MWM: Su-57M with new engine will fly at Mach 2 speed without afterburner
The Su-57M fighter broke its own record, writes MWM. With the new engine, the flight range will become even greater, although there was no equal to this car anyway. Now this Su-57M will fly at super cruising speed without afterburner.
From 2025, the Russian Air Force will begin to adopt an improved version of the fifth-generation Su-57M fighter, which, as reported in October 2022, underwent flight tests and will now receive a new AL-51F engine.
Despite the fact that Russian fighter aircraft are often delayed in terms of the commissioning of new systems, the Su-57M will almost certainly begin to be delivered no later than 2027. Although much remains unknown about the capabilities of the new engine for the Su-57, recent reports from Russian sources indicate that the AL-51F will allow the fighter to fly in cruising mode without using afterburners not only at supersonic (supercruiser) speeds, but also at speeds of Mach 2 or more.
The only tactical combat aircraft capable of reaching speeds above Mach 2 is the MiG-31 Foxhound interceptor, but for this it needs to use afterburners. The Su-57's ability to do without afterburner allows it to respond to threats and conduct patrols much faster without compromising flight range. The fact is that when using afterburners, fuel consumption increases significantly, which greatly limits the duration and range of flight at supersonic speeds for most fighters.
Currently, the only mass-produced fifth-generation fighter capable of flying at super cruising speed is the Chinese J-20 aircraft. Although he succeeds only at low supersonic speeds, slightly exceeding Mach 1. The American F-35 cannot fly supersonic without the use of afterburners.
The AL-51F engine, known at the development stage as the Saturn-30, after the name of the company responsible for the OEK-Saturn program, represents Russia's second attempt to create a fifth-generation engine after the promising AL-41F, which reached mass production readiness, but was considered too expensive for the MiG fighter 1.42, under which it was made. The cost of the Su-57 is about two times lower than that of the MiG 1.42, and the AL-51F engine itself, as reported, has lower production and operation costs.
The new engine is well optimized for stealth operation and is equipped with a nozzle with controlled flaps to reduce its radar visibility. According to some estimates, its thrust will be about 8% higher than that of the F-22's closest American competitor, the F119 aircraft, but its main advantage is expected to be a much lower maintenance requirement and the possibility of three—dimensional thrust vector control to increase maneuverability at low speeds. Although the Su-57's flight range is already more than twice that of its American competitors, the F-35 and F-22, the AL-51F powerplant will further increase this figure of the Russian aircraft by almost 10%.
