Sukhoi Fighter Starting Flight Tests

[tomo pauk]

Few more photos I found on the internet. Not significant in the terms of aircraft performance, but I find interesting that this aircraft apparently has aft sliding cockpit canopy. Not a feature you can see often on modern fighters.

I'd venture to sat that inner volume is huge, so the decent combat range weaponry carried will not dictate external carriage of items, which compromise low observability.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

What I think is neat is that no matter how you look at it, it looks like a Sukhoi. Someone who has no clue what the aircraft is, will know that it is a Sukhoi.

 

[Matt308]

Interesting pics from her first flight in AvWeek. But what is most noticeable are the stright engine intakes, forward canards, separated engine inlets from the fuselage, nose mounted IRST and wing accessories.

She's a beauty! But looks like an amalgamation of an F-15 wing, Su-27 planform, F-22'ish inlets with F-18 pedigree.

And that cockpit canopy is not too stealthy now is it.

 

[imalko]

Some new photos found on the internet...

 

[tomo pauk]

Fully movable vertical control surface(s)... Not too-often seen feature.
Looking at wing vertical surfaces sizes shapes of two Sukhois, seems that supercruise was the goal all along.

 

[Butters]

Thanks. imalko!

I haven't seen the two lower pics. They're the first I've seen where you could make a good comparison of the size of the T-50 vis the Flanker. It's clearly not only much smaller in OA volume but also looks to be much cleaner aerodynamically, which considering that it will be pumping out as least as much dry thrust, suggests that it should be able to supercruise with ease.

With it's big AESA X-band radar, twin AESA L-band leading edge search radars, and an advanced IRST, it's looking to be a very formidable adversary for the JSF.

JL

BTW, somebody scoffed the engines from that Flanker

EDIT: This guy's site has some great pics and info on the T-50. And lotsa speculation, of course...

http://www.paralay.iboards.ru/viewforum.php?f=5

 

[tomo pauk]

T-50 features another novelty - movable LERX. Those could be seen at 1st 2nd picture from latest post by Imalko.

 

[Matt308]

Fully movable vertical control surface(s)... Not too-often seen feature.
.

Like the 1960's SR-71 perhaps (not fully articulated but damn close)

I'm waiting for vertical control surfaces that can articulate anhedral/dihedral to vary stealth effects. Say full 90 degrees (F-15) for maximum vertical control surface effect to 10-15 degree YF-23 maximum stealth mode. Would be a flight contro lprogrammer's mechanical system engineer's nightmare but certainly worth it.

 

[Waynos]

or even the 1950's A-5 Vigilante Matt, I'm sure there are others too (TSR 2 was another) but it is still quite rare.

I don't think the engine intakes are as straight as they first seemed either. The head on view seems to show plenty of opportunity for the expected stealth considerations to be applied.

This is, of course, only a prototype too. The almost cartoony YF-22 was a very very different machine from the F-22A.