Russia’s newest supersonic Su-57 stealth fighter jet was filmed performing a mid-air refueling simulation. The footage was captured from the cockpit of a Su-30SM fighter, as well as from the ramp of the An-12 transport aircraft.
Imitating a refueling formation, test pilot guru Sergey Bogdan lined up his Su-57 for a 10-minute mid-air pitstop behind An-12 military transport aircraft, at a distance so close that Zvezda journalists who captured the video could see his face clearly.
The jet approached close enough so that the refueling tanker would be able to extend the refueling cable and far enough to avoid a mid-air collision. While the test run did not feature the actual refueling of the jet, Zvezda also took the first-ever shots of the Su-57 being refueled mid-air by a Il-78 tanker.
The test pilot's skills were also shown from the other angle, that of the Su-30SM fighter jet.
The multirole, single-seat, twin-engine Su-57 jet, known as PAK FA and T-50 during development and production stages, is designed for engaging all types of air, ground and surface targets. The jet will be equipped with a broad range of guided and unguided weapons, making it an irreplaceable asset to the Russian military. The stealth jet has already proved its worth during a combat mission in Syria, where Russia last year deployed four planes to test them in real combat scenarios.
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