Key Points and Summary – Newly surfaced photos offer the first clear glimpse inside the internal weapons bays of Russia’s Su-57 stealth fighter, a feature previously kept hidden.
-The images, appearing on pro-Kremlin Telegram channels, show large bays positioned between the engines, seemingly capable of carrying long-range missiles like the R-37 or Kh-69.
Su-57 Felon. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Su-57. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-This reveal comes years after the aircraft’s debut and previous fleeting or inadvertent peeks at its smaller side bays.
-While the Su-57 program continues to face engine delays and limited production, these photos provide valuable insight into the intended armament configuration of Russia’s fifth-generation fighter.
What New Photos of the Sukhoi Su-57 Felon Weapons Bay Tell Us
WARSAW, POLAND – Photos that have appeared online recently offer the first glimpse of the internal weapons bay of the Russian Sukhoi Su-57, a fifth-generation fighter.
The aircraft has been displayed at only a very few air shows around the world, so there have been few opportunities to view it up close.
When it has been placed in the static display park, the aircraft’s weapons bay doors have always been buttoned up, not to show any of the internal bay’s dimensions.
The image has been posted on a leading pro-Kremlin Telegram channel “Fighter-Bomber” on 17 October 2025.
That same image was later re-posted on numerous defense-themed platforms.
The photos have been posted on various websites, along with a professionally produced video of several of the aircraft flying in formation, which was released in March 2020.
The video bears the seal of the Russian Ministry of Defense, rather than that of the Sukhoi Design Bureau or the Komsomolsk-na-Amur aircraft plant, which manufactures the fighter.
Su-57 Felon Artist Image> Image Credit: Screenshot.
Su-57 Felon Fighter Back in 2011. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The aircraft appears to have several of these internal bays.
One bay towards the rear of the aircraft reveals two weapon stations that could hold two huge weapons, most likely one of the longest-ranged air-to-air missiles – the Vympel R-37 or the new air-launched cruise missiles (ALCM), the Kh-69.
Multiple Bays
These central bays are located between the engines, and their position and approximate dimensions have been clearly visible in previous bottom views of the jet.
However, this image is likely the first time a photo shows one of them open, revealing the aircraft’s internal arrangement.
The aft weapons bay tails off to connect to the compartment that houses the long tail stinger between the exhaust nozzles, which has become a hallmark design feature of Sukhoi fighter aircraft.
Inside the tail stinger is a rear array sitting between the two nozzles, believed to host a rear-facing situational awareness radar.
Then there is another similar weapons bay that is further forward between the two air intakes. There are also two other smaller side weapon bays adjacent to the wing roots.
Other footage of the Su-57 has been seen, showing the aircraft firing what appears to be an R-74 or RVV-MD missile, launched from the starboard side of the two side bays, as well as while the aircraft is in a steep climb.
The starboard side internal weapons bay, which, from its dimensions, appears to be meant for a short-range AAM, had also been seen while it was in the open position in November 2024.
This was on the occasion of the Zhuhai Air Show held in the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) southern Guangdong Province.
This revelation was inadvertent, as it occurred while the partly disassembled fighter was being offloaded from an Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft, before the wings could be reattached.
The Su-57 and Its Competition
The aircraft seen at the Zhuhai expo appears to be the fourth of the T-50 series pre-production prototypes, or T-50-4, (Codename 054 Blue), and was accompanied by prototype T-50-7, or 057.
The 054 prototype also made its first visit to India during the Aero India 2025 air show in February 2025.
Aero India 2025 was also the first instance in which the Su-57 was parked on the tarmac alongside two US F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters.
A U.S. Airman and two U.S. Marines support an F-35A Lightning II during joint hot pit refueling training at Kadena Air Base, Japan, March 10, 2022. Hot pit refueling uses a single-point refuel pump, which allows an aircraft to be rapidly refueled immediately after landing, while the engine is running. This cuts down on response time and ensures the mission can be completed anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Anna Nolte)
In recent months, there has been an effort from the Russian side to sell the Su-57 to India as a replacement for some of its older Russian-made and European-designed combat aircraft.
At the same time, the US had also been lobbying for New Delhi to become a customer for the F-35.
There had been a vigorous campaign to do so – and to bring India closer as a partner nation in military relations with Washington.
Unfortunately, increasing tensions with India over issues such as continued large purchases of Russian oil have made the F-35 acquisition impossible for all practical purposes.
In addition to the issue of complications in foreign policy, India’s defense policy makers have turned down the F-35 – at least for now – on the basis that the program provides no “technological sovereignty” for the Indian Air Force.
In the meantime, Russia’s Sukhoi continues to improve the aircraft with the addition of new subsystems.
In September and November 2024, there were reported that at least three deliveries of the Su-57 were made.
The Su-57s delivered last year are assessed to be still flying with the older-model, 1990s-era AL-41/117S engine. The new 5th-generation AL-51 (or Izdeliye 30) power plant, built at the Ufa engine production site, is scheduled to be installed in the aircraft that will be delivered starting from 2025.
About the Author: Reuben F. Johnson
Reuben F. Johnson has thirty-six years of experience analyzing and reporting on foreign weapons systems, defense technologies, and international arms export policy. Johnson is the Director of the Asia Research Centre at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation. He is also a survivor of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He worked for years in the American defense industry as a foreign technology analyst and later as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense, the Departments of the Navy and Air Force, and the governments of the United Kingdom and Australia. In 2022-2023, he won two awards in a row for his defense reporting. He holds a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University and a master’s degree from Miami University in Ohio, specializing in Soviet and Russian studies. He lives in Warsaw.
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