(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Two newly built Su-57 fifth-generation fighter aircraft spotted conducting test flights indicate that Russia is trying to convert a long-delayed combat aviation programme into a more visible airpower and export instrument.

The sightings matter because the Su-57 sits at the intersection of stealth design, missile carriage, radar systems, electronic warfare, military modernization and strategic deterrence in Russia’s future force posture.

Russia’s push to increase Su-57 production also carries implications for Middle East defence markets, Indo-Pacific airpower debates and wider competition over advanced combat aircraft procurement.

The aircraft are linked to a broader production ramp-up at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant, known as KnAAZ, which is supporting domestic Russian Aerospace Forces requirements and emerging export demand.

The immediate significance is not only the appearance of two aircraft, but the industrial signal that Russia wants to demonstrate continuity despite sanctions, technical bottlenecks and earlier production delays.

The Su-57 programme has become a test of whether Russia can sustain fifth-generation fighter aircraft output while simultaneously developing new engines, upgraded avionics and export-configured variants.

Its strategic value rests on the promise of stealthier strike options, internal weapons carriage, sensor fusion, advanced electronic warfare and compatibility with a wider system-of-systems warfare architecture.

The original information indicates that recent Su-57 activity may be connected both to export deliveries and to renewed Russian Aerospace Forces acceptance of upgraded aircraft in early 2026.

That dual-track pressure gives the programme a wider geopolitical role, because every new aircraft supports both domestic force posture and Moscow’s effort to preserve defence-industrial influence abroad.

Uncertainty remains important, because production totals, customer identities, operational effectiveness and real-world stealth performance are still debated across available reporting and cannot be treated as fully settled.

Even so, the test flights show that Russia is attempting to keep the Su-57 relevant in a global combat aviation environment shaped by radar survivability, missile reach and air superiority competition.

For Defence Security Asia readers, the Su-57 story is therefore less about a single test flight and more about industrial resilience, export signalling and the future balance of advanced airpower.

Su-57 Test Flights And Russia’s Fifth-Generation Airpower Signal

The reported appearance of two newly built Su-57s conducting test flights suggests that Russia is moving aircraft through post-production verification, a crucial stage before operational assignment or export handover.

Such flights are significant because fifth-generation fighter aircraft require validation across flight controls, avionics, radar systems, electronic warfare equipment and mission software before they can support combat aviation roles.

The original article links the two-aircraft sighting most closely with reporting around Russia’s first export deliveries of the Su-57E variant to an undisclosed foreign customer.

In November 2025, United Aircraft Corporation head Vadim Badekha announced that the first two Su-57E fighters had been delivered to an undisclosed customer and entered combat duty.

The customer was not officially named in that information, although leaked Rostec documents and related reporting strongly indicated Algeria as the likely first confirmed export operator.

That distinction matters because official confirmation, leaked documentation and social media footage carry different evidentiary weight, requiring careful separation between verified facts and plausible assessment.

In February 2026, low-quality footage reportedly from Algeria showed a Su-57E flying with Algerian Su-35s, consistent with post-delivery familiarization or local test activity.

The footage, if accurately located, would indicate that export integration involved flying the Su-57E alongside existing heavy combat aircraft rather than treating it as an isolated prestige platform.

For Algeria or any similar operator, pairing Su-57E aircraft with Su-35s could support layered airpower, radar coverage, pilot transition and early operational familiarization.

The strategic implication is that Russia wants the Su-57E to function not merely as a symbolic export, but as a high-end combat aircraft inside existing force structures.

 

KnAAZ Production Ramp-Up And Defence-Industrial Pressure

Russia is ramping up Su-57 production at KnAAZ to satisfy domestic Russian Aerospace Forces requirements while also supporting emerging export contracts that could sustain the programme financially.

The original article states that KnAAZ has expanded facilities, including new buildings for fuel system testing and avionics hangars, to increase aircraft output.

This matters because fifth-generation fighter production depends not only on final assembly, but on specialized infrastructure for testing, integration, quality control and mission-system validation.

The programme’s industrial history has been uneven, with earlier slow production linked to technical issues, a 2019 crash of the first serial aircraft and sanctions affecting component supply.

