On May 17, 2026, information about the appearance of a two-seat version of the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter began to actively spread in the Russian media and blogs. The primary source is one of the telegram channels about aviation, which posted a message about the first taxiing at the factory airfield of the new modification a day earlier. Why do you need a two-seat version of the Su-57?
The Su-57, as you know, is a serial car. Its production has been underway since 2021 at the Yuri Gagarin aircraft factory in a single-seat modification. The two-seat version of the car has never been demonstrated or flown. At least until May 2026, when information about its existence appeared. However, even if it has appeared, there is no official photo yet. Unless some Internet blogs and websites have already started posting the following image, either similar to the generated one or real. It looks like this:
 |
| An image of a two-seat Su-57. |
| Source: UAC |
In the old days, two-seat versions of combat aircraft were created as combat training, in our country they usually had the UB index after the name. Currently, special training vehicles such as the Yak-130 are used to train pilots, which make it possible to train flight personnel without additional lines of two-seat vehicles. However, two-seat modifications are still created. For example, the MiG-35, which has not yet been put into mass production, has one, the MiG-35UB. In 2025, we talked about the situation with this car, which has not changed yet in the spring of 2026.
The most massive family of our combat aircraft, based on the Su-27, has two-seat vehicles: the Su-30 in all variants (by the way, this aircraft originated from the Soviet combat training "sparky" Su-27UB) and the Su-34 (here the location of the pilots is like in the Su-24, not a friend after each other, as in the other "dryers"). There was only one prototype built of a two-seat combat training carrier—based fighter, the Su-33UB (also known as the Su-27KUB), where pilots were stationed on the Su-34, but it remained experienced. As for the Su-35S, which is mass-produced in the Russian Aerospace Forces and has begun to be supplied to foreign customers, it is only a single-seat vehicle. It's the same story with the Su-57. The promising Su-75 is also a single-seat aircraft.
Interestingly, the good old MiG-31 is always a two—seater, both in the latest modification with a hypersonic Dagger (MiG-31K) and a heavy interceptor fighter (MiG-31BM).
Why do we need a two-seat multi-role fighter in the current conditions of maximum automation of all processes, when the pilot does an excellent job alone in the same Su-35S or Su-57? The logic of the creators of the same Su-30 was as follows: The two-seat layout ensures separation of the combat load and reduces the load on the pilots. One pilot controls the fighter, and the navigator-operator coordinates the tactical situation, uses high-precision weapons and works with radar (also in the MiG-31). This increases efficiency in solving multi-purpose tasks. When performing long-range flights and patrols (the range of the Su-30 without refueling can exceed 1,500 km), the presence of a co-pilot provides the opportunity to rest at the controls, which reduces crew fatigue during long-term missions.
There is another reason to create a two-seat fighter based on the same Su-57. These are export supplies. The same Indian Air Force, which was heavily hooked on the two-seat Su-30 (this is the main fighter in India), when talking about a joint project with Russia to produce the Su-57 in the 2000s, they wanted to make FGFA (Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft) based on it. It was planned that Indian customers would have access to the development of the export version of the fifty-seventh. There were also plans for a two-seater car, but only plans. The papers on the single FGFA were signed in 2010, but in 2018 the Indians withdrew from the project, not really doing it. True, in 2025, talks about the supply of the Su-57 resumed, but they did not promise a two-seat modification for our fifth-generation machine, although the Indians after the Su-30 are clearly set for a similar product with higher characteristics. In general, there is a possible basis for the appearance of a two-seat Su-57 (or Su-57E, or Su-57UB, or ...).
A small addition to the topic. The export version of the Su-57, which Russia showed at foreign exhibitions in 2026, was still a single-seat. We also told you about him in one of the materials .
In Russia, with the current development of the Internet and enemy satellite intelligence, it is unlikely that a new version of the Su-57 will be hidden for a long time. Therefore, we are waiting for the official photos and videos to appear. Or refutations of someone's as yet unconfirmed information.
Ivan Zakharov
