Russia's Two-Seat Su-57 Fighter Makes First Flight
The new modification can be used both for pilot training and for controlling a mixed aviation group, including drones.
Second cockpit for the swarm: why the Su-57D is not a 'trainer' but a bet on a different kind of warfare
[The Gist]: What's Really Happening
On May 19, 2026, Sergey Bogdan, chief pilot of the Sukhoi Design Bureau, took a new modification of the fifth-generation fighter into the air. The flight lasted 40 minutes, during which the aircraft performed a standard set of stability and controllability maneuvers. The next day, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov confirmed that flight tests of the two-seat Su-57 prototype had begun.
Officially, it's a combat trainer modification designated Su-57D. Unofficially, it's a quiet but profound paradigm shift. The West is still debating whether a two-seat fifth-generation fighter is even necessary. The F-22 doesn't have one, nor does the F-35. The Pentagon relies on advanced simulators and an AI assistant that 'replaces' the second pilot.
Russia has taken a different path. And this path is not about training. It's about swarm control.
Timeline and Context
The idea of a two-seat Su-57 is not new. As early as 2021, there were reports of plans to create such a modification, primarily for controlling the heavy S-70 Okhotnik drone. Moreover, the Su-57 was originally designed with a two-seat configuration in mind, for the joint Russian-Indian FGFA project, which was later frozen.
Key recent dates:
- May 2026 (before the 19th): Photos of a two-seat Su-57 during ground tests appeared on the Fighterbomber Telegram channel. The aircraft was undergoing taxi tests in Zhukovsky, Moscow region.
- May 19, 2026: First flight. Pilot: Sergey Bogdan (the same pilot who flew the T-50 prototype in 2010).
- May 20-23, 2026: Information spreads through the media. Rostec officially states that the new modification is designed for 'organizing and managing combat operations of a combined group of manned and unmanned aviation, forming a unified information and control space.'
Note the wording. This is not a 'combat trainer,' although that function is also stated. It is an 'airborne command post.' And the 'D' suffix, not 'UB,' is no coincidence.
Who Wins and Who Loses
Russian Aerospace Forces win: The two-seat cockpit allows for workload distribution. In critical moments of battle, when one must simultaneously fly the aircraft, monitor radar, and coordinate drone operations, a single pilot is physically overwhelmed. The Su-57D becomes a 'flying headquarters' for a drone swarm.
Export potential wins: Fifth-generation fighters are a niche product. The US F-35 is in service with allies, but its price and technology transfer restrictions deter many buyers. The Su-57D, with its two-seat cockpit, looks more attractive to countries that lack the ultra-expensive simulator centers the Americans have.
The US loses (ideologically): The US Air Force has spent decades arguing that a single-seat fifth-generation fighter is the norm. The F-22 has no trainer version, nor does the F-35. If the Russian Su-57D proves its effectiveness in drone control during real exercises, the Pentagon will have to explain to Congress why they didn't consider this option. And converting the F-35 to a two-seat version would cost billions and take years.
India's AMCA program loses (in the long run): India was once Russia's partner in the FGFA and insisted on a two-seat version. The deal fell through, and India went its own way (the AMCA program). But AMCA is stalling. The Su-57D is a ready-made two-seat fifth-generation fighter that India once wanted. A return to negotiations is not out of the question.
What the Media Isn't Saying
The key insight—missing from 90% of publications—concerns the Okhotnik and the 'loyal wingman' concept.
The S-70 Okhotnik is a heavy strike drone that has been flying in tandem with the Su-57 since 2019. But until now, control was semi-automatic: an operator on the ground or the Okhotnik's onboard AI executed commands from the Su-57 pilot.
What changes with the Su-57D: The second pilot gets a full-fledged UAV operator station. He doesn't just give 'attack target' commands. He coordinates multiple drones simultaneously—up to a swarm of small kamikaze drones. He has his own screen, his own joysticks, his own communication channel.
Insight missing from headlines: The Su-57D is the answer to a key problem of modern warfare: how can a manned fighter remain stealthy while seeing everything around and striking without risk? The solution: the fighter itself hides beyond the horizon or behind electronic warfare systems, while cheap drones fly ahead under the second pilot's control. The first pilot focuses on survival and air combat. The second focuses on destroying ground targets via drones.
The US is already testing this tactic with the Loyal Wingman program (XQ-58 Valkyrie drones for the F-35). But for the Americans, control from the fighter is a single button. For Russia, it's a full second seat with a human who can make complex decisions in real time—something AI still can't do.
And the second hidden point: the new engine. In December 2025, the Su-57 first flew with the 'izdeliye 177' engine—more economical and powerful than its predecessor. The two-seat version is heavier than the single-seat due to the second cockpit and additional equipment. Without the new engine, fuel capacity and payload would have dropped critically. In other words, the Su-57D became possible only after the power plant was refined. This connection is not widely reported, but it's key.
Forecast: Next 30 Days and 90 Days
Next 30 days (by end of June 2026):
- Tests will continue in a closed mode. Expect fragmentary leaks on Telegram channels like Fighterbomber—that's where the first photos were 'leaked.'
- An official announcement from Rosoboronexport at some forum (possibly MAKS-2026 in July). Topic: 'export potential of the Su-57D.' They will name the first potential buyers (Algeria is already on the list, India is next).
- A response from the Americans: a press release about 'advanced F-35 simulators that make a two-seat version unnecessary.' This will be a diversionary tactic.
Next 90 days (by end of August 2026):
- First tests of the Su-57D paired not with a single Okhotnik but with a swarm of small drones. If successful, the 'airborne carrier' concept will gain practical confirmation.
- Renewed discussions about Russian-Indian cooperation on fifth-generation fighters. Indian media will start debating the 'feasibility of returning to FGFA based on the Su-57D.'
- Western analysts will revise their assessments. Publications that wrote 'trainer for poor countries' will start talking about a 'revolution in battle management.' But this won't happen until real footage of the Su-57D working with a swarm emerges.
What I'll be tracking: the response of the United Aircraft Corporation to questions about serial production. If information about the first production Su-57Ds for the Russian Aerospace Forces appears by the end of the year, it means the concept has been approved at the highest level. If only prototypes remain, it's a technology demonstrator for export, nothing more.
The Su-57D is not about 'two seats instead of one.' It's about how Russia envisions air warfare in the 2030s: one expensive stealth fighter commanding a swarm of cheap, expendable, but deadly drones. And while the West debates whether a second cockpit is needed, the Russians have already installed one. And flown it. For 40 minutes.
— Editorial Team
No comments yet.