Su-57 at the exhibition in China: the headliner of the "vanity fair"?
One of the largest military exhibitions on the planet will take place in the Chinese city of Zhuhai from November 12 to 17. In the West, this event is dismissively called a "Third World Vanity Fair," but more than 1000 participants from 47 countries is quite a decent number.
Yes, and it is the largest in the world. weapons a forum that is held outside the influence of NATO countries and their minions, and within the framework of this forum one can sometimes see developments that cannot be seen anywhere else except in Zhuhai.
So it is quite natural for gentlemen from various NATO structures to attend the forum, primarily to be aware of what they are working on in China or in Russia, which is not allowed anywhere due to sanctions.
And to what extent the countries exhibiting in Zhuhai are "third world" is a very difficult question. At least, the representatives of China, as organizers and participants, and Russia can simply look with a grin at all this dog barking, of which, we admit, there is a lot. However, more on that below, and for now we can happily state that the headliner of this forum was the Russian Su-57.
And then this started happening around our plane...
"The Chinese freely filmed the Su-57 at unprecedented close range"
It all started with the first Su-57 flying to Zhuhai under its own power. This immediately hinted that ours would not be limited to statics, but would fly. And when the second plane was brought in by a transport plane, everything became clear: there would be flights.
Well, when the Russian Knights arrived in full force, everything became completely clear.
However, when ours allowed us to approach the aircraft at minimum distances, everyone became worried. How is it that the Chinese military does not allow us to approach the J-20 very close, but the Russians do? What is wrong here?
With a feeling of undisguised pleasure I read the Ukrainian… stream of consciousness published in Defence Express. I recognized it right from the handwriting, mainly the frequently repeated words “Russia” and “humiliation”.
The Russian side, you see, was unable to ensure the access zone was restricted, and therefore everyone, absolutely everyone who wanted to could inspect the plane from all sides! Yes, it was an interesting maneuver! The Ukrainians who started screaming on the air, of course, were not present in Zhuhai, they were content with the videos made by Chinese visitors on their mobile phones.
Let me quote from this now completely unrespected publication:
"The very first participation of the Su-57 at the international air show Airshow China marked the final destruction of the myth that this aircraft is in any way related to the fifth generation. And it also became proof that all Russian aircraft manufacturing technologies remained in the 57th century. The only thing was that the Russians were unable to provide a no-access zone for spectators and the Chinese freely filmed the Su-XNUMX at unprecedentedly close range."
Yeah, so if you have the best plane in the world, you have to hide it very well from everything: prying eyes, prying cameras, prying radars... Well, like what happened with the F-22. The plane is truly invisible, because no one has seen it in action.
So what was it about what they saw that excited the Ukro-Americans or American-Ukrainians so much that they raised such a piercing howl?
His screws are of the wrong system.
First of all, the large number of screws on the body panels attracted attention. This is generally not very useful for aerodynamics, and is also a little at odds with the postulates of stealth. Experienced experts thought about the topic "what kind of heresy is this?", but critics and especially critics simply gushed with emotion, saying that all of Russia's achievements in aviation remained in the 20th century and the Su-57 is not an airplane, but a disgrace, and this whole circus is a huge humiliation for Russia as a whole and for the aircraft manufacturing industry in particular.
Yes, many people still didn't like the cleanliness of the joints of some units. But these are just trifles, compared to the screws. Especially since - oh horror!!! - the Su-57 screws had DIFFERENT types! That is, with a straight slot, with a Phillips slot, and even a hexagonal one!
Many happily rushed to speak out on the topic that here it is, the culture of production in Russia, or rather, its complete lack of culture, based on the clumsiness and feeblemindedness of everyone who crosses the checkpoint of the plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
In general, the build quality does not stand up to any criticism.
In general, the storm raged for two days, and some segments of the Russian-language Internet (of those that always promise us the grave) gradually began to join in, in general, it was fun and full of fire.
And the Chinese remained silent.
I specifically monitored Renmin Bao (not to be confused with Renmin Ribao, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China) or, as it is also called, PLA Daily, the equivalent of our Red Star. If they had said something, all of China would have repeated it.
Yes, materials started appearing there. But, what is remarkable is that there was no hysteria. The Chinese preferred to first figure out in detail what the joke of such a turn of events was, and then speak out.
Prototype
So, the general tone of the statements is a kind of mild disappointment. The neighbors quickly realized that it was not production aircraft that had come to visit them, but prototypes. Actually, it was not even a Su-57, but a T-50. The one that arrived was a T-50-4, a first-stage prototype that made its first flight back in 2012. The second one that was brought was a T-50-6, also a prototype, but a second-stage one. In flight operations since 2016.
You don’t have to be an expert to understand that the 2012 prototype differs from the 2024 production aircraft as… As the Yellow River differs from the Volga.
In general, our guys cheated a little. They brought planes that they wouldn't mind showing off and flying. Does it look like a Su-57? It does. Does at least one of the two fly? It does. The other one can be touched and photographed without any problem. There's nothing special about these planes.
I repeat: there is nothing in these planes that could excite the interest of Chinese technical intelligence, which no longer needs to shove planes into a Xerox machine, and they already look like prototypes (this is a hint at the J-35, which is also a forum participant, and the F-35), which is frightening.
Observers from the Chinese publication Sohu noted that for Russia, participation in the air show is an excellent opportunity to advertise its technology and, perhaps, even find foreign buyers for it. Incidentally, it was they who dug up that we sent not a combat aircraft, but a prototype that is 12 years old.
According to Chinese journalists, our guys decided to cheat a little.
"The Su-57 participating in the Zhuhai Air Show is unusual. It seems that Russia wants to use it not only to attract buyers, but also to prevent its secrets from leaking to China... The Russians just resorted to a little trick," Sohu analysts believe.
