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Inside the Su-57’s Endless Development Cycle: Moscow Predicts 30-Year Service Life
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Russia’s Su-57, the country’s flagship 4++ generation fighter jet, may remain in service for another two to three decades, according to Ukrainian outlet Defense Express, citing Sergey Bogdan, chief test pilot for Sukhoi, on November 27.
But even with such a long projected lifespan, Bogdan admitted the aircraft will “still be undergoing testing,” as new weapons will require repeated flight evaluations for “maneuverability, stability, and structural strength.”
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The Su-57’s development stretches back more than two decades. Russia launched the PAK-FA program—short for “Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation”—in 2001, with the government formally approving the program the following year.
Sukhoi unveiled the first full-scale mock-up in 2004, and the aircraft’s first flying prototype, the T-50-1, took to the air in early 2010. In total, 10 prototypes were built for testing.
The jet officially received the Su-57 designation in August 2017. However, the path to adoption was repeatedly delayed, despite Moscow’s claims that serial production had begun in 2019.
The first production aircraft was accepted into service only in 2020, ten years after the initial test flight.
Earlier, Russia delivered the first export units of its Su-57 fifth-generation fighter aircraft, with the first two aircraft received by an unknown foreign customer.
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