Su-57 Fifth Generation Fighters Take Centre Stage in Russian Drills Covering Air Strikes

A pair of Russian Su-57 fifth generation fighters has conducted a simulated air defence mission protecting Su-34 strike aircraft during the Center-2026 strategic command-and-staff exercises. The Russian Ministry of Defence reported on October 2 that the Su-57s provided cover for Su-34 strike fighters operating against simulated enemy air attacks at the Chebarkulsky training ground in the Chelyabinsk Region. The Su-57s were launched from an operational airfield after receiving orders from duty forces, and played a key role in allowing Su-34s to conduct bombing missions against ground targets representing advancing reserves of a simulated adversary.

The Russian Defence Ministry reported the Su-57’s onboard systems allow its crews to exchange information in real time with escorted aircraft and ground command posts. A Su-57 pilot participating in the exercise also highlighted the aircraft’s combination of high manoeuvrability, reduced radar visibility and advanced onboard electronic equipment. The exercise scenario demonstrated an integrated sequence involving reconnaissance, fighter protection and strike operations. Russian Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft were reported to have identified simulated enemy reserves consisting of vehicles and armoured equipment, after which Su-57s provided air cover before Su-34s conducted the simulated attack. The reconnaissance aircraft subsequently carried out additional reconnaissance and monitored the results of the bombing.

The use of the Su-57 in an escort and counter-air role during the exercise reflects the aircraft’s intended employment as a multirole fighter rather than solely as a platform for long-range precision strikes. Its low-observable design and electronic warfare and sensor systems allow it to operate alongside other Russian combat aircraft while receiving and distributing information between airborne and ground-based elements. As the number of Su-57s in service has increased significantly, the type has increasingly been employed by Russia alongside other tactical aircraft during exercises and combat operations. 

The Su-57 has been more intensively combat tested than any other fighter type in the Ukrainian theatre, with combat operations having included air defence suppression, air-to-air combat, and operations in heavily defended enemy airspace, as well as a range of precision strike missions. The Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant in the Russian Far East saw new facilities opened in August 2025 for production of the Su-57, which is expected to allow for faster deliveries to both the Aerospace Forces and to export clients. The latest batch of Su-57 fifth generation fighters delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces have entered service in a “new technical configuration” in September.