How Dangerous is Russia’s Enhanced Su-57M1 Fighter? Enlarged Airframe and AI Upgrades Raise Combat Potential

The<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-leading-fighter-fourth-phase" > Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant</a>&nbsp;in the Russian Far East is preparing to transition from production of the baseline Su-57 fighter, to the enhanced Su-57M1 variant, according to reports from multiple Russian sources. The facility is currently producing both the Su-57 and the older Su-35. The expansion of the scale of Su-35 production was&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-expanding-su35-fighter-production-scale-two-reasons-why" >confirmed</a> in the final week of March, while the production scale of the Su-57 has been gradually expanded since 2020, wiht&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/facilities-expanded-su57-fighter-production" >new facilities opened</a> in August 2024 specifically to facilitate it. New details of the Su-57M1’s design features were recently unveiled by the state owned United Aircraft Corporation, with among the most notable being the widening of the airframe to provide greater aerodynamic lift and improved stability at supersonic speeds. This was reported by Russian sources to be intended to better facilitate <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/super-cruiser-su57-mach-2-nonafterburner" target="_blank">sustained supersonic flight</a> without the use of afterburners. Changes to the airframe are likely to have been influenced by the need to better capitalise on the much improved flight performance potential that will be facilitated by the fighter’s new <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/first-look-stealth-optimised-al51f-1-powering-russia-su-57m" target="_blank">AL-51F engines</a>, which will be the first clean sheet fighter engine design Russia brings into service in over 40 years. The engine is significantly superior to the AL-41F-1, a derivative of the Soviet era AL-31F, which has powered the baseline Su-57s entering service since 2020.<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/18/article_6829aabca80267_44860292.webp" title="Su-57 Prototype with AL-51F-1 Flat Nozzle Engine">The Su-57M1 will use a flatter fuselage and internal weapon bays to further improve stealth capabilities. The aircraft will also integrate a new radar, which may bolster stealth capabilities by reducing its radar signature. The Su-57 was previously the only Russian fighter class to integrate an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar in its nose cone, with a transition to a new generation of such radars potentially providing major improvements to situational awareness. It remains uncertain whether only the Su-57’s&nbsp; nose mounted primary radar will be replaced, or whether its four smaller additional radars dispersed across its airframe will also be updated. Alongside a revised airframe design and a new primary sensor, the Su-57’s avionics have also been modernised, with AI-assisted onboard systems facilitating much faster system initialisation with a single-button press. This has streamlined&nbsp;pre-flight checks and mission readiness.<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/18/article_6829aa97bee6a6_38060880.jpg" title="u-57 Production at the Komsomolsk on Amur Aircraft Plant">It remains uncertain when the Su-57M1 is scheduled enter production, and whether the class is intended to enter service in 2025. The AL-51F engine’s development has suffered from considerable delays, which has been a primary factor delaying the service entry of the Su-57M1. This has in turn allowed more technologies to be developed for the aircraft preceding its entry into service. With Algeria having been <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/algeria-confirmed-first-foreign-client-russia-su57-how-many">confirmed</a> in February to have already placed orders for the Su-57, and to be scheduled to receive its first fighters before the end of the year, it remains uncertain whether the country will receive the baseline Su-57 or the enhanced Su-57M1. While there is a possibility that the country’s fleet will be split between the two variants, this would complicate maintenance and likely would not be favoured. The possibility of clients interested in procuring the Su-57 delaying their orders until the new Su-57M1 variant enters production has also been raised, with a major benefit of the integration of the AL-51F engine being a significant reduction to maintenance requirements and operational costs.&nbsp;<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/18/article_6829ac3eb74361_17937429.jpeg" title="Su-57 Fighter Upon Delivery to the Russian Air Force in November 2024">The Su-57M1 is expected to integrate a range of new armaments and subsystems, including a throughly refined and serially produced variant of the R-77M long range air-to-air missile. The missile class is intended to narrow the performance gap with the American AIM-260 and Chinese PL-15. A&nbsp;new helmet-mounted targeting system for the fighter was <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-su57-cutting-edge-helmet" target="_blank">unveiled</a> in December 2024, and projects critical information directly onto the visor, including flight and targeting data much as the helmets on the American F-35 and Chinese J-20 fighters do.&nbsp;In developing upgrades for the Su-57, Russia has had the unique benefit among producers of fifth generation fighters of gaining feedback from its deployment in high intensity combat. The aircraft has been employed for &nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russian-su57-suppress-ukrainian-air-defence" >air defence suppression</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/british-sources-su57-r37m-shoot-down-ukrainians" >air to air combat</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/su57-stealth-drone-nato-hands" >operations in&nbsp;</a>heavily defended enemy airspace in the Ukrainian theatre. The possibility of large scale foreign orders for the Su-57, in particular from India, combined with the greater appeal which the enhanced new variant will have for the Russian Defence Ministry, between them have significant potential to facilitate further major increases in the aircraft’s production scale. &nbsp;