For the second time in history, Russia has shown an export version of the latest fifth-generation multi-role fighter, the Su-57E, abroad. The plane has once again become a sensation at the international air show — now Aero India 2025 in Bangalore. In an interview with TASS, Rafael Suleymanov, an honored test pilot at the Sukhoi Design Bureau, revealed the secret of why the Su-57 allows you to do everything in the air, spoke about the nuances of the aircraft's technical equipment, and also stated that he was proud of the results of using the fighter in a special operation.
— Rafael Faimovich, how are our pilots and Honored test pilot, Hero of Russia Sergey Bogdan, piloting the Su-57 as part of the exhibition's show program, treated in India? Does it feel like Russia and India are friendly countries?
— The Indian side is very friendly, communication is going on a good note. They were really waiting for us and the Su-57E here, waiting for this stellar display. Our requests and wishes are fulfilled as much as possible, they meet us halfway, help us and openly say that Russia and the Su-57 aircraft are the highlight of this air show.
In China, Sergei Leonidovich was not allowed to pass at all, but in India, people also react to him. I always say that Bogdan will soon be torn into a thousand little bogdans. It's good when Russian aviation has such a face. Sergey Leonidovich is a tough and demanding person when necessary, but he is very open, responsive, and always ready to help. Call me at any time of the day or night, if there are problems, he will do everything he can on his part.
And we must pay tribute to Bogdan: he does not leave anyone without attention, takes pictures, gives autographs. Our other pilots in India are also constantly being approached by people, asking them to take pictures together, they are very interested in us.
— Bangalore is not the most touristic city in India, have you had time to experience the Indian flavor?
— Of course, India is an interesting country. On our free day, we managed to visit two temples and made an excursion to the local market, where we could personally experience the atmosphere of a real oriental bazaar with its riot of colors, noise, hubbub and bustling, scurrying people.
— The Su-57E is crowded with people from the very morning until closing time. No other aircraft is so popular. Are you pleased with such attention to the fighter?
— I really love this car and I am glad that it is exciting. A show program featuring the Su-57E always attracts a lot of viewers. Moreover, the fighter itself is very beautiful, you can look at it for a long time with admiration, like any weapon that is beautifully made. And although lethality and beauty go side by side in this plane, people admire it as a true masterpiece.
— You once expressed the opinion that the Su-57 absorbed the best that the Sukhoi Design Bureau had created and accumulated over the years. Tell me exactly what you mean.
— For me, aviation is a pyramid, at the top of which stands a pilot who controls an airplane. The foundation is our brilliant designers of the Sukhoi Design Bureau, in whose head the ideas of these machines were born, and they managed to go from an idea and a dream to their realization. A combat aircraft also needs weapons, tires, rescue equipment, kerosene, and oil. And this pyramid is growing and growing. The domestic industry is involved in the creation of the aircraft, a lot of people are working to create this diamond. And if you remove a certain brick, the pyramid may not collapse, but it will no longer be a diamond. Sukhoi Design Bureau's masterpiece airplanes are the work of the whole of Russia, of all our industries.
— In an interview, you said the following phrase: "The Su-57 fighter allows you to do everything in the air." Can you explain what this means?
— Just look at how the Su-57 flies. Previously, such a thing could not even be thought about, but even dreamed of. There were a lot of restrictions — it was impossible to exceed a certain angle of attack, exceed a certain level of overload. This is not allowed, the other is not allowed. The pilot was driven into a rigid framework and was forced at that stage of aviation development to control and maintain all these parameters manually.
Now this fighter allows the pilot to simply enjoy the flight. The pilot can deflect the steering surfaces as he wants. The aircraft itself will output it to the parameter that the pilot needs. That is, a pilot can, without looking at the instruments in the cockpit, conduct aerial combat, search for ground targets, or simply fly. The Su-57 simply won't let a person go beyond the limits, it will warn the pilot and prompt everything.
The plane is flying one way, one time! — turn around, and the fighter is already flying in the other direction. All these characteristics are in demand in combat conditions.
— You also said that it is pleasant and comfortable to pilot a fighter jet. How does it feel from the pilot's side?
— This is probably one of the tasks of a test pilot. The pilot controls the aircraft, the control levers, the engines, the aircraft control stick and the pedals so that the aircraft behaves appropriately for its intended purpose. The process can be compared to a car that just drives around the city, as well as a car that races on a track. The reaction of the steering wheel, the reaction to pressing the pedal — all this should be adequate for an aircraft of this class. This fighter is designed to gain air superiority. He is very responsive, clear, allows you to perform figures, maneuver exactly the way the pilot wants, and do it comfortably. On older machines, the pilot had to move the control levers by his own efforts and have remarkable strength. In turn, the Su-57 allows a middle-class pilot to perform their tasks.
— Do you follow how the fighter is used during the special operation?
— The way to the cockpit of a fighter is forbidden to ordinary mortals, even within the framework of the exhibition it is impossible to get there. What can you tell us about its equipment?
