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| Possible Su-57 Blessed with Loyal Wingman Capability, S-70 Okhotnik Becomes Opportunity |
International Military - It is possible that the Su-57 is equipped with Loyal Wingman capabilities. This can be seen from the existence of the S-70B which is the last production variant after weapons testing. Where it is expected to be serialized in 2023.
The final version of the Okhotnik was launched from the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant in December 2021, featuring a new flat exhaust that better fits the "contour" of the engine and fuselage.
Quoted from the Eurasian Times, two developments of the Su-57 in June demonstrated the speed that Russia wanted, and Russia wanted to have a 'Wingman' capability.
Andrey Yelchaninov, Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Russian Military-Industrial Commission, said in a separate interview that planes and drones can interact. "Not only with each other but also in different types of combat formations," he said.
Therefore, serious network-centric and data-linking capabilities are on the cards, along with those planned for the American Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) and India's CATS concept.
The Su-57 and S-70B Okhotnik have internal weapons bays. Broadly speaking, it qualifies into the Gen 5 low observability category. Russia's doctrine of aerospace design and operations has long ditched pure stealth after learning from the experience of the F-35 and F-22.
The scale of Russia's envisioned Okhotnik role can be gauged from the statement by Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko that it will fly from the Project 23900 amphibious assault ship 'Mitrofan Moskalenko' under construction.
Moskalenko himself will be the flagship of the Black Sea fleet. The S-70B will provide targeting data for the Zircon (Tsirkon) hypersonic anti-ship missile while performing other strike missions. Moskalenko is under construction at the Zaliv shipyard in Kerch, targeted for completion in July 2020.
Launching Military Leak, the Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B (Hunter-B) is a Russian stealth heavy unmanned combat drone (UCAV). The drone was developed by Sukhoi and the Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG as a sixth-generation aircraft project.
The drone is based on the previous Mikoyan Skat designed by MiG and includes some of the technology of the fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet.
This work was carried out by the Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association (NAPO), part of the Sukhoi company. In the document, the drone is characterized as a “sixth generation unmanned aerial vehicle”.