RuAviation

The advent of fifth-generation fighters has set new demands for integration, automation, and intelligent onboard systems. The Su-57 became the first Russian combat aircraft where the Information-Control System (ICS) acts not merely as a connecting link but as the core of the entire digital architecture.

The ICS-57 ensures interaction between computing modules, sensors, actuators, and communication means, forming a unified digital control environment. This allows the implementation of the “electronic second pilot” concept and enhances the combat effectiveness of the fifth-generation fighter in modern warfare conditions.

▌ICS-57 Architecture

The ICS-57 is built on the principle of integrated modular avionics. Engineers at Sukhoi Design Bureau abandoned disparate computing units in favour of a unified distributed onboard information network. The system’s central processor is based on Russian multi-core processors, providing real-time processing of large data volumes. The exact number of computing modules and their specifications are undisclosed; however, it is known that the system implements redundancy of computing power and communication channels, significantly increasing ICS-57’s fault tolerance.

According to materials from the Ramenskoye Instrument Design Bureau on the Baguette-53-31M onboard computer (Report of RPKB “Development of 5th Generation Onboard Computing Systems”, p. 34), which forms the basis of ICS-57, the system uses a duplicated MIL-STD-1553B digital bus with an extended bandwidth of up to 1.2 Gbit/s in a modernised version. The report by GosNIIAS at the “Avionics-2022” conference mentions the use of fibre-optic communication channels (standard IEEE 1393B) with a throughput of up to 2 Gbit/s for data transfer between sensors and processors. In an interview with Mikhail Strelets, General Director and Chief Designer of Sukhoi Design Bureau, published by the Military-Industrial Courier in 2023, it was confirmed that the Su-57 uses a hybrid architecture: copper lines (MIL-STD-1553B) for controlling critical systems (with duplication) and fibre optics for high-speed data streams (radar, electro-optical location system – EOLS, UAV data exchange).

The ICS-57 software is based on real-time algorithms, which are vital in air combat. The system incorporates cyber threat protection mechanisms, including hardware-software integrity control, critical segment isolation, and the ability to update functionality without hardware intervention. This approach ensures flexibility and scalability of the complex, allowing integration of new algorithms and modules as technology evolves.

▌Sensor Systems Integration

The ICS-57 aggregates data from all primary sensor suites of the Su-57. These include the multifunctional N036 “Belka” radar station, the 101KS-V electro-optical location system (EOLS), as well as electronic intelligence and electronic warfare means. The Su-57’s Sh-121 radar consists of five antennas. Under the nose cone is the X-band active phased array radar (APAR) N036-01-1, two side-looking X-band APARs N036B and N036B-01. Two additional L-band APARs, N036L and N036L-01, are mounted on the wing tips for target detection and friend-or-foe identification.

This design solution provides the pilot with 360-degree situational awareness, and certain tactical features of the aircraft enable it to evade ground-based Doppler radars. The “Aviation of Russia” website reported in one of its publications:

TNI: Don’t listen to the naysayers. Russia has a real game-changing system in the Su-57

The “Belka” station can simultaneously track up to 60 targets and guide weapons to 16 of them. The X-band allows detection of both aerial and ground targets.

The 101KS-V EOLS complements the radar by detecting and tracking targets in the infrared and visible spectra. It can detect heat signatures of missiles and aircraft and conduct passive situational monitoring. Electronic warfare and electronic intelligence complexes detect and suppress enemy electronic assets, as we ll as protect the aircraft from external jamming.

To enhance pilot situational awareness, the Su-57 employs modern multispectral data fusion algorithms. These combine information from sensor devices, while neural network processing methods improve the accuracy of target detection and identification. In heavy electronic countermeasure environments, the system dynamically reallocates priorities among data sources, maintaining resilience against interference and reducing false alarms, thus improving targeting accuracy.

▌Information Processing and Decision Support Algorithms

Adaptive artificial intelligence algorithms automate a significant portion of combat tasks. The ICS-57 can automatically plot routes around hazardous zones, select optimal weapons employment modes, autonomously prioritise threats by danger level, optimise radar operation modes to reduce detectability, and allocate targets among aircraft in a formation. The decision support system analyses the tactical situation, assesses threat parameters, and proposes the most effective responses.

If necessary, the system can take control of individual subsystems, freeing the pilot from routine operations. The high degree of automation allows the Su-57 to perform up to 90% of tasks without pilot intervention. This level of automation reduces pilot workload, accelerates response time, and minimises human factor influence.

▌Functional Capabilities and Operation Modes

The ICS-57 supports both single-aircraft use and group interaction with other manned aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In single mode, the system provides full control over all onboard systems, automates weapons and defence management, and supplies all necessary information for decision-making.

A distinctive feature of ICS-57 compared to control systems on previous generation aircraft, such as the Su-35S and Su-30SM, is the capability to integrate with UAVs. On 25 October 2017, the Chairman of the Russian Government, Dmitry Medvedev, signed order No. 2345-r awarding a group of leading Sukhoi employees the Russian Government Prize in Science and Technology for 2017. Alongside breakthrough projects in nuclear energy, medicine, and space, the innovative development of the Su-35S multifunctional fighter’s information-control system received high commendation.

