Upgraded Russian Su-57 Stealth Fighter Jet Completes First Flight

The first flight of the upgraded fifth-generation Su-57 fighter jet took place on October 21 at the airfield of the M.M. Gromov Flight Research Institute near Moscow.
According to the Su-57 manufacturer, United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), "on-board equipment with extended functionality, intelligent crew support and the possibility of using a wide range of new types of weapons is being tested on the aircraft."
In addition, "the aircraft is provided with the possibility of installing a second-stage engine," a UAC press release says.
The aircraft was piloted by a test pilot of the Sukhoi Design Bureau , Hero of the Russian Federation Sergey Bogdan. The flight lasted 56 minutes and passed without remarks," the report said.
A UAC official had told defensemirror.com during the Army 2022 event in August that an upgrade had been planned based on operational experience in Syria and Ukraine.
Supersonic cruising speed and in-fuselage weapon placement are the distinguishing features of the fifth generation of fighters. The engine of the "second stage" (product of the 30th production of the United Engine Corporation, UEC), which will provide the Su-57 with supersonic cruising speed, began flight tests in December 2017.