Russia’s UAC Builds Refrigerated Chamber to Paint Stealth Coatings on Su-57

Russia’s United Aircraft Cooperation (UAC) said it has created a refrigerated chamber for applying radar-absorbing materials on the Su-57 fighter.

On August 24, UAC-KnAAZ, part of Rostec, commissioned the chamber. The need to build the center is due to the climate of the Far East, which is characterized by high temperature and humidity during the hot months of the year. At the same time, in the chambers for applying special coatings, it is necessary to maintain certain parameters of the production environment: temperature, humidity, air flow rate.

To ensure a year-round and uninterrupted production process in the painting and drying chambers, where the Su-57 is applied with a radar absorbing coating, it was decided to build a modern refrigeration center in addition to the existing facilities, UAC said in a release.

Construction and installation works, purchase and installation of equipment, reconstruction and automation of the refrigeration system of the existing supply and exhaust systems were carried out at the United Aircraft Corporation's own funds. From pouring the foundation to the official turnkey commissioning, 14 months have passed.

The refrigeration center is a stand-alone building with powerful pumps, a cooling tower, refrigerant tanks, an advanced piping system, it can be compared to a huge air conditioner. In summer, it not only cools the air in the RPP application chambers to the required temperature, but also dries it to the required parameters.

“The new facility, already in trial operation, ensured the successful completion of this summer period. Its appearance expands our capabilities, allows us to fulfill the planned targets for 2022 and subsequent years without delay,” said the director of the branch of PJSC UAC - KnAAZ im. Yu.A. Gagarina Alexander Pekarsh.

The modern refrigeration center is part of a large program of reconstruction, modernization and construction of new facilities of the KnAAZ flight test station for the expansion of serial production of fifth-generation Su-57 aircraft.