On May 19th, the Russian aerospace forces (VKS) unveil the newest variant of their fifth gen fighter family the Su-57. This new version of the Su-57 is Called the Su-57D and is a two seater. This is quite the departure from the traditional Russian air superiority fighters that are normally single seat. Not only is this a departure from traditional Russian design but also western fifth gen aircraft like the F-35 and F-22 which are both single seats. The Role of the back seater in the new model will likely be managing an integrated electronic warfare (EW) network as well as multiple UCAVs like the S-70. These UCAVS also known as Loyal wingman drones which are designed to fight alongside the fighter aircraft. Loyal wingman drones are used for spotting targets for the fighter Aswell as attacking risky targets without putting the manned aircraft at risk. The role of the Su-57D is remarkably similar to that of the back seater in the J-20S which is China’s newest version of their fifth gen fighter family.
Another vital role of the new Su-57D is as an airborne control center. In this role, the Su-57D can take data that other aircraft have collected from its sensors and distribute them to other aircraft allowing multiple fighter aircraft of different types to share information about enemy force. This will undoubtedly improve the situational awareness and lethality of Russian fighter aircraft.
Besides improving the capabilities of the Russian air force the Su-57D is intended to be heavily exported to other countries like India and Algeria. While still in the protype stage the Su-57D is promising next step in the evolution of Russian EW and airborne command and control and integration of unmanned systems with great promise to increase the Russian Airforce’s capabilities going into the 2030’s.
Sources:
https://www.janes.com/defence-intelligence-insights/defence-news/air/russia-reveals-twin-seat-su-57d-combat-aircraft
https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/su57-operate-airborne-command-centre
Official Photos And Footage Of Russia’s Two-Seat Su-57 Prototype Emerge
