Aerospace

Russia upgrades the stealth on Su-57 fighter that's meant as an F-35, F-22 killer

Russian media announced on Friday that it had significantly improved the stealth on its Su-57 fighter jet by applying a coating to the glass canopy on the cockpit, as well as similar upgrades to its Tu-160 nuclear bomber.

Russia's state-owned defense corporation Rostec told Russian media the new coating "doubles radar wave absorption and reduces the aircraft cockpit's radar signature by 30%" and added that Russia's Su-57, Su-30, Su-34, Su-35, and MiG-29K jets already have the upgrade.

But none of those jets, including the Su-57, which Russia explicitly bills as a stealth fighter, are considered that stealthy by experts contacted by Business Insider.

While Russia's Sukhoi fighter/bombers have enviable maneuverability and serious dogfighting capability, only the US and China have produced true stealth fighters.

A stealth scientist working on US aircraft previously reviewed pictures of the Su-57 and concluded in an interview with Business Insider that Russia had hardly even tried to make the plane unobservable to radar.