What did I add/modify?

• A pilot model
• Guyfolk's Su-57 Cockpit
• Removed Red Squares and X's
• Flat-Nozzle engine (Kind of)
• 31 Degrees tilted Vertical stabiliser
• Rod thingy on the aircraft's nose
• Modified the cockpit

History! (Fictional)

The development of what would eventually become the Su-57SM3 began with Russia’s original Sukhoi Su-57 Felon, the country’s first operational 5th-generation fighter. Entering service in limited numbers in the late 2020s, the baseline Su-57 featured stealth shaping, internal weapons bays, and thrust-vectoring engines, but early production models suffered from reliability issues, avionics delays, and incomplete radar-absorbent coatings. To overcome these limitations, Sukhoi initiated a series of incremental modernisation programs, starting with the creation of an experimental derivative known as the Su-57A. This prototype variant served as the testbed for Russia’s next-generation Trinity EW-1 cruise missile, advanced electronic warfare systems, and a significantly reduced radar cross-section. Although successful in many aspects, the Su-57A program experienced setbacks—including the accidental ground explosion of a Trinity-equipped airframe—which revealed structural vulnerabilities in the aircraft’s landing gear and internal fuel arrangement.

Following the lessons learned from the Su-57A, Sukhoi introduced the Su-57SM, the first fully modernised combat-ready variant. The SM incorporated refined stealth geometry, a strengthened fuselage, improved RAM materials, and a redesigned cockpit featuring full-glass displays, integrated AI assistance, and floating holographic HUD elements. In addition to these changes, the Su-57SM introduced compatibility with internally-carried Trinity missiles, eliminating the external hardpoint limitations of earlier models. The Russian Air Force (VVSR) adopted the SM variant as its new frontline multirole fighter, placing an initial order of 100 units. Operational testing—including covert overflights near Washington, D.C., and combat trials in Ukraine—demonstrated the aircraft’s capability to remain undetected by contemporary Western radar systems.

Despite the SM’s successes, operational feedback identified several shortcomings. Structural components derived from older Su-57 tooling still generated measurable increases in radar signature, and the aircraft’s rear fuselage contained analogue, angular elements that disrupted its stealth profile. To address these lingering issues, engineers initiated a deeper redesign that ultimately became the Su-57SM2. This variant eliminated numerous external analogue structures, improved aero-contours around the engine housings, and introduced better thermal masking. However, the VVSR determined that the SM2 offered only marginal improvements relative to its manufacturing complexity. After a brief evaluation period, Russia cancelled further SM2 orders and scrapped the existing prototypes, concluding that a more substantial redesign was necessary for future air dominance.

The engineering effort that followed produced the most advanced member of the Felon lineage—the Su-57SM3. Featuring a 31-degree stealth-optimised tail, expanded composite use, new flat-nozzle thrust-vectoring engines (borrowed from the Su-57M program), and a reworked fuselage with significantly reduced radar scattering surfaces, the SM3 represented a generational leap rather than a minor update. Its cockpit incorporated two next-generation multifunction displays: a primary flight screen integrated with the HUD, and a secondary mission-management tablet running a secure military operating system designed for real-time targeting, diagnostics, and sensor fusion. Paired with the ZSh-92X helmet, capable of 300× optical targeting zoom, the SM3 provided pilots with unmatched situational awareness. With an RCS estimated between 0.00001 and 0.00007 m², only five units were constructed—each assigned to elite pilots such as the Velesk squadron—making the Su-57SM3 one of Russia’s most secretive and capable airframes of the early 2030s.

SM2:

Specifications

Role: 5.5th-Generation Multirole Stealth Fighter
Origin: Russian Federation
Manufacturer: Sukhoi Experimental Design Bureau
Operators: Russian Air Force (Primary)

• Crew: 1
• Length: 20.9 m
• Wingspan: 13.9 m
• Height: 3.7 m
• Airframe Generation: Su-57 → Su-57A → Su-57SM → Su-57SM3
• Structural Upgrades: Enlarged airframe sections, reduced panel gaps, slanted 31° tail fins
• RCS (Estimated): 0.00001–0.00007 m²

(Screenshots were taken by myself)

Credits!

• Of course, @VeroViper, for the creator of this aircraft
• @GuyFolk for the Cockpit
• Pilot model by @karameji

Conclusion

The SM3 stands as the final and most perfected chapter of the Felon’s legacy—an aircraft shaped by years of testing, accidents, breakthroughs, and battlefield lessons. From the unstable Su-57 prototypes to the razor-stealth SM3, each generation pushed Russian aerospace engineering further.

honorable mention