Profile
- Type
- Fifth-generation multirole fighter aircraft
- Conflict side
- Russia
- Origin
- Russia
- Service note
- First flew in 2010; serial production and initial Russian service from 2020
Aircraft & UAVs
Su-57
The Su-57, NATO reporting name Felon, is Russia's Sukhoi-designed fifth-generation multirole fighter, built for air-to-air combat and standoff strike missions with low-observable shaping, integrated avionics, and internal weapons carriage. In the Russia-Ukraine War it has appeared as a scarce Russian Aerospace Forces asset used cautiously, with documented Ukrainian reporting of a June 2024 strike against an Su-57 at Akhtubinsk airfield rather than routine overflight of defended Ukrainian airspace.
Service History
- In service
- First serial aircraft delivered to the Russian Ministry of Defense in 2020
- Used by
- Russian Aerospace Forces
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- Sukhoi Design Bureau
- Designed
- PAK FA program; first flight January 29, 2010
- Built in
- Russia
- Produced
- Serial production began by 2020
- Number built
- Limited fleet; RUSI assessed around 15-20 likely in frontline service in June 2024
- Variants
- Su-57, Su-57E export variant
Specifications
- Crew
- 1
- Role
- Multirole fighter for air, ground, and sea targets
- First flight
- January 29, 2010
- Configuration
- Twin-engine fighter with low-observable shaping and integrated avionics
- Armament
- Air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions, including Kh-59 and Kh-69 strike missiles according to Ukrainian Defence Intelligence
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: Russia
Operated by the Russian Aerospace Forces in a limited standoff role during the full-scale invasion; Ukrainian intelligence reported an Su-57 was struck at Akhtubinsk airfield on June 8, 2024, 589 kilometres from the contact line.
Related Weapon Systems
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F-35 Lightning IIFifth-generation stealth multirole fighterThe F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine stealth fighter family built around sensor fusion, networked targeting, and multirole strike missions. U.S. and Israeli variants have documented post-2015 combat use, including Marine Corps F-35B strikes in Afghanistan, U.S. Air Force F-35A escort and air-defense suppression over Iran, and Israeli F-35I air-to-air combat against Iran.Sources
Su-57Publisher: United Aircraft Corporation | Note: Official manufacturer page supporting Sukhoi design attribution, serial-production status, first-flight timeline, multirole mission description, and avionics/background context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Su-57 (Felon) Russian Stealth FighterPublisher: U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command OE Data Integration Network | Note: Reference source for Su-57 classification and technical background. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Su-57 Is Hit for the First TimePublisher: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine | Note: Directly supports the Russia-Ukraine War note that an Su-57 was struck at Akhtubinsk airfield on June 8, 2024, 589 kilometres from the contact line. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Damaged Su-57 Emphasises the Vulnerability of Russian Airbases Near UkrainePublisher: Royal United Services Institute | Note: Supports Russia-Ukraine War conflict-use context for the Su-57, including its minor operational role and limited frontline fleet. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Su-57 Felon Struck Deep Inside Russia, Ukraine's Spy Agency ClaimsPublisher: The War Zone | Note: Supports Russia-Ukraine War conflict-use context for the Akhtubinsk strike and reporting that Ukrainian and Russian sources acknowledged damage to an Su-57. | Accessed: 2026-06-20File:Sukhoi Su-57 bn058 Kubinka 2020.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and license page for the Su-57 photograph, published under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International. | Accessed: 2026-06-20