Russia Claims Su-57 is Almost a Sixth-Generation Fighter – Sure It Is... Moscow has long touted the capabilities of its newest weapons system. This is an extension of "Maskirovka," Russian military doctrine that was first developed in the early 20th century.

It covered a broad range of measures for military deception in wartime, including the use of camouflage and efforts to conceal the location of military units. In the Soviet era, it was employed in peacetime during such events as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Prague Spring, and notably in the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

This extends to disinformation campaigns that can include untrue information to journalists. In other words, anything that Russia says in official reports likely needs to be taken with a serious grain of salt. This is certainly the case with its latest military platforms, where published capabilities can vastly exceed the attributes of the actual systems.

This could explain why the Russians have faced such setbacks on the battlefield and why some systems didn't exactly perform as promised or excited.

Case in Point: The "Sixth Generation" Capabilities of the Su-57

The Kremlin has struggled to produce its "fifth-generation" Sukhoi Su-57 (NATO reporting name "Felon") in significant numbers, and serial production of the aircraft has been met with numerous delays.

Yet, even as some aviation experts question its actual capabilities, Russia has suggested in the past that an upgraded/advanced model could be the world's first in-service "sixth-generation" aircraft.

This was first noted in a November 2017 report from Russian state media outlet Tass, which cited Russian Aerospace Force ex-commander and Chairman of the Federation Council Defense and Security Committee Viktor Bondarev, who explained, "This is actually a splendid plane and it can embrace both fifth-and sixth-generation features. It has huge modernization potential. Importantly, it is the best among the existing versions by its stealth characteristics. It incorporates all the best that is available in modern aviation science both in Russia and in the world."

More recently, this hype over the Su-57's capabilities has continued – even as there are now multiple actual sixth-generation programs in the works like the NGAD concept and F/A-XX. By most accounts, the Su-57 meets some of the criteria for a fifth-generation fighter, which includes stealth, with munitions stored internally, high maneuverability and short-field capabilities, supercruise, advanced avionics, networked data fusion that enables situational awareness on the battlefield, and multirole capabilities.

Russia's Su-57 Felon Lies Are Just Sad

However, it would still seem a leap that the Su-57, or any fifth-generation fighter for that matter, could be upgraded to a sixth-generation fighter so easily.

The next generation will likely include advanced digital capabilities, including highly-capable artificial intelligence (AI), data fusion, and battlefield, command, control, and communications (C3) capabilities; will be optionally manned; employ enhanced human-systems integration with virtual cockpits; advanced stealth airframes and avionics; advanced variable-cycle engines; increased-range stand-off and BVR (beyond visual range) weapons; and even be equipped with directed-energy weapons such as laser CIWS (close-in weapons systems).

Hype doesn't make fact.

The Su-57 is likely a capable fighter, but there is doubt from many that it is even a fifth-generation fighter, and upgrading it further likely isn't exactly possible.

The bigger issue still is that Russia is failing to produce the Su-57 in significant numbers. 

Likely, however, the Su-57 hype will continue as it is Maskirovka in play.

Author Experience and Expertise:

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.