Su-47 Next Generation Fighter Prototype Displayed at Russia’s MAKS 2019 Airshow

A prototype of Russia’s Su-47 Berkut forward swept wing next generation fighter has made an unexpected appearance at the MAKS 2019 airshow near Moscow, 22 years after its first flight in 1997 and 18 years after its prominent appearance at MAKS 2001. Development of the aircraft began just months before the Soviet collapse as a second next generation fighter program alongside the more conventional MiG 1.44 design, and the platform stood out for its wing design, its stealth capabilities and it extreme manoeuvrability even by the standards Sukhoi fighters. While a number of Western sources appeared to postulate that the Su-47 would be put into mass production to counter the U.S. Air Force’s F-22 Raptors, which entered service from December 2005, the fighter never went past an advanced prototype stage - with Russia instead relying on the Su-35 and Su-57 to modernise its fleet and counter new Western platforms.

It is unclear whether Russia would have taken the Su-47 beyond prototype stage had greater funding been available, or whether it was intended from the outset as a technology demonstrator. Whether the platform’s appearance at MAKS was intended to add variety to the show, or could indicate something more regarding Russian plans for the future of its next generation fighter programs, remains uncertain. Technologies tested on the airframe, alongside those integrated onto the MiG 1.44 prototype, did however considerably benefit the Su-57 and Su-35 programs - the former which was a central attraction at the MAKS airshow with mass production beginning in Russia just weeks prior and large export orders expected.