Aircraft & UAVs

Su-57

Also known as
  • PAK FA
  • T-50
  • Felon
  • Sukhoi Su-57

The Su-57, NATO reporting name Felon, is Russia's Sukhoi-designed fifth-generation stealth fighter built for air-to-air combat, internal weapons carriage, and standoff strike missions. UAC describes it as a front-line aircraft for air, ground, and sea targets, Rosoboronexport markets an export Su-57E variant, and conflict reporting ties the type to combat trials in Syria and limited Russian use around the war in Ukraine.

Su-57, Fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs
Image source: File:Sukhoi Su-57 bn058 Kubinka 2020.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Operational Evidence Boundaries

The Su-57 has more public evidence for limited combat evaluation and standoff use than for frequent close air-combat employment. The record separates direct conflict-use evidence from export-variant specifications and missile-compatibility reporting.

Evidence areaWhat the sources supportImportant limit
SyriaTASS reported a two-aircraft Su-57 deployment for a short test program that Russian officials described as including combat trials and weapons monitoring.CSIS separately noted Kh-59MK2 Syria-use reports but described that missile-use claim as unconfirmed.
UkraineGUR, Reuters, and RUSI support Russian fielding of Su-57s around the war and Ukraine's June 8, 2024 Akhtubinsk strike claim.Public sources do not establish routine sortie counts or a full record of missiles launched by Su-57s in Ukraine.
SpecificationsRosoboronexport publishes Su-57E export-variant values for payload, range, ceiling, combat radius, and maximum speed.Export marketing data may not exactly match every Russian Aerospace Forces service configuration.
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Russia
Type
Fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter aircraft
Service note
First flew in 2010; serial production and initial Russian service from 2020
Designer
Sukhoi Design Bureau
Designed
PAK FA program; first flight January 29, 2010
Produced
Serial production began by 2020
Number built
Limited fleet; RUSI assessed around 15-20 likely in frontline service in June 2024

Specifications

Crew
1
Role
Multirole fighter for air, ground, and sea targets
First flight
January 29, 2010
Configuration
Twin-engine fighter with low-observable shaping and integrated avionics
Armament
Air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions carried internally and externally
Su-57E maximum takeoff weight
34,000 kg
Su-57E payload
7,500 kg
Su-57E combat radius
1,250 km
Su-57E flight range
2,800 km
Su-57E service ceiling
18,800 m
Su-57E maximum speed
Mach 2.0
Variants

The public designation history spans the PAK FA program, T-50 prototypes, the Russian Su-57 service aircraft, and the export-marketed Su-57E.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
T-50 / PAK FAPrototype and program designation

UAC ties the Su-57's first flight to the T-50 / PAK FA development line at Komsomolsk-on-Amur on January 29, 2010.

Sources: Su-57

Su-57EExport variant

Rosoboronexport markets the Su-57E export model and publishes export-variant figures for payload, range, ceiling, and maximum speed.

Sources: Su-57E

Carried Standoff Weapons

Open sources document Su-57 launch or carriage links for selected Russian air-launched cruise missiles, while public Ukraine-war reporting remains limited on routine Su-57 sortie and launch details.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
Kh-59, Air-launched cruise missile family, MunitionsKh-59Air-launched cruise missile family

CSIS Missile Threat described a May 2018 video showing a Su-57 launching a Kh-59MK2 air-launched cruise missile and separately caveated reports tying that missile to Russian Syria operations.

Sources: Russia Releases Video of New Standoff Missile

Kh-69, Air-launched land-attack cruise missile, MunitionsKh-69Air-launched land-attack cruise missile

Defense Express described the Kh-69 as designed for internal carriage by the Su-57 and also reported Su-34 and Su-35 launch-platform context for Russian Kh-69 use against Ukraine.

Sources: The Russians Used the Latest Kh-69 Missiles to Attack the Trypilska TPP

Timeline

Su-57 Key Events

  1. First flight

    UAC says the Su-57 took off for its first flight on January 29, 2010, at Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

    Sources: Su-57

  2. Syria combat trials

    TASS reported that two Su-57s completed a two-day test program in Syria that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said included combat trials and weapons-work monitoring.

    Sources: Su-57 Fifth-Generation Fighter Jets Successfully Tested in Syria

  3. Ukraine reports strike claim

    Reuters reported Ukraine's claim that a Russian Su-57 was hit at Akhtubinsk airfield on June 8, 2024.

