Russia Launches Mass Production of 5th Generation SU-57

Here is some very relevant news. The Russians have begun fullscale mass production of the SU-57 Stealth fighter.  It is quite significant because these 5th generation aircraft will be seeing continuous upgrades in the future. Meaning this is the "1st generation" of the 5th generation aircraft. 

Mass production 5th-generation Su-57 fighter started in Russia

fifth generation, highly-intelligent equipment

barely noticeable, great aerial target interception 

ground target destruction. 

Mass production launched in 2019 

Defence Ministry ordered 70 aircraft

Su-57 stealth air superiority fighter 

formerly known as PAK FA

single-seat, twin-engine multirole “stealth” aircraft 

air superiority and attack roles

advanced avionics system 

airborne active phased array radar 

variety of high-precision weaponry.
Source: Sputnik

My comments : 

Here is a quick video of the SU-57.  
 

(Some trivia - how do you differentiate a Sukhoi from an MIG? Well the Sukhoi Design bureau prefers a "duckbill" for its aircraft. You can see it clearly in the video, the Sukhois have a slightly flat nose cone - like a duck's bill. The MIGs have sharp, pointy nose cones.)

 

The SU-57 will be the first operational 5th generation aircraft to be able to fly 'wing formation' with the Okhotnik "Hunter" UCAV  (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle).

Each SU-57 can potentially become a "mother ship" with one or more UCAVs in formation. The Okhotnik UCAV can fly attack and recon missions.


Here is a video of the Okhotnik UCAV drone: 

What this also means is that in terms of its onboard computers and software the SU-57 is already wired to  be a 'mother ship' for combat UCAVs. This is a major leap forward. Todate no other fighter aircraft anywhere in the world has this capacity. 

And this is the first version of the SU-57. There will be upgrades.