So, in general, it is clear to everyone (except for the crazy people in Ukraine and their "quoters" overseas) that the Russian delegation does not want to put our most modern fighter on public display. Especially considering the fact that there will be so many different experts and just spies from NATO countries there. Well, that would be completely stupid, wouldn't it?
Naturally, the T-50-4 will lack all the solutions that were used in the second-stage aircraft and, even more so, in combat vehicles. But what is in the prototype is more than enough for real experts to draw the appropriate conclusions. And the rest can be explained behind the scenes, in private conversations over a pot of fancy Chinese tea, for example.
In general, it is a surprisingly original move. Russia solves two problems at once: it shows the whole world (or the part of it present at the forum) its best aircraft and keeps its secrets from those who are not supposed to know them. And here we do not mean China, with whom our relations are at the best level in stories, but from those who are from NATO (and they are there in decent quantities) the preservation of advanced technologies is a matter of national importance for both Moscow and Beijing.
India and Su-57
So some disappointment with the propellers is understandable. But I think that the flights of the Su-57, excuse me, T-50-4 will not leave the Chinese indifferent. Yes, by the way, the Americans, who are smarter and calmer, also say that such flights will be more than useful.
American magazine "Air and Space Forces":
"With or without the new Izdeliye 30 engine, the Su-57 can put on a very impressive aerial show, better than any other fighter in the world. The Zhuhai flight demonstrations will have a definite impact on both spectators and potential buyers from Asia, Africa, South America and the Middle East. One of the main destinations for this show could be India, where there has been a renewed need for an affordable fifth-generation aircraft in recent times, while their own HAL AMCA project remains just a concept."
And there is nothing to add here. Indeed, India has once again started looking towards the Su-57, which, unlike the FGFA (a Russian-Indian joint project from which India withdrew back in 2018), flies and fights. Against the backdrop of the complete disgrace with the Rafales and their own parodies of combat aircraft, the Indian military can rectify the situation and purchase the Su-57. They really need it, because China has already begun supplying Pakistan with its aircraft, which is not at all in India’s favor.
Moreover, in India itself, where criminal cases and arrests continue due to the “super-successful” acquisition of Rafales, there are military personnel who continue to say that the future of the Indian Air Force is not with the French, but with Russia.
Armament Acquisition Consultant, Colonel Vijayinder K. Thakur:
"India continues to maintain the option of acquiring the Su-57 after the Izdeliye 30 engine is integrated into the aircraft. Russia's Rostec has announced that serial production of the Su-57 with the "second stage" engine will begin in 2024. The Su-57, no matter what shortcomings its competitors try to attribute to it, is the only stealth fighter that has undergone rigorous testing in particularly harsh combat conditions."
If the problem is only in the engines, it is not a problem. The Indians are generally famous for their excessive capriciousness in matters of purchasing equipment. And for some reason they have one huge problem: the Su-30MKI assembled in India is twice as expensive as the same aircraft assembled in Russia. In dollar equivalent. So perhaps for the Su-57 it is worth giving up "Made in India" and just buying in Russia. But this is a matter for the future, let them think about it.
Su-57 in the movies
And the Chinese are very interested in the plane, and this interest is out of nowhere: cinematography helped!
In the rather decent, in my opinion, blockbuster “The Wandering Earth 2”, which in its scenario is very similar to “Earth Flight” by Francis Carsac (although it was made based on the book “The Wandering Earth” by Liu Cixin), there a Russian Su-57 (very well drawn, by the way) fought together with a Chinese J-20 against a flock of drones, launched by the enemies of humanity.
The film was a hit with the Chinese, grossing over $600 million at the box office.
Well, the second film, which was also shown in China: “Top Gun: Maverick,” where the Su-57 is the main enemy of the brave American aces.
Well, it is clear that if the enemy is an adversary, then almost a friend. In general, in the mass of the Chinese public, the Su-57 is "ours" down to the last Allen screw.
It is clear that there is huge interest in the “almost our” Su-57 in China, but the main decisions will be made not by those who go to the cinemas, but by those who sit in the relevant offices.
Conclusions
So, having analyzed the situation down to the last detail, the Chinese press wrote (with a slight nod to us) that the Russians had specially brought in a machine that, in a number of respects, was worse than those that are currently participating in the SVO.
This is very logical, because world practice is that export aircraft have always been inferior in some way to aircraft produced for their own Air Forces.
So the T-50-4 prototype may correspond to the export versions that were included in the project. Of course, the propellers on the export machines will be the same, and most likely, they will receive some camouflage, but the export aircraft will not be better than those in service with the VKS.
By the way, judging by the publications in the same Chinese newspaper "China-Arms", the main prospective client for the Su-57 is still India. The Chinese have something to work on in the form of the J-20 and J-35, but the Indian Air Force has nothing even close. So, according to Chinese experts, India "is one step away from acquiring Russian fifth-generation fighters."
Well, of course, especially after the pragmatic Chinese supplied Pakistan with their FC-31. Whether you like it or not, you have to respond. The question of whether India and Pakistan will meet again is purely a question of "when."
***
The arms forum in Zhuhai has not yet begun, but passions are already running high. There will certainly be many more interesting moments, especially from those who are sick of the successes of Russian and Chinese aviation. Alas, but we will have to accept it.
The trio of headliners at the forum looks more than respectable: the Su-57, the Chinese naval stealth J-35A, and the Chinese strategic combat drone Wing Loong-X, capable of transoceanic flights.
The company is more than worthy. Will there be such a "vanity fair" in China as the gentlemen who are still tinkering with their new generation fighters want to show?
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