OREANDA-NEWS. At the meeting with the winners of the contest “Leaders of Russia” in Sochi, Crimea, Putin said that multirole fighter plane Su-57 is the best in the world in many respects, such as armament and operational features. First planes of this kind will start their service in Russian Air Force this year. After 2020, their production will be made regular.

Until recently, in the shadow of new developments, for some reason, the 5-generation multirole fighter Su-57 remained unnoticed. It took to the skies on January 29, 2010 for the first time, and three years later a small-scale production at aircraft factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur has begun. Massively, the plane was not supposed to replace the heavy Su-27 fighter. Although the head of state has repeatedly seen the Su-57 during demonstration flights at air shows, he kept mum for some time.

“Our best aircraft, and not only here, but best in the world, one hundred percent, by all its tactical and technical features and by its armament. No other aircfraft can fly as well as our plane,” Putin said about Su-57 fighter.

Su-57, an attack plane and a fighter jet, is not the cheapest one, but it’s the most modern and well equipped aircraft. Back in 2010, when Vladimir Putin was the Prime Minister, he announced that 30 billion rubles were spent at the first stage of creation of this aircraft. According to him, the same amount will be needed for the modernization of the engine, weapons, etc.

There are no Su-57 analogs, and its closest competitors, including the US’ F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning and Chinese J-20, are lagging behind in many respects, including weapons. Some Su-57’s weapons are still under special secrecy. It is known that at least 1.5 tons out of 10 tons of the total combat load are missiles of various classes, long-range, intermediate and short-range missiles and air-to-ground missiles, as well as adjustable air bombs. The armament will also include hypersonic missiles. In terms of its characteristics, it surpasses both its predecessors and the best foreign analogues.

Su-57 baptism of fire took place in Syria back in February 2018, when they stroke the terrorists’ emplacements with cruise missiles. A couple of those planes has been tested for flight performance, efficiency of the intelligent information control complex, all onboard systems, including armament, at high temperatures, etc. Although in Syria the new fighters did not have the task to fully participate in the operation, specialists were satisfied with them.

Russian media quotes the words of an air ace Sergey Bogdan, who mastered 57 modifications of planes, “This heavy fighter is controlled like a feather in the sky, it’s like a light plane, you don’t feel 30 tons of metal around you. Any pilot dreams to fly such a perfect and intelligent plane.”