The Russian military have released a new video of the flight of four Russian Sukhoi Su-57 fifth-generation aircraft. The video shows the four aircraft lining up one after another in the air before one of the airplanes performs a highly complicated aerial stunt known as the "maple leaf." To perform the stunt, a pilot causes the airplane to spiral down gently, creating an impression of a maple leaf falling down from a tree.
The video was taken from the ramp of the An-12 military transport aircraft. Four state-of-the-art Su-57 can be seen flying one after another at a distance of just a few meters between them. This is a very difficult stunt to perform in the air, for which pilots have to exercise great professionalism and endurance.
The Su-57 is a promising fifth-generation Russian multi-purpose fighter developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau within the framework of the PAK FA project. Before August 2017, the aircraft was known under T-50 factory index. The aircraft was developed to replace the Su-27 heavy fighter in the Russian Air Force.