Russia is testing the Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter as a carrier for attack drones. An image of an aircraft carrying an S-71 UAV was shared by the manufacturer, as revealed by Aviation Week.
The S-71 is a drone that has been given stealth features and improved performance to be launched at greater ranges.
It has swept wings, an inverted V-tail and is powered by a small TRDD-50 turbofan. The small unmanned aircraft can reach Mach 0.6 and an altitude of 26,000 feet (8,000 meters).
In the image shared by Sukhoi, an S-71 is seen on an external hanger of a Su-57 fighter jet.
The outlet said tests were conducted in April with both the S-71K variant, which launches cluster munitions, and the S-71M, which has a thermal sensor and can be launched at night.
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The S-71K variant can be launched from an external carriage while the S-71M is carried in the fighter’s internal compartment.
The drone was developed before the conflict with Ukraine and was eventually improved to address the difficulties encountered initially.
The Su-57 fighter is the only fifth-generation fighter in Russia and is reportedly being produced at a low rate in the east of the country.
The air force has ordered 76 aircraft from the UAC in addition to commissioning a dozen pre-production fighters.