    Sources: Ukraine says latest-generation Russian fighter jet hit first time

Media

Su-57 Videos

Su-57 Images

Su-57, Fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs - view 1
Source: File:Su57 take off.jpg
Su-57, Fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs - view 2
Source: File:Sukhoi T-50, Russia - Air Force AN2308066.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
F-22 Raptor, Fifth-generation stealth air-superiority fighter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsF-22 RaptorFifth-generation stealth air-superiority fighterThe F-22 Raptor is a U.S. fifth-generation stealth air-dominance fighter built around low-observable shaping, supercruise, thrust-vectoring F119 engines, integrated avionics, and internal weapons carriage. Designed first for air-to-air control, it also carries JDAM and small-diameter bomb loads for precision strike, with U.S. Air Force sources documenting combat use over Syria and Iraq during 2014 Operation Inherent Resolve and CENTCOM material identifying F-22s in the 2025 Operation Midnight Hammer strike package against Iran.
Su-27, Twin-engine air-superiority fighter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsSu-27Twin-engine air-superiority fighterThe Su-27, NATO reporting name Flanker, is a Soviet-designed twin-engine air-superiority fighter built around long range, high speed, and heavy air-to-air armament. Its combat record extends from Abkhazia and the 1998 Eritrean-Ethiopian War to Angola, Tigray, and the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, where operators used it for air superiority, air-to-air combat, and adapted strike missions that now include Western precision and anti-radiation munitions.
Su-22 fighter-bomber, Variable-sweep-wing fighter-bomber / ground-attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsSu-22 fighter-bomberVariable-sweep-wing fighter-bomber / ground-attack aircraftThe Su-22 is the export member of Sukhoi's Su-17 Fitter family, a Soviet variable-sweep fighter-bomber built for low-level strike, ground attack, and battlefield interdiction. Direct conflict records on this page emphasize documented combat use and losses: Libyan Su-22s over the Gulf of Sidra, an Azerbaijani Su-22 loss in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, Iraqi Su-22/Fitter chemical-attack delivery in the Iran-Iraq War, Desert Storm losses, Peruvian Cenepa War air-support missions, and Syrian government bombing near Tabqah in 2017.

Sources

Su-57Publisher: United Aircraft Corporation | Note: Official manufacturer page supporting Sukhoi design attribution, serial-production status, first-flight timeline, multirole mission description, and avionics/background context. | Accessed: 2026-06-26Su-57 (Felon) Russian Stealth FighterPublisher: U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command OE Data Integration Network | Note: Reference source for Su-57 classification and technical background. | Accessed: 2026-06-26Su-57EPublisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Official export product page supporting Su-57E variant identity, advertised payload, combat radius, flight range, maximum speed, service ceiling, and related export-weapon package context. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Su-57 Is Hit for the First TimePublisher: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use context: fielded by Russia at Akhtubinsk, where Ukraine reported an Su-57 was struck on June 8, 2024, 589 kilometres from the contact line. | Accessed: 2026-06-26Damaged Su-57 Emphasises the Vulnerability of Russian Airbases Near UkrainePublisher: Royal United Services Institute | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use context: used by Russia in a minor operational role while Ukraine targeted the fielded Su-57 fleet at Akhtubinsk. | Accessed: 2026-06-26Su-57 Fifth-Generation Fighter Jets Successfully Tested in SyriaPublisher: TASS | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct conflict-use context: Russia deployed two Su-57s to Syria for a two-day test program that included combat trials and weapons-work monitoring. | Accessed: 2026-06-26Russia Releases Video of New Standoff MissilePublisher: Missile Threat, Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports Su-57 and Kh-59MK2 launch relationship context and caveated background on reports that the Kh-59MK2 may have been used in Syria. | Accessed: 2026-06-30The Russians Used the Latest Kh-69 Missiles to Attack the Trypilska TPPPublisher: Defense Express | Note: Supports Kh-69 relationship context for the Su-57 by describing the missile's internal-carriage role for Su-57 and tactical-aircraft launch-platform context. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Ukraine says latest-generation Russian fighter jet hit first timePublisher: Reuters | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use context: Reuters reported Ukraine's claim that a Russian Su-57 was hit at Akhtubinsk airfield on June 8, 2024. | Accessed: 2026-06-26File:Sukhoi Su-57 bn058 Kubinka 2020.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and license page for the Su-57 photograph, published under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International. | Accessed: 2026-06-26File:Su57 take off.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and license page for a second Su-57 Commons photograph used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-06-26File:Sukhoi T-50, Russia - Air Force AN2308066.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and license page for a third Su-57 / T-50 Commons photograph used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-06-26