rostec su-57 stealth capabilities still trail the F-35 Lightning II, a fighter designed from the outset to minimize its radar signature. Open-source estimates put the F-35’s radar cross-section at 0.001 to 0.005 square meters. That leaves the Su-57 as the less stealthy aircraft in this matchup.
F-35 radar cross-section
The F-35 was built around stealth, networking, and battlefield awareness. For a reader trying to separate marketing from capability, that means the jet’s low detectability is not an add-on but the design point around which the rest of the aircraft was built.
The Su-57 Felon takes a different path. It uses stealth shaping and radar-absorbing materials, but it accepts compromises for aerodynamic performance. In practical terms, that tradeoff helps explain why most estimates put its radar cross-section significantly higher than the F-35’s.
Su-57 sensor systems
The F-35 uses its AN/APG-81 AESA radar, Electro-Optical Targeting System, and Distributed Aperture System to build a single fused picture of the battlefield. Pilots do not have to sort through separate sensor feeds by hand, which is why analysts generally treat it as the benchmark for situational awareness among operational fighter aircraft.
The Su-57 carries the N036 Byelka AESA radar and multiple infrared search-and-track systems. What is less clear is how mature its sensor-fusion architecture is, so the aircraft’s sensor list does not tell the whole story about how well a pilot can use that data in combat.
Stealth versus maneuverability
The Su-57 emphasizes speed, maneuverability, and long-range air combat. That makes it a different kind of threat from the F-35, but not a stealthier one, and the comparison comes down to which advantage a mission values most: lower radar visibility or more emphasis on kinematics.
For anyone reading this as a capability check, the bottom line is simple. The F-35 remains the stealthier platform, while the Su-57’s design choices favor other parts of the fight.
