MWM: Russia’s SU-57 fighter demonstrates extreme range with trans-continental flight on internal fuel

Su-57 Fighter
Photo: MWM

Russian state defence conglomerate Rostec has taken the El Alamein International Airshow in Egypt as an opportunity to showcase the extreme range of its Su-57 fifth generation fighter, flying the aircraft to the Northeast African country on internal fuel, and subsequently operating it at the airshow without the need to refuel first, Military Watch Magazine writes.

"The Russian fifth generation Su-57E fighter demonstrated exceptional flight range with internal fuel tanks. The Su-57E flew to the El Alamein International Airshow in Egypt using internal fuel tanks located inside the cargo bay. This made it possible to do without the traditional external fuel tanks mounted on the aircraft’s wing pylons," Rostec reported.

The flight was completed with a single stopover, after which the aircraft still had enough fuel for another 1,000 kilometres. "This was sufficient to conduct a demonstration flight the following day, which was equivalent in terms of resources to a full-scale aerial combat mission," Rostec observed. The ability to use internal fuel tanks “preserves the aircraft’s aerodynamics and ensures a significant reserve of range. The flight demonstrated that, among operational-tactical aircraft, the Su-57E is unmatched in terms of combat radius and endurance," it added. External fuel tanks not only impose considerable additional drag and weight, but also compromise the radar evading stealth profiles of fifth generation fighters like the Su-57.

Soviet and Russian heavyweight fighters have since the 1980s had much longer ranges than fighter types in the Western world, with the Su-57’s direct fourth generation predecessor the Su-27 having had a combat radius of close to 2,000 kilometres, far exceeding that of any fighter type fielded in a Western air force.

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