Major differences between the Su-57 from the Chinese J-20

Journalists of the American edition of The National Interest published an article on the comparison of the Russian fifth-generation fighter Su-57 and the Chinese fourth-generation aircraft Chengdu J-20.

As the Su-57 goes into mass production in much larger quantities than previously expected, Moscow is making efforts to transfer the fifth generation fighter to major arms importers, including Turkey, India and China. Over the past few years, Chinese defense media have been following the development of the Su-57 particularly closely. PRC experts spoke positively about the Russian combat vehicle, and their Russian colleagues were much cooler in their views on the J-20.

American journalists write that the Su-57 is neither better nor worse than the J-20, but performs a completely different operational task, which is a fundamental difference. The Chinese aircraft was designed as a stealth missile platform that can penetrate sophisticated air defense systems to destroy enemy infrastructure or military installations. Su-57, in turn, stands out as an instrument of superiority in the air, which has excellent stealth functions, which allows it to hit targets in the sky without any problems. Thus, the Chinese Air Force should not buy the Su-57 as a replacement, but as an addition to the J-20.

Experts note that the Chinese, when creating their aircraft, drew a lot of inspiration from the Soviet project of the fifth-generation fighter MiG 1.44, which was introduced in 2000. That is, the J-20 used the AL-31F engine, developed by Salut, which the PRC bought for half a billion dollars. Analysts further note the similar shape of the hull and the tail as examples of supposedly supernatural similarities between the two fighters.

American experts are not enthusiastic about the WS-15 engine, with which the J-20 is now supplied. Performance and reliability issues with the single-crystal blades of the WS-15 turbine forced the Chinese to begin production of the initial batches of the J-20 with the older, worse WS-10B as a temporary measure. Previously, information appeared that engineers were able to fix problems in WS-15, but at the time of writing, nothing was confirmed.

Earlier, journalists of the American edition of The National Interest compiled a review of the legendary Shpagin submachine gun (PPSh). US experts called it a “deadly weapon” and “a symbol of the Soviet army.”…