Speaking to reporters this Wednesday (16), the Vice-Prime Minister of Russia Yuri Borisov said that the Ministry of Defense and the manufacturer Sukhoi plan to develop a two-seat version of the Su-57 Felon stealth fighter for the export market.
“There is interest in this aircraft and, in my opinion, it will grow with each ing year as our Army receives the model. Foreign customers first look at how a specific weapon of the Russian Armed Forces operates. The Ministry of Defense and the Sukhoi Design Bureau have plans to develop a two-pilot aircraft which will increase the export demand for this model… and may create additional demand.”, said Borysov during a work trip to the Primorye region of the Russian Far East.
According to the TASS agency, the CEO of state-owned Rosoboronexport, Alexander Mikheyev, confirmed earlier this month that at least five Southeast Asian countries were showing interest in the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter. Russia received its first production unit in December 2020.
If the project goes ahead, the Su-57 it would be the first fifth generation fighter with two seats. The great advantage of having two crew is the division of tasks, where, commonly, the soldier in the front seat is responsible for flying the aircraft, while the person in the back seat performs tasks of communication, navigation, use of weapons and sensors, in addition to the operational conversion of new pilots.
Russia's most popular two-seat fighter is the Sukhoi Su-30, an evolution of the Su-27UB. The model is operated by 14 countries in different variants and subvariants, including Malaysia with the Su-30MKM, Venezuela with the Su-30MKV, India with the Su-30MKI, Russia with the Su-30SM and others.
