same as the Su-57. And, for example, the internal ammunition load of the F-35 is only six air-to-air missiles. So these aircraft, with all their desire, will not be able to destroy 20 air targets.
Thus, early target detection is likely to be critical in medium-range aerial combat. Our aircraft has it 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 F-35's capabilities in terms of earlier detection of fifth-generation fighters. But we must understand that all these are only estimates. Apparently, the real indicators are not known not only by experts, but even by the military of the United States and Russia. And this is easy to explain. In Syria, F-22s avoid appearing on our radars; they rarely fly into the active zone of operation of the Russian S-400 air defense systems. Therefore, it is not yet possible to compile an accurate electronic profile of these aircraft. True, the lieutenant general of the USAF Veralinn Jameson the other day she said that "the sky over Iraq and Syria has become for Russia a real storehouse of information about our actions." However, this still mainly concerned not the technical characteristics of American aircraft, but the tactics of their use by the US Air Force. Finally, there is some reason to believe that the V. V. Tikhomirov Research Institute of Instrument Engineering (NIIP), while creating more advanced versions of "Belka", nevertheless switched to the use of gallium nitride. In any case, the general director of NIIP Yuri Bely in an interview with Izvestia, he said that his institute was able to assess the shortcomings of previous developments and began to use the latest scientific advances, including in terms of smart cladding.
The advent 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 forces, 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 the earth's surface," said Mr. Bely. Moreover, the Ryazan Instrument Plant has already released the first samples of a new radar with AFAR. If they are really made on the basis of gallium nitride, then the capabilities of "Belka" in target detection range will inevitably increase. But even if this is still far away, the Su-57, and in its current form, at least on equal terms, can withstand 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.
Those who have read books like "Entertaining Physics" know that the invisible man himself becomes blind. Why? So we can see a transparent glass lens perfectly, right? And the eye is also a lens, with all that it implies ... Or so: it is invisible, but at a height of 170 cm two transparent eyes gleam. Horror!
The same problem with stealth. Imagine that you are walking at night in 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 onboard radar is not a flashlight, it is a powerful searchlight! It turns out that stealth is blind as a mole. Or he's not stealth. And the reasoning that stealth will see you much earlier than you will see it, which means it will launch a rocket at you first, are very doubtful.
They will object to me that on the latest fighters there is a radar with an active phased antenna array (AFAR), which is able to feel the space with an inconspicuous thin beam. But after all, any, the thinnest ray 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 own reflected signal? So it is necessary to keep the designers of the radar for idiots who are still too lazy to provide for such a mode of operation.
Not only is stealth blind, it is also dumb. Well, at least not deaf and dumb. You can use the radio station in the receive mode, but speaking yourself is also a de-disguise. Whether in plain text or encrypted codes. That is, stealth cannot even exchange information from the radar station with each other, as the MiG-31 and Su-27 do. Sit down and stupidly do what the earth orders and shows you. Unless their enemy drowned out ...
Another trouble. The Americans either did not know or forgot that radio waves are different. For example, in the USSR, airborne airborne radars operated at a wavelength of about 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, "stealth" is clearly visible in it.
Moreover, shortly after the appearance of the stealth, there was news of the development of a radar that sees them. There were no details, except for the comic 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 airborne radars, oddities arise that make us doubt victorious reports: “Test pilot Larry Nielsen in an interview with the 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 crazy for the price) even against the background of the earth. In his opinion, it is almost certainly possible to assume 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 Germany, that is, the most ancient modifications of the MiG-29. http://suavia.info/page/23/ But on the small MiG-29 the radar is pretty weak ...
And from the same place: “... The report on the MiG tests was heard by the Congress commission. In it, in particular, it was noted that "the planned work to reduce the visibility of the B-2 to the required level of radar is many times higher in terms of costs of work aimed at modernizing the radar of Soviet fighters."
And the following phrase really finishes off: “The detection range of the aircraft is equal to the fourth root of the change in the RCS value. For example, if the radar is capable of detecting a target with an RCS of 10 sq. m at a distance of 100 miles, then a target with an RCS of 5 sq. m will only be discovered at a distance of 84 miles. Target with EPR 1 sq. m will be detected at a range of only 55 miles. Thus, reducing the RCS by 90% reduces the detection range by 45%. Reducing the RCS by 1000 times will reduce the detection range by 82%. "
But that's not all. There is also such a cunning radar station 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 stealths as well as ordinary planes, and can even distinguish them from other types. How does it work? I'll explain very roughly.
There are always some radio waves on the air. Radio stations, television transmitters, base stations for mobile communications, etc., etc. They looked with their receiving antennas in some square, remembered the picture. If an airplane appears in this square, the picture will change dramatically, because radio waves are reflected from the airplane, flow around it, etc. If stealth appears there, even one that absorbs all waves, the picture will still change, even brighter. And the nature of the changes shows: stealth! “Guys, cool catch! Rockets for battle! "
Of course, the math is very complicated there. But "Kolchuga" has been in the series for a long time, which means they have coped. But the British, as they say, also tried to develop something similar. Moreover, they greatly simplified their task in advance: they used only the frequencies of mobile communication (tell me, does it exist in Afghanistan or Iraq? Will it work for sure during the war?) Alas, the English sir did not have enough convolutions even for that. But Kolchuga was produced not only in Russia, but also in Ukraine, at the Donetsk Topaz. What need to do? Blame Ukraine for allegedly selling it to Iraq. And for this shop, demand a full set of design documentation and a commission for the plant ... How many secrets Ukraine has already squandered ... And for some reason they beg cheap gas from Russia, and not from the United States or England ...
And I have already finished off 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 invisibility. After all, this is a general law: for every poison there is always an antidote, for every sword - its own shield. Relying on the wunderwaffe is stupid: as long as you introduce it widely into the troops, the antidote will already be found.
In general, invisibility is a good thing, you need to strive for this, but making a fetish out of it, like some, especially - sacrificing other important characteristics for this, was not at all worth it.
Well, so as not to run twice, briefly about other requirements for the fifth generation.
Afterburner 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 enemy, you can turn on the afterburner and accelerate to about 2500 km / h. The only problem is that afterburner engines are very gluttonous.
So they decided that the fighter should fly at a speed of 1500-1800 km / h without switching on the afterburner. For this, first of all, it is necessary to increase the thrust of the engines. True, whatever one may say, the air resistance must also be reduced.
Why increase your cruising speed? After all, you can catch up or run away with the afterburner, but in normal flight you can get by with subsonic speed. It is believed that such a fighter will have the initiative in battle, maneuver around a slower enemy, get to the tail 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 made, according to them, in 10 seconds. Other fighters need several times longer for this. Another thing is that at high speed the time that a ground enemy has to be able to shoot you down before you attack him is reduced. And run away 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 the cruising supersonic speed.
