Russian Sukhoi Su-57 fighter shows an internal bay carrying two Kh-58 missiles.

United Aircraft Corporation released new footage on Nov. 9 that appears to show a Su-57 with its forward internal bay open and two Kh-58 series anti-radiation missiles inside. The reveal signals a push to market a mature suppression of enemy air defense profiles as Dubai Airshow 2025 opens on Nov. 17.

Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation published promotional footage on Nov. 9 that depicts a Su-57 opening its forward internal weapons bay to display a pair of Kh-58 family anti-radiation missiles, a configuration aimed at radar hunting in the opening stages of combat. The timing is notable, one week before Dubai Airshow 2025 in Dubai, where Russia has historically used the venue to court export interest in next-gen platforms. The new clip follows a wave of late-October imagery that for the first time showed details of the Su-57’s internal bay architecture circulating on aviation sites and pro-Kremlin social media channels.
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The forward main bay is populated by two Kh-58UShK anti-radiation missiles sized and adapted for internal carriage on the Su-57 (Picture source: UAC)

What the clip reveals matters more than the aerobatics. The forward compartment is populated by two Kh-58UShK anti-radiation missiles designed for internal carriage on the Su-57, long-body weapons with folding surfaces paired to the UVKU-50 ejector family. This pairing indicates an architecture that can throw heavy stores cleanly into the airstream without door interference, validating tandem, deep-bay integration in flight configuration. It is the first clear public look into the main forward bay after years in which only the smaller side bays were well photographed.

Equally notable is what appears outside during the demo sequence: a pair of R-74 or R-74M2 short-range air-to-air missiles. For a public display, that choice trades some signature discipline for clarity, visually communicating a combined Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) posture with self-protection. In an operational configuration, those short-range rounds would likely sit in the lateral bays, restoring the aircraft’s low-observable contour while keeping the anti-radiation load ready in the forward bay. The concept suggests a fighter able to open a narrow ingress window against modern emitters and still deter within-visual-range threats.

The calendar is part of the message. Publishing just before Dubai Airshow aligns with Moscow’s effort to renew foreign interest despite sanctions and supply-chain constraints. The release also lands as unverified leak material circulates online about possible export dialogues, keeping the Su-57 in the spotlight for air forces that face dense integrated air defense systems (IADS). For those audiences, a stealth-shaped platform carrying heavy anti-radiation missiles internally is a direct pitch to early-entry needs in radar-saturated theaters.

Technically, a twin Kh-58UShK load in the forward bay speaks to volume, interfaces, and sequencing. The UShK’s folding geometry and the UVKU-50 ejectors indicate the bay can host heavy anti-radiation missiles without fouling partially opened doors, a prerequisite for clean, timed ejection during high angle-of-attack or transient G. It also signals a more mature weapons-management logic for long-body stores. If the externally mounted R-74s are strictly a display choice, a combat-optimized load on the same airframe would move those short-range missiles into the side bays, freeing the wings and reducing signature.

The footage features test airframe T-50-9 “509,” rehearsing dynamic passes with the bay doors cracked open. Beyond the spectacle, the capability signal is plain: a low-observable design aligned to SEAD and Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses (DEAD) while retaining a credible close-in deterrent. In current conflict environments where Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) and layered systems complicate air access, the Kh-58UShK’s role is to home on radar emissions and destroy or suppress key nodes, while an infrared (IR) guided R-74M2 air-to-air missile (AAM) provides point self-defense.

The broader narrative remains consistent. Rostec and UAC highlight incremental system updates and deliveries, while using bay-open flybys as proof-of-life for internal carriage maturity. Coupled with the export buzz, the twin Kh-58 imagery and visible R-74s offer a curated snapshot of where the program wants to be seen: capable of internal SEAD loadouts, flexible in signature management, and attuned to the needs of air forces preparing to breach modern IADS.