Russians test new cruise missiles in Syria using SU-57 jets

Just days after Russian defense Minister, Sergey Shoigu, announced that successful field tests have been conducted using both the KH-59 Ovod cruise missile and the SU-57 jet, a very brief video apparently showing this has popped up on Youtube.

The Drive observes:

Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has presented video of the country’s new Su-57 fighter—you can read our full analysis on this often misunderstood aircraft here—launching a new cruise missile from its internal weapons bay. This is the first video we know of not only of this missile being tested, but also of the Su-57s weapons bays in use.

In his statement, Shoigu mentions the Russian Ministry of Defense’s large effort to test and evaluate new weapons on the Syrian battlefield, but it’s not clear if this launch took place over the war-torn country or not. He says the test occurred in February, which is the same month a pair of Su-57s briefly deployed to Syria under puzzling circumstances. That excursion lasted less than two days and what the aircraft were doing there and why they returned home so quickly remains a mystery. It is possible that the Su-57s were there to test the missile on real targets, or the test could have just as easily occurred on ranges within Russia’s own borders.

Su-57 fighter launch a advanced cruise missiles in Syria, said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. pic.twitter.com/TvEo8AF9Kw

— 笑脸男人 (@lfx160219) May 25, 2018

The missile being launched appears to be the Kh-59MK2, a standoff weapon designed especially for the Su-57 and the confines of its two ventral weapons bays. The subsonic cruise missile has a modular, rectangular design that incorporates some stealthy features and coatings. It navigates using INS with embedded GPS (GLONASS/Navstar). An infrared seeker is used for terminal homing, allowing it to hit moving targets, have its final point of impact fine-tuned for maximum effect, or to be retargeted in real-time. The ability to loiter over a target area is another possibility based on the capabilities of similar designs.

A two-way data-link provides man-in-the-loop control between the missile and the launching aircraft all the way till impact. It would also be capable of hitting targets autonomously, at least stationary ones, albeit without the exacting precision that man-in-the-loop control provides. Range and payload estimates vary widely, but it’s likely to be able to reach targets at least 150 miles away while carrying a 500lb warhead. The modular nature of the design may allow for multiple configurations, such as larger fuel sections to be swapped for smaller warhead sections. But basically this thing is something between Israel’s Delilah and the U.S. Navy’s SLAM-ER.

The missile will provide the fledgling Su-57 with a critical standoff attack capability, allowing it to stay far enough away from threatening air defense systems to remain undetected while still being able to attack them, or any targets under their protective umbrella. The use of an infrared seeker also puts maritime targets at risk…

The entire video of Shoigu’s statement can be seen below, with the Su-57 segment beginning at time index 5:30:

If it works as intended, the weapon and its derivatives will also be a highly attractive export product for Russia’s defense-industrial apparatus, and it’s not as if a Su-57 is required to put it to use. Operators of modern Flanker and Fulcrum variants are likely to find its capabilities very attractive as well and Russia could incorporate it onto other platforms once it is operational such as the Su-30/34/35.

Some of Russia’s newest military designs are making their debut in Syria, although it isn’t reported yet whether their field tests including live targets. Syria seems to be turning into a testing ground for new military hardware, as the Israelis have just given the US manufactured F-35 into its first live action also in Syria.