Those constraints are central to the Su-57 story because industrial capacity, not only aircraft design, determines whether an air force can build a credible fifth-generation fleet.

By mid-2026, the original information places total Su-57 construction at more than 44 aircraft, including roughly 10 test or prototype airframes.

Russian Aerospace Forces service numbers are presented as roughly 20 to 32 production aircraft, with deliveries limited or paused in 2025 during modernization before resuming in early 2026.

The long-term contract for 76 Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft, targeted around 2027 to 2028, remains the central benchmark for judging whether production acceleration becomes operationally meaningful.

The original article also states that the Algerian export order helped finance further production expansion, highlighting how foreign sales may reinforce Russia’s domestic military-industrial base.

The strategic implication is clear but not guaranteed: export momentum can support production learning, but sanctions and technology integration still shape the pace of military modernization.

Radar, Engines And The Su-57 Combat Aviation Architecture

The Su-57 is described as a twin-engine multirole stealth fighter developed under the PAK FA programme, with first flight in 2010 and service entry in December 2020.

Its military value is built around supermaneuverability, thrust-vectoring engines, claimed supercruise capability, sensor fusion and a large internal weapons load for stealth-oriented missions.

The aircraft currently uses interim AL-41F-1 turbofans, while the new Product 177 and planned AL-51F-1 are intended to improve thrust, efficiency and signature reduction.

The December 2025 first flight of a Su-57 with the Product 177 fifth-generation engine is important because engine maturity remains central to the aircraft’s final performance claims.

The Su-57’s avionics architecture includes the N036 Byelka AESA radar with side arrays, the 101KS Atoll electro-optical suite and advanced electronic warfare systems.

Those systems matter because modern air superiority depends on detection, survivability, sensor fusion and electromagnetic competition as much as aerodynamic performance or missile inventory.

The aircraft can carry air-to-air weapons such as R-77M, R-74M2 and R-37M, alongside air-to-ground weapons including Kh-69, Kh-58UShK and guided bombs.

Internal carriage is central to the platform’s stealth mission profile, while the 30 mm cannon preserves a traditional close-combat option within a broader beyond-visual-range battlespace.

Performance claims include a maximum speed around Mach 2 and claimed supercruise around Mach 1.3 to Mach 1.6, though real-world effectiveness remains debated.

The strategic implication is that the Su-57 is designed as an integrated combat aviation node, but its credibility depends on production quality, engine integration and operational validation.

Su-57D, Loyal Wingman Potential And System-Of-Systems Warfare

Another important development is the May 19, 2026 maiden flight of the two-seat Su-57D, also described as the Su-57UB prototype.

The flight was piloted by chief test pilot Sergey Bogdan and introduced an elongated tandem cockpit configuration intended to expand the aircraft’s operational roles.

The original article identifies potential roles including training, command-and-control and possible manned-unmanned teaming with systems such as the S-70 Okhotnik uncrewed combat aerial vehicle.

This development matters because future airpower increasingly depends on collaborative combat aircraft, loyal wingman drones and distributed system-of-systems warfare concepts.

A two-seat Su-57 variant could provide additional crew capacity for complex missions involving electronic warfare, drone control, strike coordination or contested battlespace management.

However, the original information does not confirm operational deployment of such manned-unmanned teaming, so the concept should be treated as potential rather than established capability.

The Su-57D also addresses a practical force-generation requirement, because advanced fighter aircraft need training pipelines that can convert pilots without overburdening frontline single-seat units.

For export customers, a two-seat variant could support familiarization, conversion training and mission command roles, especially for air forces transitioning from Su-30 family aircraft.

The broader strategic implication is that Russia is trying to align the Su-57 with global airpower trends rather than leaving it as a single-seat stealth fighter alone.

Whether that ambition becomes operationally credible will depend on software maturity, drone integration, training doctrine and the sustained industrial capacity to build specialized variants.

Export Outlook, Combat Use And Strategic Uncertainty

The Su-57 has seen limited combat use, including a brief deployment to Syria in 2018 and sporadic strike or suppression missions in Ukraine since 2022.

