Su-57 News

India must choose between the F-47 or Su-57 while accelerating its AMCA project.

India faces a tough decision between buying the US' F-35 or Russia's Su-57. The F-35 offers advanced stealth capabilities but comes with high costs and no local manufacturing. The Su-57 offers technology transfer and joint production but also carries many challenges.  

Sukhoi Su-57, the 5th Generation Russian combat aircraft, also uses technologies being developed for the 6th Generation fighters making it a "breakthrough" platform. The Su-57, which is already in service with the Russian Aerospace Force, is the first 5th Generation fighter developed and operationalised by Russia.

Russia is modernising its military at an extremely fast pace and has now started constructing its first strategic stealth bomber, capable of delivering nuclear weapons, under the Perspective Aviation Complex for Long-Range Aviation (PAK DA) programme. The strategic stealth bomber, the second 5th Generation combat aircraft from Russia after the Sukhoi Su-57 supersonic fighter, will eventually replace the currents set of strategic bombers Tupolev Tu 22, Tu-95 and Tu-160.

According to United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), the  Russian aerospace and defence corporation of which Sukhoi Company is a part of, the 5th Generation's fighter's name had a simple logic behind it. So when it came to the formal name of the aircraft, Su-57 was an easy choice. Russian Aerospace Force started receiving the first fully ready and armed Su-57 in late 2019 after placing an order for 76 jets.

Russia has started inducting the Sukhoi Su-57 into its Aerospace Force and the country's Defense Ministry has ordered over 70 combat plane. The 5th Generation stealth air superiority fighter is Russia’s answer to the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II jets of the United States of America.

Russian Aerospace Force has MiG-29, Su-27, Su-30 and Su-35 fighters in its arsenal and is also inducting MiG-35 and the 5th Generation Su-57 stealth fighters. While the twin-engine air superiority fighter MiG-29 is a more than 40 years old fighter, the Sukhoi jets, too, have twin-engines and are much larger aircraft, have a bigger range and more weapons payload compared to the former.

The Russian Aerospace Force flies the MiG-29, Su-27, Su-30 and Su-35 fighters. It is in the process of inducting MiG-35 and the 5th Generation Su-57 stealth fighters to increase the lethality of its force.

Russia is keen to find a market for Su-57E and is eyeing Turkey as well as the Indian Air Force (IAF) as potential customers. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was the first foreign leader to be shown the Su-57E at MAKS 2019, the International Aviation and Space Salon, in August 2019.

The Russian fighter has integrated avionics with an open architecture, which helps the pilot to focus on fighting the enemy. The Su-57 is a plane which the Russians are keen on selling to the Indian Air Force (IAF).

A Russian Sukhoi Su-35S multirole supersonic 4++ Generation fighter flew over the skies of Istanbul on Sunday while the 5th Generation stealth fighter Su-57 landed at the Ataturk Airport a day earlier for for the six-day Technofest 2019 techno festival. Russia is aggressively wooing Turkey to buy the Su-35S and Su-57E jets after it successfully sold the S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft missile system.

Mayalsian Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu said the air force is looking at new Russian fighters to replace Su-30MKMs and MiG-29s but the proposal is still at an initial stage. Russia has offered to take back the MiG-29s and replace them with the 4++ Generation MiG-35 jets.

In keeping with its strategic aim to be the dominant military power in the world, the USA is getting ready to test its offensive and defensive potential against the Russian and Chinese militaries.