Russia Confirms Multiple Countries Have Now Ordered Su-57 Fighters: North Korea, India and Iran Likely Buyers

Russian defence export conglomerate Rosoboronexport has confirmed that multiple countries have now placed orders for Su-57 fifth generation fighter aircraft, although not elaborating on the specific clients. "The Su-57E is generating strong interest among Rosoboronexport’s partners, several of whom have already contracted for the Russian fighter jet. The list of customers for this aircraft is steadily expanding," the Rosoboronexport press service announced. It added that the aircraft will be presented at the international Asian arms and military equipment exhibition, Defense Services Asia Exhibition and Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from April 20-23.

The Su-57 is currently one of just five fifth generation fighter types in service worldwide, alongside the Chinese J-20 and J-35, and the U.S. F-22 and F-35. The Su-57’s avionics are considered significantly more advanced than those of the ageing F-22, but less so than those of the F-35 and modern Chinese fighters. Notable strengths include the significant variety of long range missile types which it can carry in its weapons bays, far exceeding those of any other stealth aircraft, as well as its long range over double that of the F-22, and the high levels of high intensity combat testing it has been but through in the Ukrainian theatre. In August 2025 Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces Lieutenant General Alexander Maksimtsev confirmed that preparations were underway for deliveries of the Su-57at an accelerated rate, following the opening of new facilities in August for their production.

In February 2025 the head of Rosoboronexport Alexander Mikheyev confirmed that the first foreign client for the Su-57 would receive and begin operating its first aircraft in 2025, fuelling speculation that Algeria or North Korea would be the first client. The fighters were subsequently announced in November to have become operational in the Algerian Air Force. North Korean officials have shown an interest in procuring Russian fighters for several years, and in September 2023 inspected production facilities and a Su-57 cockpit at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant. As Russia had come to depend increasingly heavily on North Korean support for its ongoing war effort with Ukraine and standoff with NATO, the possibility has grown that Pyongyang could leverage this dependance to press Moscow to look for loopholes in the current UN arms embargo to supply it with Su-57s.

The Indian Defence Ministry in January 2026 confirmed that talks for the license production of the Su-57 had reached an advanced technical stage, a year after these talks were confirmed to be underway, and after the Russian Defence Ministry was June 2025 reported to have made an unprecedented offer to provide full access to the fighter’s source code. In December 2025 Director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev alluded to the possibility of  a fully joint program to develop a new Su-57 variant being pursued, providing India with ownership of key technologies. The Indian Defence Ministry has been reported to be considering the near term procurement of 40 Su-57 to rapidly enhance the combat capabilities of the Air Force’s most capable frontline units before license production can begin, with a breakthrough on such a deal potentially being what the Rosoboronexport press office had been referring to. 

In early February Russian Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov announced that contracts had been signed in the Middle East for the export of the Su-57, observing that “some contracts have been signed, though I cannot disclose the details.” With Syria and Iraq, which during the Cold War were the primary regional clients for Russia armaments, having both seen their governments toppled by Western-led military interventions, while Yemen, which was a more minor client, has been deeply destabilised since 2011, this left only Iran as a non-Western aligned state and the most likely client. This announcement followed confirmation that the Iranian Defence Ministry had ordered 48 Su-35 fighters, and in January had begun to receive Mi-28 attack helicopters. It remains highly possible that after Algeria placed orders, one or more of the three aforementioned potential clients, North Korea, India and Iran, have also placed orders for the Su-57, with Vietnam considered another leading potential client.