Russian Air Force Receives New Su-57 Fifth Generation Fighters: Can Industry Meet the Year’s Ambitious Delivery Target?

The Russian state owned United Aircraft Corporation has delivered a new batch of Su-57 fifth generation fighter aircraft to the country’s armed forces, which have passed factory tests and undergone a series of flight trials in various operational modes overseen by technical staff from the Defence Ministry. The aircraft have already been relocated to their designated base, with Russian military pilots expressing satisfaction with their performance. The First Deputy Director General of the state owned defence conglomerate Rostec, Vladimir Artyakov, commented that the aircraft “exhibit high flight and technical characteristics, which have been greatly appreciated by our pilots,” adding that additional Su-57s are at various stages of production. Russian industry has ambitious delivery targets for the Su-57 in 2024 - namely a 67 percent increase over the 12 fighters delivered in 2023 to reach 20 fighters. Deliveries in 2023 were double those of 2022, when just six fighters were delivered. Should the program avoid further delays, the fleet will almost double in size from 22 to 42 fighters this year - although one fighter may have been lost in a Ukrainian long range strike on a Russian airbase in the Astrakhan region in early June.

Speaking regarding the deliveries of Su-57s, United Aircraft Corporation CEO Yuri Slyusar recently stated: “The number of fifth-generation fighters delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces is increasing every year. The Su-57 remains the most advanced front-line aircraft in Russia today.” The Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant in the Russian Far East in August saw new facilities opened specifically to facilitate expanded Su-57 production. Alongside Su-57s, the facility recently delivered a new batch of Su-35s to the Russian Air Force, with the two fighter classes being produced in parallel. Multiple Su-35 batches have already been delivered over the past year, with the fighter initially developed primarily for export, but being acquired in large numbers due to unexpected and very serious delays to the Su-57 program. Both the Su-35 and the Su-57 have seen extensive combat employment in the Ukrainian theatre, and served in a wide range of roles varying from  air defence suppression to air to air combat.