Russian Su-57 rogue just ‘broke cover’ armed with some dangerous cruise missiles

What you need to know: Recent images show the Russian Sukhoi Su-57 Felon stealth fighter operating near the front lines of the Russo-Ukrainian war with two externally mounted KH-59M2 cruise missiles. This is unusual because carrying weapons externally compromises the aircraft’s stealth capabilities by increasing its radar cross section.

-Analysts such as Steve Brown suggest this could indicate a shortage of more expensive domestically transported missiles, or that Russia believes it has achieved air superiority, reducing the need for stealth.

-Operating with external weapons increases the risk of detection, which is significant given the limited number of Su-57s Russia has produced due to sanctions and production challenges.

The Su-57 offender looks quite dangerous

New images, posted online last week, showed the Sukhoi Su-57 Felon operating with two externally positioned KH-59M2 cruise missiles. The Su-57, which was flying near the first line of the Russo-Ukraine war, attracted attention for taking the missiles abroad. Typically, fifth-generation stealth aircraft carry their weapons internally, to reduce the radar cross section (RCS) of the aircraft.

“Carrying missiles on external weapons pylons compromises the aircraft’s reduced radar reflectivity and therefore its ability to operate in a high-threat environment,” Steve Brown reported.

Why the external pylons of the Su-57?

What’s especially strange about the Su-57 operating with external weapons is that the Su-57 does not have to operate with external weapons; The Su-57 has two internal compartments that house a modified version of the KH-59 cruise missile. The modified version of the KH-59 was compromised to fit inside an internal weapons bay, resulting in a smaller size, lower maximum range, and weaker warhead.

“It could be that Russian forces simply have a shortage of much more expensive internal missiles, but still want to deploy the Felon, for which external support points are available,” Brown reported.

Or, possibly, Ukraine’s air defense systems have been compromised to the point that stealth functions are no longer necessary to operate successfully in theater. Russia may have achieved something resembling air superiority, at least to the point where its non-stealth fighters can survive, thanks to a significant reduction in the presence of Ukrainian radars, fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). .

If air superiority has been achieved, operating with the larger and more powerful KH-59M2 (non-internal) would be the logical choice.

Or “it could simply be an option of combining a lower-cost weapon with high lethality,” Brown wrote.

However, regardless of the reasoning, operating the Su-57 with external missiles carries a higher degree of risk; the chances of the aircraft being detected increase. And given the problems Russia has had producing the Su-57, any increased risk to a single airframe is significant; To date, the Russians have only been able to build thirty-two of their fifth-generation fighters.

For an airplane that first flew fourteen years ago, that’s a glacial production rate. And production rates are not improving; Western sanctions have complicated Russia’s ability to build more Su-57s.

However, Russia has been able to get around some of the sanctions. Recently, Russia “acquired automated workstation equipment to assist in calibration and laboratory testing of specialized devices such as the MPPU-50,” Bokyo Nikolov. reported. Additionally, the Russians are believed to have acquired a German-made Siemens KLE 360 CNC, a tool used for precise manufacturing.

Thus, possibly Russia’s efforts to continue producing The Su-57s are underway and successful despite sanctions, making forward-facing airframe deployment more acceptable.

About the author: Harrison Kass

Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with more than 1,000 articles in total on issues related to global affairs. Harrison, a lawyer, pilot, guitarist and minor professional hockey player, joined the US Air Force as a trainee pilot but was discharged for medical reasons. Harrison holds a bachelor’s degree from Lake Forest College, a juris doctorate from the University of Oregon, and a master’s degree from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.

Image credit: Creative Commons and/or Shutterstock.