Russia has something to counter the American F-16 fighter jets, which Ukraine is expected to begin using. The advantages of the fifth-generation Su-57 fighters were named by military columnist Maya Karlin in an article for The National Interest.
The United States has been finding reasons for many months not to provide Kiev with fourth-generation fighters. The sudden change in policy was extremely positively received by Ukraine, whose fleet mainly consists of outdated Soviet-era aircraft.
Maya Karlin
Military observer
According to the expert, the Su-57 is capable of carrying up to eight K-77M air-to-air missiles on board and, thanks to interaction with ground radars, will have an advantage in the air over an American-made aircraft.
The pilot of the fifth-generation Su-57 multifunctional fighter greets the audience after performing a demonstration flight at the International Aviation and Space Salon
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| Su-57 for MAKS-2021. |
| Source: Maxim Blinov / RIA Novosti |
Specific delivery dates for the F-16 to Ukraine have not yet been determined
At the end of November, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that he could not name the exact dates for sending American fighter jets to Kiev. However, he expressed the hope that this would happen as soon as possible. According to him, now the alliance is primarily aimed at training Ukrainian pilots to work on this aircraft.
At the same time, Stoltenberg previously noted that the supply of F-16s is not a "silver bullet" that will fundamentally change the situation in the Ukrainian conflict.
As the speaker of the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuriy Ignat, reported in the same month, training of Ukrainian pilots to control F-16 fighter jets began in Denmark. He clarified that the military was trained on light-engine NATO-style aircraft and has now switched to joint fighter flights with instructors.
The US called the Su-57 a threat to Ukraine and the West
This conclusion was made by the American publication 19FortyFive based on the declared characteristics of the aircraft, as well as its technologies and unobtrusive configuration. The article said that the aircraft looks inconspicuous due to its flat, rounded wing, has a claimed flight range of up to 3,540 kilometers and develops a speed of Mach 2 (2,448 kilometers per hour). The authors of the article also suggested that, depending on the "filling" of the Su-57, it could compete with the American F-35.
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| Su-57. |
| Source: UAC Press Service / TASS |
Su-57 will receive a co-pilot
According to reports, the two—seat aircraft will be produced in three versions - combat training, with an arms operator and as the leader of a group of drones. In particular, the fighter will be able to perform the functions of a command post for "network-oriented actions of mixed groups of aircraft." The patent claims that the two-seat Su-57 will be equipped with additional fuel tanks, which will increase the range and duration of the aircraft by ten percent.
The captain of the first rank of the reserve, military expert Vasily Dandykin reasoned that the co-pilot in the version of the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter would be engaged in on-board weapons.