Is this the most agile fighter jet ever created? And why does it look like one of the Decepticons from Transformers?
Well, it is the Сухой Су-47 «Беркут» (Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut) meaning golden eagle, one of the most ambitious and unusual fighter jet designs. It was supposed to be Russia’s answer to the american F-22 Raptor, but only one was ever made
The Su-47's futuristic look comes from its forward-swept wings, a concept first developed by the Germans in WW2 with the Junkers Ju-287 bomber. Although the Soviet government awarded their next-gen fighter contract to MiG and their more traditional design in the 1980s, Sukhoi self-funded the Berkut's development.
The forward-swept wing design made the Su-47 extremely manoeuvrable at subsonic speeds and fuel-efficient due to reduced drag. Large movable canards enhanced agility and enabled short-runway takeoffs. It used MiG-31 engines one of the fastest jets ever, but with thrust vectoring nozzles, making it capable of sharp mid-air turns that would make the enemy pilot lose their mind.
Despite its advantages, the Su-47 was scrapped because it prioritized dogfighting over stealth, which we know is the main focus of 5th-generation fighters like the F-22.
Eventually, it served as a technology testbed for Russia’s first 5th gen fighter the Su-57 Felon.
