Russia’s arms exporter Rosoboronexport said it has signed contracts to provide the fifth-generation combat aircraft Sukhoi Su-57 to foreign buyers. However, some Western analysts have doubted the capabilities of the advanced combat jet.
Alexander Mikheev, Rosoboronexport’s director general, told journalists at the Zhuhai Airshow in China last week that the company had secured
“first contracts” with some “friendly” foreign countries without giving further details.
Mikheev was quoted in an interview with the Rossyia-1 TV channel as saying “our partners want to buy reliable, proven Russian weapons.”
The Su-57 is a multirole fighter aircraft developed by the Russian Sukhoi company and the first designed with stealth technology. It is known by the NATO reporting name Felon and first entered service with the Russian air force in 2022.
The manufacturer says that this fifth generation stealth multirole fighter is capable of aerial combat as well as ground and maritime strikes. It has a supersonic cruising speed, internal weapons, a radio-absorbing coating, and the latest onboard equipment, according to Mikheev
Rosoboronexport brought two Su-57s to the Zhuhai Airshow, one flown in by the company’s top test pilot, Sergey Bogdan, who showcased the aircraft’s claimed “super maneuverabilities” at the event.
Andreas Rupprecht, an aviation blogger, told RFA that he was not impressed: “The Russians brought one flying old prototype and one static test specimen for the display, nothing special in fact.”
“It seems there was a lot of exaggeration,” he said, referring to the aircraft’s capabilities.
Some social media users in China also seemed to question the Su-57, with posts exposing its obvious design flaws.
Potential buyers
Peter Suciu, a U.S.-based writer specializing in military matters, said he questioned just how advanced the aircraft was.
“From the open sources I’ve read, it isn’t likely as advanced as the hype suggests,” Suciu said.
“The U.S. and its allies have used the F-35 in combat, and the U.S. has sent the F-22 in a warzone. Russia hasn’t really done the same with the Su-57. That says a lot about the aircraft.”
Mikheev was quoted in Russian media as saying that his company was “holding technical consultations with a number of Russia’s strategic partners.”
“We are discussing both deliveries of final products from Russia and cooperation within joint development and production projects,” Mikheev said.
Suciu told RFA that he questioned the level of outside interest.
“My opinion is that Rosoboronexport wants the world to believe there is more interest than there really is - in part to save face, but also to entice other potential buyers,” Suciu said.
“In the past, India, Egypt, Turkey, Vietnam and Indonesia were mentioned as potential buyers, but we don’t know how far talks progressed,” he added.
Vietnamese sources with knowledge of the matter told RFA they could not confirm news of a deal.
Due to Western sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, not many countries could be expected to publicly express an interest in buying Russian weapons.
Analysts say Algeria is the most likely buyer of the Su-57 and may already be operating an aircraft. The Algerian air force has already bought nearly 60 heavyweight twin engine fighter Su-30MKA from Russia.
China, which is also developing its fifth-generation fighter jet, the Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon, thought to be inspired by the American F-35 JSF, is clearly not interested in buying the Su-57.
The biggest customer of the fighter jets remains the Russian air force, with 22 aircraft being supplied by the end of 2024 and 76 more expected by 2028, according to Russia’s Center for Arms Trade Analyses.
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Edited by Mike Firn.