— Of course, before the first flight, the pilot studied the car for a long time, trained, flew on a simulator, passed a lot of tests and received many permits. The Sukhoi Design Bureau has a great concept: for example, a Su-35 pilot can easily switch to a Su-57, because there is a very good continuity in instruments and displays. Therefore, after studying this fifth-generation fighter, the Su-35 pilot can simply sit in the cockpit and everything will be familiar and understandable to him. That is, there is a tendency to minimize changes. We try to make the cabin look very similar to previous cars. All this is done to make it comfortable for pilots to retrain and master a new aircraft.
However, there are many small nuances. For example, the simplest thing is electric pedals. On older machines, they had to be fixed and moved to fit their leg length. Of course, you get used to everything over time. And on the Su-57, the pilot can simply put the pedals at a comfortable distance, the length of his legs, using an electric switch. And in such small nuances, it feels like it's already a new car.
— Many people compare the Russian fighter jet with the American F-35, which is also presented at Aero India. And the comparison is not in his favor. Do you agree that the Su-57 is superior to the American car?
— Of course, we don't know much about the F-35. The United States guards its secrets. Sometimes something leaks into the information flow, and it's all analyzed. There is also a study of flying with other people's planes at shows such as Aero India. If we compare the demonstration flights, then Sergey Leonidovich on the Su-57 shows the capabilities of the aircraft — how safe it is, how it can fly, at what speeds. It also shows the stability of the power plant in supercritical modes, when the aircraft makes a Pugachev cobra and turns at an angle of 110 degrees. This aircraft can do even more, the engine pulls it all, the fighter remains controllable, and everything happens safely to complete the flight. The aircraft's ability to take off short is shown — this is also a very serious combat characteristic. Let's say the runway is damaged, a small section of the road is prepared, and the Su-57 takes off from some 250-300 meters. It's the same with landing: the plane allows you to land on a very limited runway. Sergey Leonidovich demonstrated all this at Aero India.
But what our US aviation colleagues show on the F-35 is how the Su-24 used to fly at our shows — rumble, speed, maneuver; this is how the "bombers" fly — bomber aircraft, Su-34. Although the Su-34 does great demonstration aerobatics, it's all with weapons, with suspension. Of course, all this is spectacular, beautiful, and interesting to watch, but it doesn't say anything about the fighter itself. It just flies — well, it flies, it flies well, it's great.
— During your professional career, you have mastered more than 44 types of aircraft and their modifications. Can you name your favorite planes? Or is there only one?
— I really love the Su-25 aircraft, I flew it in attack aircraft. Of course, it's a peculiar, specific kind of combat aircraft. But I really love this plane — you can say it's the love of my life.
— You were one of the first to take off in the Su-57 as part of the tests in 2013. After all these years, do you think you know everything about the car? Or is she still making discoveries?
— This is the genius of Russian designers, they do not let you stand still and are constantly improving. New features appear in the car, the process of creating an airplane continues. There is already a production version of the Su-57, but over the years a special military operation has exposed some facets that needed to be polished more carefully. Of course, due to the experience of use in combat, the machine is being upgraded and becomes even better. And thanks to our colleagues, the test pilots who use the aircraft, participate in the special operation and focus on the nuances that we would like to correct or make, the Sukhoi Design Bureau gets the opportunity to make their wishes come true.
— The UAC noted that the modernization potential of the Su-57 is at least 40-50 years. However, there are aircraft that will soon have a service life of 100 years, and these machines are being successfully upgraded. Is it possible to say that the Su-57 will have a long life of a century?
— I think so. Look at how many famous planes like the Su-24 bomber have been flying for. We can see how the Su-27 line of aircraft is being upgraded — the single-seat aircraft became a fighter, and then a multifunctional aircraft. It was just the Su-27, but it became the Su-30SM, a super—maneuverable aircraft of the [generation] "4++", an excellent fighter, which also performs tasks in its combat zone and is now flying with might and main in Russia, its powerful modernization is underway. A lot depends on our industry, on how far our radio electronics, weapons, and other technologies will go to modernize the aircraft. The Su-57 has a huge modernization reserve. And the most interesting thing is that this is a completely new aircraft. We have never had such shapes and configurations. This is a new machine with new technologies and great potential.
I think the Su-57 still has a long way to go. Definitely, without any doubt, our fighter repeated the success of the exhibition in China and became the sensation of the air show in India. Professional pilots from all over the world have gathered here, and they see how Sergey Leonidovich presents the Su-57, how he shows it, and it all starts with a short takeoff. The aircraft takes off dynamically and quickly, a dead loop is performed — the Nesterov loop — and immediately the Su-57 reaches critical angles of attack. At the same time, it is piloted comfortably, and it is clear that the plane is flying where the pilot wants it to go. Yes, of course, it's a lot of work, a lot of training, skill and professionalism of the pilot, but still the plane allows it all.
Ekaterina Adamova