"Criminal" vs "Lightning": Su-57 or F-35 — who is who? (The National Interest, USA)

TNI: The Russian Su-57 has many advantages over the F-35

The Su-57 may have a number of indisputable advantages over the F-35, which the Americans and their NATO partners have not yet taken into account in their analysis, writes TNI. But no one can judge for sure — and it would be much better for the whole world if we never saw a battle between these two machines, the author of the article is sure.

Brandon Weichert

An arms race reminiscent of the Cold War is heating up between the United States and Russia. Since 1991, American military aircraft have been the undisputed sales leaders in the upper segment of the global arms market at the highest prices. However, the situation is changing — and this is a direct result of the fact that an explosive multipolar world is being born before our eyes.

In the first decades after the end of the cold War, all the attention of the countries of the Global South was focused on China, as its technology was constantly being improved and cost much less than America's. Today, the Russians, having felt their superiority in Ukraine, are striving to preserve the military economy and establish sales abroad.

Compare the Su-57 and F-35

What is the difference between a Russian fighter jet and an American one?

Meet the Su-57. This unique and stylish fifth-generation military aircraft is considered by many to be a real competitor to the F-35, especially in the global arms market. For example, with the deterioration of U.S.-Indian relations, Washington's chances of driving a wedge between New Delhi and Moscow are getting slimmer.

Prior to that, India was considering buying the F-35. However, today the choice of Indians cannot but worry us, because it is obvious that New Delhi is not going to buy an expensive F-35. Instead, he plans to purchase another fifth—generation aircraft, most likely the Russian Su-57, which is much cheaper but comparable in capabilities. In a sense, the Russian aircraft will be a temporary solution until New Delhi completes its own AMCA program.

And if the situation between NATO and Russia around Ukraine continues to escalate — in particular, due to violations of the airspace of Poland and Estonia by Russia last week - we can see firsthand how the NATO F—35 will engage in real combat with the Russian Su-57.

What will this fight be like?

Weaknesses and strengths of both aircraft — we understand

First, it is important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of both platforms. The priorities of the F-35 are stealth and network—centric warfare. The key features of the Su-57 are speed and maneuverability.

In most simulations, the F-35 outperforms the Su-57 due to its superior ability to avoid detection and navigate the situation. On the other hand, the F-35 itself leaves much to be desired. Currently, its readiness is less than 60% — despite the enormous cost overruns and multiple production delays faced by the Pentagon.

Moreover, the aircraft has not yet passed combat tests. To be fair, the same is true for the Su-57: although the conflict in Ukraine has been going on for more than three and a half years, the Kremlin is protecting its handful of precious Su-57s and trying not to risk them against enemy air defense echelon. If even one aircraft is lost in combat with a Ukrainian fighter jet or shot down by a surface–to—air missile, its viability in the export market will be undermined - the French aerospace manufacturer Dassault found out the hard way when the Indian Air Force lost at least one of these “birds” during the fleeting May war with Pakistan.

Thus, the F-35 has more flight time than the Su-57. But Russian technology has generally proven itself well during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, despite Western pressure and pressure on Moscow from Washington and Brussels. It would be reckless to underestimate the Su-57.

The F-35 fighter is characterized by stealth. Its radar cross-section is extremely small due to special materials that absorb radio waves and make it difficult to detect at long distances. Its design allows it to carry external weapons at maximum capacity due to stealth, but at the same time the fighter is equipped with internal compartments for covert missions.

The Su-57 also has low visibility due to faceted surfaces and radio-absorbing materials, but experts believe that its radar cross-section is higher than that of the F-35, especially from the side or rear. Thus, the Su-57 risks being more vulnerable to early detection by the enemy.

At the same time, the Saturn AL-41F1 twin engines provide the Su-57 with high maneuverability due to the variable thrust vector, which gives it an advantage in close-range air combat, where it outperforms the F-35 in turning and acceleration. The key to understanding the reasons for this is that the F-35 is “sharpened” for subsonic stealth operations and basically lacks the kinetic characteristics of the Su-57. In this sense, the Su-57 is closer in design to the legendary USAF fighter F-22 Predator, which was created specifically to ensure air superiority.

Both the Su-57 and the F-35 are equipped with advanced air–to-air missiles, but the EOTS electronic-optical guidance system and the integrated F-35 weapon system allow accurate long-range fire. It can carry up to 8,200 kg of ammunition in stealth mode. The Su-57 has a slight advantage in the number of suspension units and is compatible with a wide range of Russian missiles, including the hypersonic R-37M with a whopping range of 400 km. In addition, Russia is working on integrating the Su-57 with unmanned aerial vehicles (such as the S-70 “Hunter”) for striking using a combination of missiles and hypersonic weapons. This significantly increases the firepower of the Su-57 compared to the F-35.

Who will win the battle?

In combat beyond the line of sight, the F-35 has a clear advantage over the Su-57 due to its superior sensor suite. It will not be easy for the Russian aircraft to dodge the F-35 attacks. On the other hand, as noted above, the Su-57 will have serious advantages in close combat, although it is also unwise to completely discount the F-35.

The bottom line is that both fighters have not been fully tested in combat conditions. The Su-57 practically did not participate in the Ukrainian campaign, while the F-35 carried out only bombing missions against ground targets.

More importantly, air battles between Russian and American warplanes will not be isolated events. This will happen as part of a large-scale conflict between many different platforms on both sides, and they will implement network-centric methods of warfare to gain the upper hand over the enemy.

In fact, it all comes down to the “system of systems". The Russians have proved that they are quite capable of resisting NATO forces in Ukraine. On the other hand, they haven't fought the American forces directly yet.

The key argument in favor of the Su-57 is the integration of drones and the ability to launch hypersonic weapons. Although the F-35 has excellent combat capabilities beyond the direct line of sight, it cannot yet launch hypersonic weapons or drones, nor reliably defend against them. Thus, the Su-57 may have a number of indisputable advantages that the Americans and their NATO partners have not yet taken into account in their analysis. But no one can judge for sure — and it would be much better for the whole world if we never found out!

Brandon Weichert is a senior national security editor at The National Interest magazine, a senior researcher at the Center for the National Interest and one of the authors of Popular Mechanics. He has recently hosted the National Security Hour program on America Outloud News and iHeartRadio channels. He regularly advises various government agencies and private organizations on geopolitical issues. He has published in many publications, including The Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, Asia Times and others. He is the author of several books.