For integration with the next-generation aircraft, Sukhoi Design Bureau developed the heavy strike UAV S-70 “Okhotnik”, which operates in a “leader-follower” scheme. The Su-57 can command UAV actions, delegating specific tasks, while the system automatically distributes targets and resources between platforms. This pairing expands the tactical capabilities of the aviation group and enables new combat employment scenarios.

The S-70 Hunter-B strike UAV was lost in the skies above the occupied part of the DPR

However, operational experience with modern information-control complexes in real combat conditions shows that even with high automation and intelligence, technical failures can occur. In October 2024, according to several specialised aviation sources, an incident happened near the city of Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine), where the “Okhotnik” UAV was struck by an R-74M missile launched from the Su-57’s weapons bay.

Russian specialised sources link this incident to errors in tactical information exchange or failures in the friend-or-foe identification system. No official comments from the Russian Ministry of Defence have been published. The incident is viewed as a manifestation of “teething problems” in integrating new manned and unmanned platforms into a unified information-control environment. Such situations demonstrate the need for further refinement of interaction algorithms, improvement of identification systems, and enhancement of software reliability when operating strike complexes in complex combat conditions.

▌Network-Centric Functions

Nizhny Novgorod’s NPP “Polet” of the RosElectronics holding developed an onboard communication complex based on integrated modular avionics technology (BKS IMA), employing universal technical solutions that allow installation on both military and civilian aircraft. For the Su-57, the enterprise produces the BKS-57 complex, which ensures secure data exchange with other aircraft, ground control points, and elements of the automated Air Force control system. The system supports modern data transmission protocols, including secure digital channels and fibre-optic lines. This enables the Su-57 to integrate into a unified network-centric infrastructure, providing real-time tactical information exchange.

The ICS-57 is compatible with existing and prospective Russian Air Force control systems. To enhance the management of aviation groups and ensure rapid response to changing conditions, the system supports dynamic updates of the tactical picture, automatic data synchronisation among combat participants, and integration with ground command posts. The 2022 Rostec annual report “Prospective Aviation Systems”, section 4.3.2, concerning 5th generation onboard computing systems, states that data processing latency in the IMA architecture does not exceed 50 ms for critical tasks.

▌Ergonomics and Control Interface

The Su-57 cockpit is designed to meet requirements for rapid information perception and minimising pilot workload. The pilot has two multifunctional liquid crystal displays with tactile feedback and a wide heads-up display (HUD). Voice control over critical functions allows the pilot to avoid distraction from flying the aircraft. The interface adapts to the specific combat mission, providing only the information necessary at that moment for decision-making.

Mikhail Strelets emphasises: “We consider the aircraft as a platform capable of effectively solving its tasks for at least 50 years. This includes phased implementation of next-generation technologies, effectively transforming the aircraft from 5th generation to 5 plus. This generation already incorporates certain 6th generation technologies.”

All information is structured and displayed in an easily perceivable manner. The system supports integration with the pilot’s individual protection and life-support equipment, enhancing ergonomics and reducing the risk of errors under stress.

Su-57 modernisation – three-axis flat nozzle and helmet-mounted target designation system

▌Prospects for Development

Further development of ICS-57 is linked to the introduction of neural network algorithms, which will make the system even more adaptive and increase its autonomy. Work is underway to expand interface functionality, including augmented reality for displaying tactical information and controlling weapons.

Currently, Sukhoi Design Bureau is working on improving the information display system. In addition to cockpit displays, data from the onboard computer will be projected onto the pilot’s helmet visor, which integrates an electro-optical positioning system and video display system. The image is projected directly onto the protective visor. This helmet replaces several instruments at once and is equipped with sensors tracking the pilot’s gaze direction. Depending on the head position, the visor displays the information needed at that moment, including target selection and lock-on functions. The helmet-mounted targeting system is being developed specifically for the Su-57 and allows the pilot to receive data on aircraft status, combat situation, speed, altitude, and target range.

Development of new software modules will enable integration of additional sensor channels and increase automation levels in group operations. The introduction of modern artificial intelligence technologies opens up opportunities for further reducing pilot workload and enhancing the combat effectiveness of the Su-57. It is anticipated that in the future, the system will be able to make decisions independently in routine and non-standard situations, minimising the human factor’s influence.

Thus, the information-control system of the Russian fifth-generation fighter forms the foundation for building an intelligent combat complex, integrating sensor, actuator, and communication systems into a unified information environment. The architecture, based on modularity, redundancy, and network-centricity principles, ensures high reliability and scalability, while intelligent data processing and decision-support algorithms enable the Su-57 to operate effectively both individually and in groups, including interaction with UAVs. Sukhoi Design Bureau believes that, in terms of automation, integration, and adaptability to changing conditions, the ICS-57 surpasses foreign counterparts, creating prerequisites for further development of next-generation aviation complexes.