Although the Russians claim to have the advanced Su-57 Felon stealth fighter, unmatched in capabilities, the Sky over Ukraine does not boast of one single missile carried by this stealth fighter. Moscow has indeed over-relies on older Soviet jets, which proved to be a better bet in combat situations.
The aversion to using the Su-57 could be due to Russia’s relatively low number of those aircraft, and because stealth is a term that sounds better than reality. Even the loss of a few Su-57s by Ukrainian air defense will severely affect Russia’s airpower and prestige. This pattern shows an even more general issue with modern warfare: it seems often the older and more simplistic systems have better survival rates than the most advanced ones.
Russia has been fast in strutting its technological superiority in building advanced airframes. For example, it recently boasts of a yet-to-be-actually-seen MiG-41, that seems like a starfighter taken out of some science fiction film rather than the real warplane. Another aircraft that the Russians are bragging about is the Su-57 Felon. The Russian military described this as their fifth-generation warplane, at least a match for the best of the American F-35 Lightning II or even the vaunted F-22A Raptor.
Yet, in operating this aircraft, the Russians have avoided putting the Su-57 into the combat zones over Ukraine. Instead, they have left the lion’s share of the fighting to older, Soviet-era planes. These older warplanes have had a far better track record in pushing back the Ukrainians and placing Russia in a fortuitous position.
Reports have been rife that the Russian military is terrified of losing the Su-57 to the Ukrainian air defense systems. The Russians have been circumspect to commit large numbers of these aircraft as they fear the embarrassment of these expensive warplanes being shot down by Ukrainian defenders.
One reason also why Russians in committing substantial numbers of the Su-57 into real combat is because Russia does not have significant numbers of these aircraft. If any were killed in action, that could potentially create a crucial gap in the Russian air capabilities and prove an embarrassing bruise to the prestige of the Russian Armed Forces.
If in reality, the Su-57 is, indeed, a fifth-generation warplane as Russia claims it to be, then the stealth properties themselves would have to be more than far ahead of what Ukraine does have. Under those circumstances, Moscow would be free to play with its fancy fifth-generation warplane in combat. But, if the Su-57 was not as stealthy as designers of Russian warplanes would make you believe, then Moscow’s fear of losing in real combat while not deploying those aircraft becomes quite rational.
The Sukhoi Design Bureau, which designed the Su-57, has not been able to mass-produce this system. There are a large number of bugs that the designers have yet to work out, and the high price and complexity of each unit have slowed production significantly especially since Russia is in the midst of an ongoing war with Ukraine. It has turned out much easier to mass-produce older, less complex systems from the Soviet era as war broke out in Ukraine.
Although it might seem amazing that Russia cannot build enough Su-57s to make these supposedly fifth-generation jets relevant, the fact of the matter is that Russia is beating Ukraine with its older Soviet-era systems. So why risk being humiliated at the hands of the Ukrainians by rolling out a few unproven Su-57s who may not survive their first encounter with advanced air defense systems?
A major development, Ukraine has claimed it attacked the ultra-modern Russian warplane on an airbase nearly 600 kilometers behind the front lines. Kyiv’s main military intelligence service shared satellite photographs showing the result of the attack. This would be the first-known successful strike of Ukraine on a twin-engine Su-57 stealth jet, hailed by Moscow as its advanced fighter.
According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, the strike happened at the Akhtubinsk base in southern Russia, 589 kilometers from the front line.
The agency said the plane was part of “a countable few” of its type in Moscow’s arsenal. A spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence, Andriy Yusov later was quoted on Ukrainian TV saying that the attack may have damaged two Su-57 jets parked at the base and also wounded Russian personnel.
A well-known Russian-language pro-Kremlin Telegram channel, run by a retired Russian army pilot, claimed three Ukrainian drones struck the Akhtubinsk airstrip and flying shrapnel damaged the jet. “It is now being determined whether it can be restored or not. If not, it would be the first combat loss of a Su-57 in history,” the Fighterbomber channel reported.
Russia’s Defense Ministry and top political leaders have no comment on the issue. It said three Ukrainian drones that its troops shot down in the Astrakhan region – host to the Akhtubinsk aerodrome – were involved in the attack. Igor Babushkin, the governor of Astrakhan Oblast, said Ukraine attempted to strike some kind of facility there, but the attempt failed.
The Su-57 fleet has rarely been seen over Ukraine, but it has spent much time firing long-range missiles into the country. In an intelligence briefing by the U.K. Ministry of Defence, there is a statement that Russia would desire to avoid any “reputational damage, reduced export prospects, and the compromise of sensitive technology” when losing any Su-57 jets in enemy territory.