The A-100 "Premier" long-range radar detection aircraft has become a long-term construction project, but its tasks can be taken over by the new two-seat Su-57B fighter in conjunction with S-70 "Okhotnik" drones. This idea was proposed by military analyst Sergey Marzhetsky.
According to him, the "Okhotniks" should be equipped with radars from the Su-57 and light short-range missiles for self-defense.
The stealthy two-seat Su-57 will be able to act as an airborne command post, where the operator will control a group of "Okhotniks" and provide targeting for Su-35S fighters or ground crews of long-range S-400 air defense systems.
Marzhetsky suggested that the Su-57B could remain at a distance of up to 200 km from the line of contact, while a group of "Okhotniks" would advance as a "radar curtain."
They can operate in both passive and active modes. In active mode, the "Okhotniks" turn on their AFAR radars, but they do so in a "flicker" mode, with short pulses at different frequencies for 2-3 seconds.
In Russia, only one A-100 "Premier" was built, specified former pilot Fighterbomber. However, in 2024, the aircraft left the Beriev plant in Taganrog; its current location is unknown.
Military expert Alexey Zakharov explained that the impossibility of serial production of the A-100 due to component problems is no reason to abandon flight tests.