These uses give the programme some operational exposure, but the original information does not provide enough detail to assess combat effectiveness, survivability or sortie impact conclusively.

Algeria is presented as the first confirmed export customer, with at least two Su-57E aircraft delivered and reportedly in service.

Russia also reports growing export interest from the Middle East and Asia, while India has held talks over possible large orders or licensed production without a firm contract.

Potential customers may include operators of Su-30 family aircraft, because existing Russian combat aviation ecosystems can ease training, maintenance and force-structure integration.

The Su-57E export version reportedly includes adaptations such as English-language cockpit instruments, showing that Russia is tailoring the aircraft for non-Russian operators.

Yet major uncertainties remain, including sanctions pressure, component supply, full fifth-generation engine integration, modest production numbers and continuing debate over real-world stealth performance.

Western assessments often regard Su-57 stealth as inferior to F-22 or F-35 levels because of production quality concerns and design compromises, although such comparisons remain contested.

For Moscow, the programme’s strategic value lies in sustaining fifth-generation fighter aircraft production, preserving defence partnerships and offering an alternative to Western combat aircraft ecosystems.

For global defence planners, the Su-57’s renewed visibility should be read as a signal of Russian airpower persistence, but not as proof that every technical and industrial challenge has been resolved.

Most Accurate Known Technical Specifications — Sukhoi Su-57

Category	Specification
Aircraft Type	Fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter
NATO Reporting Name	“Felon”
Manufacturer	Sukhoi / United Aircraft Corporation (UAC)
Program Name	PAK FA / T-50
Country of Origin	Russia
First Flight	29 January 2010
Operational Service Entry	December 2020
Crew	1 (Su-57), 2 (Su-57D / Su-57UB prototype)
Length	19.8 – 20.1 m
Wingspan	13.95 – 14.1 m
Height	4.74 m
Wing Area	~78.8 m²
Empty Weight	~18,000 kg
Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW)	34,000 – 35,000 kg
Powerplant	2 × Saturn AL-41F-1 (Izdeliye 117) turbofans
Future Engine	AL-51F-1 / Izdeliye 30
Dry Thrust (per engine)	~88 kN
Afterburning Thrust (per engine)	~142–147 kN
Thrust Vectoring	3D thrust-vectoring nozzles
Maximum Speed	Approx. Mach 2.0
Supercruise Speed	Approx. Mach 1.3–1.6 (claimed)
Combat Radius	~1,250–1,500 km
Ferry Range	Up to ~4,000 km
Service Ceiling	~19,000–20,000 m
Rate of Climb	~330–361 m/s
G-Limit	+9 g
Radar System	N036 Byelka AESA radar suite
Radar Configuration	X-band nose radar + side AESA arrays + L-band wing arrays
Electronic Warfare Suite	L402 Himalayas ECM
Electro-Optical System	101KS Atoll suite
IRST System	101KS-V Infrared Search and Track
Cockpit	Full glass cockpit with HUD and HOTAS
Internal Weapons Bays	2 main bays + 2 side bays
Internal Payload	Approx. 10,000 kg total weapons payload
Main Air-to-Air Missiles	R-77M, R-74M2, R-37M
Main Air-to-Ground Weapons	Kh-69, Kh-58UShK, Kh-38, guided bombs
Cannon	30 mm GSh-30-1
Stealth Features	Internal weapon bays, RAM coatings, serrated edges
Composite Material Usage	Approx. 25% structural weight / ~70% outer surface
Avionics Concept	Sensor fusion / integrated avionics architecture
Data Link Capability	Encrypted networked communications
Operational Roles	Air superiority, strike, SEAD, reconnaissance
Combat Use	Syria (2018), Ukraine operations since 2022
Production Status	In serial production
Total Built (reported)	42–44+ aircraft including prototypes
Russian VKS Fleet	Estimated 20–32 production aircraft
Export Variant	Su-57E
First Export Operator	Algeria (widely reported but not fully officially detailed)
Planned Advanced Variant	Su-57D / Su-57UB two-seat variant
Loyal Wingman Potential	Possible control of S-70 Okhotnik UCAV
Main Competitors	F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, J-20 Mighty Dragon