The Eurasian Times has just published a graphic image of a single-engine fighter, believed to be of a future design, built by Russia based on the Su-57 fighter, in order to overcome the biggest weakness of this aircraft. , which is the lack of stealth. Accordingly, Sukhoi Corporation has embarked on the design of a new fighter, based on the original design of the Su-57, but enhancing stealth to a new level. Information from the Eurasian Times also said that it is likely that the next design of this new fighter jet will be equipped with only one engine. So far, the Russian Su-57 fighter has always been praised for its excellent maneuverability and speed, but to achieve speed and maneuverability, the Su-57 at the expense of invisibility. Although Russia has never acknowledged it, many military experts believe that the 3D vector engine design on the Su-57 is the fighter’s fatal weakness in front of enemy radars. Unlike the engine design hidden inside the stealth cover of the aircraft like the US F-22 Raptor, the engine of the Su-57 fighter is almost completely exposed. The radar-absorbing shell of the Su-57 fighter does not cover the aircraft’s engine parts, which means that, even though the entire Su-57 is invisible, its engine will still be targeted by enemy radars. side caught. The difficulty of Russia is that the engine of the Su-57 has too good performance, generates a lot of heat and is a 3D vector engine. All of these factors will make the Su-57’s engine impossible to fit inside the aircraft, nor can it be covered with a radar-absorbing shell on the outer surface. The US itself has admitted to trading the maneuverability, as well as the speed of the F-22 Raptor and F-35 fighters in exchange for superior stealth, but with the Su-57 everything is different. does not appear to be going in this direction. In addition, information about Russia’s next 5th generation fighter model will be equipped with an engine, also making many people curious and excited. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia has not built any single-engine light fighter. Russia’s lightest fighter today, probably the MiG-29 – is also equipped with two engines, and can be considered a medium fighter. The single-engine fighter, in theory, is not much inferior to the twin-engine fighter in terms of weapon carrying capacity and aerial range. Not to mention, single-engine fighters will have lower production costs, shorter assembly times, and lower usage and depreciation costs. Currently, on the world market, the US F-16 single-engine fighter is still “hegemonic” and has almost no rival. Despite having only one engine, the US F-16 fighter is still capable of carrying up to 7.7 tons of weapons – only 300 kg less than the maximum weapon load of the Su-30. This is currently also the backbone of the US, with 1,300 in service, the most numerous fighter in the world at the moment. The test pilot pushed the Su-57 fighter to the limit of its maneuverability with a series of unbelievable flight maneuvers. Source: Sukoi.

55ZH6M Nebo-M radar station of the Russian military. Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense Yan Noviko, General Director of Almaz-Antey, said at a forum on new technology in Moscow on May 23: “The Nebo-M radar system is the ‘killer’ of stealth technology. Radar can detect F-22, F-35 relatively easily. Mr. Niviko also said that Almaz-Antey is capable of producing about 30 types of mobile multi-purpose radar, thanks to proper investment in research projects as well as new technology. 55ZH6M Nebo-M is the latest Russian radar, designed and manufactured by the Nizhny Novgorod Radio Engineering Research Institute (NNIIRT) of Almaz-Antey. Along with the Container radar, the Nebo-M surveillance station is considered the backbone of the battlefield radar network on Russia’s land borders. So far, 55ZH6M Nebo-M has been deployed in all the most important directions in Russia. The first Nebo-M complex was delivered to the Western Military District in 2017, followed by combat units stationed in Transbaikalia, Khabarovsk and Primorye. A year later, this advanced radar network was deployed in an air defense unit based in Crimea. The portable Nebo-M system can be rapidly redeployed to other locations by land or air. The new Nebo-M series is capable of detecting aircraft and ballistic missiles at a distance of up to 1,000 km, a big step up from the early Nebo radar systems developed under the Soviet Union. This radar station operates on the principle of active electronic scanning, making the 55ZH6M Nebo-M capable of resisting enemy jamming. When specifically installed to track targets at medium altitudes, Nebo-M radios are sometimes equipped with low-altitude radar systems like the Podlet-E. Is it really something to worry about with US stealth fighters? TASS news agency (Russia) quoted Noviko as saying that stealth technology does not cause difficulties for Russia’s new radar complexes. In theory, this is true, because VHF high-frequency radars like the 55ZH6M Nebo-M can identify an F-35 or F-22 in flight. American stealth fighter F-35. Photo: Reuters American experts say that there are many things to confirm in the Russian statement. Identifying a new target is the first step and part of the process of catching and killing the target with many stages. After locating the target, for example the F-35, the requirement for the radar station is to fix the target, track, and “catch” successfully before transferring the parameters to the unit tasked with destroying the target. target. According to General Dan Flattley, a former F-35 pilot of the US Air Force, in order to destroy the F-35, Russia must build a chain of target destruction. This task is usually performed by Russian anti-aircraft missiles, such as the Russian S-400 defense system. Until now, whether the S-400 is capable of destroying the F-35 or F-22 stealth fighters is still a subject of debate. Technically, it is clear that the 55ZH6M Nebo-M watchdog can identify the US 5th generation fighter. But that’s only part of the battle sequence. Locating is one thing, but whether Russian air defense systems can destroy the F-35 and F-22 is another story, because many factors are involved. If “detect” but not have the ability to “precise attack”, the radar’s performance does not make much sense. US stealth technology only needs to overcome the “destroy” limit of Russian missiles to be considered successful.