Russia’s primary aircraft manufacturer said on Monday that it had delivered two Su-57 fighters to a foreign buyer, marking the first time the fifth-generation jet was sent to another country’s military.
Vadim Badekha, the CEO of United Aircraft Corporation, said on Channel One, a Russian state-owned TV channel, that a “foreign partner” had received the aircraft.
“They have begun combat duty and are demonstrating their best qualities,” Badekha said. “Our customer is satisfied.”
Badekha did not name the customer. Russia’s state-owned arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, first said in November 2024 that it had reached a deal with at least one foreign buyer to sell Su-57s, but did not name the partner country, either.
In February, Algeria’s state media reported that its government was one such buyer, and that Algerian pilots were training in Russia to fly the Su-57.
The Sukhoi Su-57 is Russia’s fifth-generation jet and its most modern fighter in official operational service.
Only the US, with the F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor, and China, with the Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang J-35, are serially producing fighter aircraft in the same generation, which is typically marked by advanced stealth and digital capabilities.
Russia’s export version of the fighter, the Su-57E, is widely believed to feature some modifications to avionics, electronics, and software compared to those used in its own fleet.
While the Su-57 is thought to be available in limited numbers, Russia’s ability to export the fighter suggests that Moscow is still capable of reliably producing them, or that it can at least spare some from its existing inventory.
International observers have long tried to gain insight into the health of Russia’s military manufacturing base, which has greatly expanded since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
Frontelligence Insight, an open-source research group, said in October 2024 that Su-57 production lines were under threat from Western sanctions because they included components such as a German-made radar.
The West has attempted to restrict Moscow’s access to resources and components through sanctions on energy and technology trade, but Russia has largely found ways to keep its war industry humming. Ukraine, meanwhile, has tried to scupper Russian production by carrying out regular cross-border strikes against military factories.
The Su-57 is used sparingly against Ukraine, with the Kremlin relying heavily on fourth-generation aircraft such as the Su-27 and Su-35, which are more equivalent to fighters like the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
Russia is believed to have built two dozen or so Su-57s, with its then-defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, saying in 2020 that the country’s military would receive 22 of the advanced fighters by 2024.
Moscow said it aims to acquire a total of 76 Su-57s by 2028.
Kyiv said in the summer of 2024 that it had damaged at least one Su-57 in a strike on a Russian airfield.
