Russia deploys Su-57s to strike Ukrainian front-line targets.

The eRADAR channel on Telegram, known for its close ties to the Ukrainian military, has reported the presence of the new-generation Russian multi-role fighter aircraft, the Su-57 (NATO codename: Felon), in the skies above the Luhansk region. The Su-57 first saw combat action in 2018 over Syria, where it played a role in saving the highly disputed Assad regime.

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In May 2022, unverified reports surfaced, citing anonymous sources, suggesting that the Su-57 had been deployed against Ukraine, launching missile strikes that evaded Kyiv's air defense systems  (Picture source: Russian MoD)

In May 2022, unverified reports surfaced, citing anonymous sources, suggesting that the Su-57 had been deployed against Ukraine, launching missile strikes that evaded Kyiv's air defense systems. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu later commented in an August interview, praising the aircraft's performance. According to eRADAR, the Russian Air Force has increasingly employed the Su-57 for missile and bomb strikes on Ukrainian military positions. Hence the cruel need of Ukraine for Western-supplied F-16s for its defense.

In January 2023, the U.K. Ministry of Defense echoed similar claims, stating that Russia had "very likely employed" the Su-57 in its conflict with Ukraine. While these assertions lack publicly available irrefutable evidence, they have raised substantial concerns about the potential impact of these advanced fighter aircraft on the ongoing conflict.

The Sukhoi Su-57 is a twin-engine stealth multirole fighter aircraft developed by Sukhoi. It is the outcome of the PAK FA (Prospective Aviation Complex for Frontline Aviation) program, initiated in 1999 as a more modern and cost-effective alternative to the MFI (Mikoyan Project 1.44/1.42). The internal designation for the aircraft by Sukhoi is T-50. The Su-57 marks the first instance of a Russian military aircraft designed with stealth technology and is intended to serve as the foundation for a family of stealth combat aircraft.

The Su-57 is a versatile fighter capable of aerial combat, ground attacks, and maritime strike missions. It incorporates features such as stealth, exceptional maneuverability, supercruise capability, integrated avionics, and a large internal payload capacity. The aircraft is expected to replace the MiG-29 and Su-27 in the Russian military, and it has also been offered for export. The initial prototype took flight in 2010, but the program faced prolonged development challenges, including structural and technical issues that resulted in the loss of the first production aircraft in a crash before its delivery.

After several delays, the first Su-57 officially entered service with the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) in December 2020. As of December 2022, a total of 11 Su-57 aircraft had been produced, excluding prototype test aircraft.