Russia’s Su-57M1 Breaks Cover — Next-Gen Stealth, AI, and Loyal Wingman Warfare

On 15 May 2025, Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), through its famed Sukhoi Design Bureau, officially lifted the veil on the upgraded Su-57M1 — a significant milestone that signals Moscow’s determination to stake a stronger claim in the fifth-generation fighter arena.

Unveiled by veteran test pilot Sergei Bogdan at a high-profile presentation in Moscow, the Su-57M1 showcases a raft of cutting-edge enhancements designed to secure Russia’s competitive edge in air superiority, precision strike, and future drone-centric warfare.

The Su-57M1, dubbed the “Felon” by NATO, stands as a formidable evolution of the original Su-57 platform, an aircraft that has long embodied Moscow’s answer to Western stealth fighters like the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.

At its core, the Su-57M1 combines an optimised stealth airframe, next-generation engines, integrated artificial intelligence, and the capability to coordinate with unmanned wingmen — a critical facet of future kill-chain resilience in contested airspace.

Measuring around 14.8 metres in length with a wingspan of 9.8 metres and a height of 4.6 metres, the Su-57M1’s reprofiled airframe employs extensive composite materials including advanced polymer, aluminium honeycomb, and carbon-fibre structures.

This deliberate focus on weight reduction and radar cross-section management is intended to strike a practical balance between stealth and aerodynamic performance.

Unlike the F-22’s extremely low RCS, estimated at an astonishing 0.0001 m², the Su-57M1’s RCS is believed to be in the 0.1–1 m² range, a trade-off that prioritises agility and payload flexibility for Russia’s vast operational environment.

Internally, the aircraft’s wing-root weapon bays and underbelly compartments conceal key munitions, while external hardpoints can be fitted when low observability is not mission-critical — an option particularly useful for high-intensity strike sorties across wide frontlines, such as those currently playing out in Ukraine.

🚀 Next-Gen Powerplant: Izdeliye 30 Engine and Supercruise Capability

Powering the Felon is the new Saturn AL-51F1 engine, also known as Izdeliye 30, pushing thrust levels up to 15,000–18,000 kgf.

This next-gen powerplant delivers true supercruise capability at Mach 1.6 (roughly 1,200 mph) without afterburners, significantly conserving fuel and extending the fighter’s combat radius — which reportedly stands at around 1,500 km (930 miles).

These range figures outstrip those of the F-35, providing the Russian Aerospace Forces with the operational reach needed to patrol its vast airspace stretching from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok.

Equally impressive is the jet’s hallmark supermaneuverability, enabled by its 3D thrust-vectoring nozzles — a clear nod to the legacy of legendary Sukhoi designs like the Su-27 Flanker and Su-35 Super Flanker.

In close-quarters dogfights, the Su-57M1’s ability to execute complex post-stall manoeuvres remains a key selling point, despite the increasing dominance of beyond-visual-range missile engagements in modern air combat.

📡 Cutting-Edge Avionics: AESA Radar Suite and AI Integration

The avionics suite of the Su-57M1 reflects Russia’s ambition to bridge the gap with Western rivals.

Its nose-mounted Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, with over 1,500 transmit/receive modules, rivals the detection performance of the F-35’s AN/APG-81.

Two additional side-looking AESA radars expand its field of view, boosting situational awareness in multi-vector engagements.

Crucially, the new Su-57M1 also integrates a robust AI backbone that automates mission checks, streamlines system diagnostics, and assists the pilot with real-time sensor fusion and tactical recommendations — an increasingly indispensable feature in the age of electronic warfare and drone swarms.

Moscow’s approach echoes similar “cognitive cockpit” ambitions seen in the US Air Force’s NGAD and the Royal Air Force’s Tempest programmes.

Strategically, the Su-57M1 is designed not merely as a stand-alone platform but as a linchpin in Russia’s push towards loyal wingman concepts.

Its ability to team seamlessly with the S-70 Okhotnik-B unmanned combat aerial vehicle introduces a networked strike capability, combining manned and unmanned assets for coordinated suppression of enemy air defences.

Such loyal wingman operations have become a major focus worldwide, with the US fielding projects like Skyborg and Australia’s Ghost Bat, signalling a race to shape the next-generation kill chain.

From a cost perspective, the Su-57M1 comes in at a projected USD50 million per unit (approximately RM235 million), dramatically undercutting the F-35’s average unit cost of USD110 million (RM518 million).

While that pricing gives it a competitive edge in the global export market, questions remain about whether Moscow can deliver volume production amidst ongoing sanctions and industrial bottlenecks.

To date, only about 15 Su-57s (including prototypes) have reportedly entered service — a far cry from the hundreds of Raptors and Lightning IIs fielded by the United States.

Analysts note that while the Su-57M1’s stealth shaping has improved over its predecessor, the platform still trails Western designs due to visible engine compressor faces and less refined surface coatings.

In the Ukraine theatre, the type’s operational footprint has been limited, likely to prevent sensitive technologies from falling into Western hands.

Nonetheless, the Su-57M1 is clearly tailored for Russia’s unique strategic calculus — emphasising speed, range, multi-role versatility and the option for brute-force payloads over an obsession with total radar invisibility.

This doctrine reflects a long-held Russian belief that robust electronic warfare, decoys, and layered air defences can offset stealth disadvantages in contested battlespaces.

Despite the well-documented production challenges, Moscow is betting that its upgraded Felon will help Russia reclaim some of the fighter export market it once dominated with the MiG-29 and Su-30 families.

Potential customers could include traditional partners like India, Vietnam, and Algeria, though the jet’s success abroad will hinge on how Russia navigates export licensing, technology transfer, and financing in an era of intensifying Western sanctions.

As the global fighter market moves toward sixth-generation ambitions and manned-unmanned teaming, the Su-57M1 stands out as a reminder that Russia remains a serious player — ready to adapt its aerospace industry to new realities, even under economic and geopolitical pressure.

In the next five years, the real test for the Su-57M1 will be whether UAC can translate these promises into consistent serial production and sustained deployment across the Russian Aerospace Forces’ frontline units.

If Moscow succeeds, its upgraded Felon could well disrupt the mid-tier stealth market — offering an alternative for nations wary of Western restrictions or simply unable to afford the F-35’s hefty price tag.

Whether flying solo over the Siberian tundra or hunting alongside a swarm of Okhotnik drones, the Su-57M1 remains a clear signal that Russia is not ready to surrender the skies.