Russia said it has secured the first export contracts for the Su-57E, a supposedly 5th generation fighter developed by Sukhoi.
The statement was made by Alexander Mikheev, CEO of Rosoboronexport, the Russian government’s export agency, to reporters at the Airshow China 2024 in Zhuhai.
The Su-57 made its first international appearance at the Chinese show, with a prototype performing in-flight demonstrations and a mock-up and static display.
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The first new fighter to enter service after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Su-57 is supposedly stealthy, but several indications point to the aircraft being at most 4.5 generation.
After its maiden flight in 2010, still as the T-50 prototype, the Sukhoi fighter only entered service in 2022, with the delivery of the first series production planes.
The UAC, which owns Sukhoi, has been delivering aircraft at a very slow pace, although it has not yet revealed how many fighters it has actually produced.
North Korea, Iran and Algeria
The Russian Air Force has a firm order for 76 Su-57s, a small quantity that has prompted the UAC to seek external customers. However, trade sanctions on the country following the military invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago have greatly reduced the number of potential customers for Russian aircraft.
Therefore, the Su-57E, the export variant, can only find customers in countries close to Moscow such as North Korea, Iran and Algeria.
The North African nation has been an operator of several Russian aircraft such as the Sukhoi Su-30 and MiG-29, while Iran has recently taken delivery of Yak-130 trainer jets and is also seeking Su-35 fighters that were manufactured for Egypt.
North Korea, for its part, has a rather outdated fleet of fighter jets, which includes the MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-29, as well as Chinese F-5, F-6 and F-7 fighters, also derived from Russian designs.
Shortly before the conflict with Ukraine, the UAC presented the Su-75 Checkmate, a single-engine 5th generation fighter that would be primarily targeted for export.
