The new AL-51F turbojet engine for the Su-57 fighter will not see the light of day before 2030. This was reported by the Indian agency IDRW, which monitors the combat aircraft in the context of the republic's Air Force plans for procurement.
The authors of the publication claim that the Su-57 was allegedly originally designed using the AL-51F — an engine with an afterburner and thrust vectoring.
However, serious development delays prevented its commissioning. It is now expected to enter service as part of the advanced Su-57M1 variant.
The authors of IDRW did not specify what difficulties arose with the AL-51F. Recall that the first versions of the Su-57 were equipped with the first-stage AL-41F1 engine with a thrust of 15,000 kgf in afterburner.
The maximum thrust of the new AL-51F1 is about 11,000 kgf (without afterburner), and up to 18,000 kgf with afterburner. This significantly increases the aircraft's thrust-to-weight ratio.
The power plant is also equipped with a new nozzle that reduces the aircraft's visibility in the infrared and radar ranges.