Russia has long touted the capabilities of the Su-57, its first aircraft to feature stealth technology. 

Among other claims, the Kremlin states that the Su-57 will serve as a test bed for a family of stealth-based aerial combat systems that could include unmanned aerial systems. These drones would act like loyal wingmen and serve alongside the manned aircraft.

The U.S. Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance program is a system of systems that also calls for a manned aircraft to be supported by unmanned drones. 

The U.S. military aims to deploy its loyal wingmen by the end of the decade. According to recent reports, the Kremlin could have them in the sky even sooner.

According to a post from BulgarianMilitary.com, Russia’s state-owned United Aircraft Corporation received a patent for an air-launched assault vehicle that could operate with the Su-57. The document was said to be found on Rospatent, Russia's patent registry, and it highlights the autonomy of the drone. 

If the reported patent is to be believed – and there are reasons why one would question it, including the story's date stamp of April 1 – the attack drone might be quite an impressive piece of hardware. The drone can "work in an information-transmitting mode, where it broadcasts information about located targets and awaits attack instructions from a movable ground control station. It also has the capability to receive target hit confirmations from the pilot operator aboard the aircraft from which it was launched."

The vehicle could also serve as a kamikaze drone, a form of loitering munition that can be launched from the fighter while equipped with a modular warhead based on the specific target. This has led to speculation that the drone would incorporate technology based on lessons learned from Lancet drones and Izdeliye 304 multi-purpose guided missiles. The stealth fighter could serve as a mother ship of sorts, able to launch the drones at distances far greater than the vehicles could reach from the ground.

As noted, Russia has long talked up the Su-57 and its ability to work alongside unmanned aircraft. The patent would suggest significant progress is finally being made. This follows previous reports that the Su-57 could operate a swarm of drones that it could deploy from the internal fuselage compartment, or from external slings attached to the aircraft.

As game-changing as this may sound, Russia has struggled to build just under two dozen production aircraft. Counting prototypes, it is believed that only around thirty Su-57s have been produced. The fifth-generation fighter has barely been seen in the skies anywhere close to Ukraine, highlighting either Moscow’s lack of confidence in the aircraft, or its unwillingness to risk losing any.

Without significant numbers of fighters to deploy the drones, the swarms simply won't materialize.

Further, a patent is not the same as actual technology. The tech world is filled with promising announcements that never move beyond the vaporware stage. At this point, Russia's stealth drones aren't even at that point. They're concepts on paper, and not a whole lot more.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu 

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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