What You Need to Know: The Russian Sukhoi Su-57 “Felon” stealth fighter jet has faced constant challenges, with the latest embarrassment at China’s Zhuhai Airshow. The apparent poor production quality drew ridicule on Chinese social media and raised further questions about the jet’s manufacturing integrity.

– Russia’s Su-57 program, hobbled by Western sanctions limiting critical parts, is starved of foreign military sales, putting pressure on Russian aerospace industries.

– With only ten Su-57s operational and a larger order currently in potential limbo, Felon’s path forward appears precarious as it struggles to find international buyers or meet domestic demand.

Russia’s Su-57 Stealth Jet Embarrassed at China’s Zhuhai Air Show

Shame on the poor Sukhoi Su-57 “Guilty”.

Of course, the Fifth Generation stealth fighter has gotten off the ground, both literally and figuratively, and deployed operationally with the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS). albeit in a rather ominous way.That’s more than can be said for another ambitious stealth fighter from Russia, Su-75 (NATO “Checkmate”).

But the positive aspects Su-57 It pretty much ends there. A lot of noise has been made about the alliance between the Avengers (and rightly so). Russia and China. But now there even seems to be this budding buddy-buddy relationship between them. Vladimir Putin And Xi Jinping Even if it is China’s own joke, the exoneration of the “Guilty” will not be enough to improve his reputation, pardon the bad joke Chengdu J-20 Weilong and Shenyang J-35 Gyrfalcon Stealth fighter jet programs continue to advance.

Su-57: The Latest and (Not-So) Greatest

Latest bad news for Su-57 China’s Zhuhai Airshow, ChiComs One of these much-hyped Russian fighter jets is scheduled to perform flight demonstrations, while a second example will be displayed as a static display at the leading aerospace trade show.

Shameful news is reported by many sources. National Interest included together Greg Waldron FlightGlobal. According to the former, “The Sukhoi Su-57 had an inauspicious start to its appearance at the Zhuhai air show, with close-up video revealing questionable build quality.”

Since the subscriber paywall prevents me from delving further into Mr. Waldron’s article, I pay tribute to my esteemed colleague, Mr. Suciu, whose article was previously republished on MSN And ForbesFor more details:

“As previously reportedThe Sukhoi Su-57 is unveiled for the first time at the biennial air show. Kremlin It was probably expected that the highly acclaimed fifth-generation fighter jet would attract attention. Chinese social media where the fighter was found were not taken into accounthighly reviewedand became the subject of ridicule… ‘The carelessness on the Russian (sic) part was that they failed to organize a no-access zone for spectators, and Chinese event visitors were able to approach the Su-57 model shown at the exhibition with unprecedented freedom.’Defense Express reported …’What stands out in particular is the multitude of bolts holding the body panels together, but this is not news, as previous models had the same appearance. It is an entirely different matter if the quality of the connections fails to meet any reasonable expectations,’ the Daily Express added.

This comment about bolts and joints is strikingly reminiscent of Western observations of the construction of the once feared structure. MiG-25 “Foxbat” interceptor The sightings were made possible in the 1970s thanks to the Foxbat pilot’s daring escape during flight Lieutenant Viktor Belenko In 1976.

The Way Forward?

Some argue that bad publicity is better than no publicity, but these people are not familiar with creating successful weapon systems!

Russian aviation industry He’s had enough trouble already foreign military sales Su-57’s (FMS) customers, warbird’s current number of international customers is exactly zero, yes, zero. And news like this, coming from such a major aviation show within the borders of Russia’s biggest new ally, won’t help boost sales figures.

Moreover, assuming Latest reports from RBC-UkraineIf true, the production of the Su-57 was suspended due to a shortage of key components due to Western sanctions. Specific affected parts include: WA36 attenuatoran electronic device that reduces the amplitude or strength of a signal without significantly distorting its shape, and MPPU-50A German-made device used to calibrate a fighter aircraft’s communications system.

Meanwhile, according to the news World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft (WDMMA) The Russian Air Force currently has 10 Felons in service, with an additional seventy-five airframes on order; Based on the news in the previous paragraph, I think they will have to go into “hurry up and wait” mode.

About the Author:

Christian D. OrrHe is Senior Defense EditorNational Security Journal(NSJ). He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (he served in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and a master’s degree in Intelligence Studies (terrorism Studies concentration) from American Military University (AMU). It was also publishedDaily Torch,Intelligence and Cyber ​​Security MagazineAndSimple Flight. Last but not least he is a Companion of the Order.Order of the Navy of the United States (NOUS).

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