This is the first time Su-57 has participated in an air show abroad, and it has become clear now why the Russians never allowed spectators to get close to it.
You don’t need to be an aerospace expert. To be blunt, the Russian Sukhoi Design Bureau didn’t bother to add a good paint scheme to the aircraft, nor it cares about hiding its screws, rivets and poor welding job. Again and again, Russia has proved that it lacks the machining, engineering, and tooling equipment to manufacture modern aircraft.
The aircraft was photographed in ways that Russia’s adversaries might have once only dreamed of, and soon, armchair pundits and aviation buffs weighed in on every flaw they could spot.
“What especially catches the eye is the huge number of bolts holding together fuselage panels, but this is no news, as previous models had the same look. A whole different matter is that the quality of joints fails to meet reasonable expectations,” the Daily Express added.
The aircraft didn’t appear particularly stealthy on the ground, even as it was a prototype and not a serial production aircraft. Yet, commentators on TikTok were also quick to compare the Su-57 to China’s domestically-built Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon.
“Lots of screws: A closer look at Russia’s 5th generation Su-57 fighter jet at China’s Zhuhai Airshow,” wrote open source military news site Clash Report on X, sharing many of the same complaints as those on TikTok.
The Russian Su-57 fighter jet’s first participation at an international event, the Airshow China 2024 in Zhuhai, was the final nail in the coffin of the myth that this aircraft belongs to the fifth generation. It was also proof that all Russian aircraft construction technologies remained at the 20th-century level.
The Russian oversight failed to organise a no-access zone for spectators so that Chinese event visitors could freely come up unprecedentedly close to the Su-57 model demonstrated at the exhibition.
What especially catches the eye is the vast number of bolts holding together fuselage panels, but this is no news, as previous models had the same look. A whole different matter is that the quality of joints fails to meet any reasonable expectations.
Next are the photos of the tail part, which were published for the first time. Look at the bolts: they have different drive types for fastening — there are single-slotted, Phillips, and with a hexagonal hex head.
The joints connecting the weapon bay doors with other fuselage elements also speak volumes about Russia’s absolute technological level of aircraft construction and production culture.
These videos are being actively shared on Chinese social networks, with users mocking the Russian “4th-gen Su-57 fighter.” Though worth noting, it’s not the complete model for serial production but a prototype. Considering its bort number is 054 , and the model ID is T-50-4, which means it is already the fourth among test articles, the presented model was supposed to be perfected at this point.
The Chinese commenters also compare the Russian jet to their fighter, the Chengdu J-20, which Beijing claims to be a fourth-generation representative of. However, China is in no hurry to expose its own J-20 up close.
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