Russia Claims First Su-57 Export Deals

Russia says it has secured the first export contracts for its most advanced combat aircraft, the Sukhoi Su-57 fifth-generation fighter.

“We already have signed contracts, the first ones, for the Su-57 aircraft,” Alexander Mikheev, chief executive of the country’s arms export agency Rosoboronexport, told journalists at the Zhuhai Airshow in China. He did not disclose the counterparty to the contracts, or the associated delivery schedule.

Russia used the event in China for the Su-57’s international debut. The twin-engine, low-observable fighter participated in the flight program and was also on show in the static display. Russia sent one of the Su-57 prototypes to the biennial industry gathering rather than a serial production version.  The export configuration is designated the Su-57E.

Only a limited number of countries would be willing to buy a Russian combat aircraft given Western sanctions imposed on Moscow because of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, says Ruslan Pukhov, head of the Moscow-based nongovernment defense think tank Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. “They should pursue independent [from the West] policy and have stable financial incomes as the purchase of this aircraft, even in small quantities, will cost big money,” Pukhov said. He said Algeria may be the most likely country behind the deal.

The North African country heavily relies on Russian weapons. Its air force already operates Moscow’s export bestseller–about 60 Sukhoi Su-30MKA two-seat combat aircraft. It also flies Russian-made MiG-29M fighters, Yakovlev Yak-130 jet trainers and transport and attack helicopters.

More than a decade ago, Russia and India worked on a future fighter effort, effectively based on the Su-57, though the initiative fizzled.

Pukhov says Iran could also be interested in the fifth-generation fighter. But protracted talks over Tehran’s desire to buy the Su-35 indicates Moscow may not be that interested in providing Iran with its most modern weapons.

A single-seat Su-57 first flew in 2010. But deliveries to the Russian Aerospace Forces only began in 2022. According to the Moscow-based think tank, the Russian military has now ordered 78 fighters, which are due to be delivered through 2027.