• Military Aviation

Su-57 prototype arrives at Zhukovsky Air Base

The interesting photo in this article shows the ninth Sukhoi Su-57 to be produced arriving at Zhukovsky Air Base, outside Moscow on Sep. 10, 2017. Noteworthy the jet wears a unique digital-camo paint scheme.

According to Alert 5 Weblog the aircraft made a refueling stop in Novosibirsk while flying in from Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

Zhukovsky Air Base, 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) south-east of Moscow, is home of M. M. Gromov Flight Research Institute. Named after the famous test pilot Mikhail Mikhailovich Gromov, the Flight Research Institute is the Russian Air and Space Force (RuASF) test center.

The airfield was used as backup landing site during testing of shuttle Buran and also as test base for Buran’s aerodynamic prototypes.

Furthermore Zhukovsky Air Base periodically hosts MAKS-International Aviation and Space Show.

The Su-57 is the product of the PAK FA (literally “Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation”) program. The Su-57 is a single-seat, twin-engine multirole fifth-generation fighter aircraft designed for air superiority and attack roles and will be the first aircraft in Russian military service to use stealth technology.

Chief Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev recently told that thanks to its features (which include supercruise, supermaneuverability, advanced avionics and advanced weapons) the aircraft will be able to outperform the F-22 Raptor.

The Su-57 is the first aircraft in Russian military service designed with stealth technology and is intended to be the basis for a family of stealth combat aircraft.

A multirole fighter capable of aerial combat as well as ground and maritime strike, according to Sukhoi the Su-57 incorporates stealth, supermaneuverability, supercruise, integrated avionics, and substantial internal payload capacity. The aircraft is expected to succeed the MiG-29 and Su-27 in the Russian military service and has also been marketed for export. 

Photo credit: Vitaly Yurtaev via russianplanes.net