Andreas B
11.12.2020,
Text: Anton Valagin
A bet on maneuverability: an important advantage of the Su-57 named
Despite the launch into mass production, the Russian fifth-generation Su-57 heavy fighter remains an experimental platform, whose characteristics are constantly being improved. Suffice it to recall the new "product 30" engines or the adaptation of the "Dagger" hypersonic missile to the aircraft. However, there are two revolutionary and rarely mentioned developments designed to improve the maneuverability of the latest Russian fighter jet. This will dramatically increase the Su-57's chances of winning an aerial battle over any enemy, MilitaryWatch said
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Photo: Mikhail Bobylev / RIA Novosti
The ability to easily and quickly change course has been a trademark of Soviet and Russian fighters, starting at least with the first fourth generation aircraft. The first prototypes of the Su-57 are similar in characteristics to the Su-35, which has long held the title of the most maneuverable combat aircraft in the world. Fifth generation aviation technology is able to improve them with more powerful engines and a composite airframe, which optimizes the thrust-to-weight ratio.
However, the perfection of technology rests on the human factor. No pilot is capable of withstanding over 9g - he will simply lose consciousness. Russian engineers intend to bypass this limitation in two ways. Firstly, in parallel with the manned version of the Su-57, an unmanned one is also being created - in May 2020, there were reports that a robot fighter equipped with artificial intelligence began testing. It is assumed that the operator on the ground will manually control the drone during the most difficult phases of flight: takeoff and landing, and the rest of the time its function will be to monitor the state of onboard systems.
Another, more radical method is associated with liquid breathing. The problem with large overloads is that the squeezed lungs do not let air in, the brain suffers from oxygen starvation and the pilot fails. This problem can be solved by teaching pilots to breathe oxygen-enriched liquid instead of gas - this is how babies breathe in the womb. The technology of liquid breathing has been developed by the Russian Foundation for Advanced Study since 2016. It will help divers avoid decompression sickness during an emergency ascent from depth. In aviation, liquid breathing will bring the characteristics of manned fighters closer to those of drones.
The pursuit of maneuverability by Russian designers has good reasons. In a major war, long-range air-to-air missiles can be unreliable. Electronic jamming, the destruction of satellites and cyberattacks will lead to the fact that warplanes will not be able to determine from afar which target is the enemy and which is not (this problem was encountered by the US aviation during the Gulf Wars). This will force pilots to visually identify targets, that is, to get closer to them. And in close combat, more maneuverable fighters will have a significant advantage. Maneuverability also increases the survivability of the vehicle in long-range battles, since a nimble fighter has a better chance of dodging a missile launched from the ground or other aircraft.
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