Besides the IRST the SU-57 the SU-57 has nothing that the Rafale has. some of the electro optic sensors have been removed from certain prototypes as has most of the antennas, more importantly it doesn’t have pylons or weapons dangling around like the Rafale. You can complain about a poor seam on an early pak-fa prototypes but that seam will give off 1000x less RCS then the Rafale’s Pylons or fuel probe, or external weapons or the dozens of other protrusion.
View attachment 41772
Ignorance is bliss, even the 054 has the same redesigned fuel probe as the 057 which is much tighter in tolerance then the earlier prototypes. All the later prototypes like 510 and 511 have much tighter seams and less rivets. As for the SU-57 and Turkey, it’s engines are not even ready.
Bogdan the chief test pilot of the SU-57 and SU-35 called the SU-57 superior. So if Turkey is impressed by the SU-35 like China was then imagine the SU-57 which Turkey probably was only given minimal information on.
View attachment 41773
Here is that “gap” which disappeared. The weapons bays are
controlled by hydraulic pressure. If it’s too low or hydraulics are not used it will
lose pressure. This is the why SU-57
Levcons sag, same with claws or arms from heavy machinery, they begin to sag if if not use. As for the
fuselage tunnel, it’s a
corner reflector but I would not expect you to know that but guess what, the F-35 DSI present corner reflectors too, the J-20 rear fuselage also has similar tunnels which are corner reflectors, in fact the J-20 has ventral fins that are also corner reflectors.
@Aniruddha Mulay @Shashank Nayak @Steven Rogers those bays have a gap because one,
hydraulic pressure is low, when, for example, an aircraft is parked LEVCONs and or thrust vector nozzles sag when parked. Secondly it’s was an
early prototype, later ones have had tighter tolerances, thirdly the bays look to have a type of
dark seal rubber seal similar to the seal around the F-22 canopy. this would make it appear the gap is much larger when in fact it’s not the case.
View attachment 41774