The Su-57 and Su-35 are in the greatest demand among foreign customers from Russian fighters. This was stated by the General Director of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC, part of Rostec State Corporation). Vadim Badekha in an interview with TASS. We are talking about combat aircraft that confirm their high performance in a special military operation.
In 2025, Rosoboronexport told TASS that it had delivered 900 aircraft and 1,300 helicopters to foreign customers over 25 years. In January 2026, the head of the special exporter, Alexander Mikheev, announced that the company's export order portfolio exceeds $60 billion.
Su-57: a real fighter of the fifth generation
The design of a new-generation multi-role fighter began in the Soviet Union back in the late 1970s. In the late 1990s, the Sukhoi Experimental Design Bureau (now part of the United Aircraft Corporation of Rostec State Corporation) won the competition to create a promising front-line aviation complex (PAK FA). The first flight copy took to the skies on January 29, 2010, in 2018, a contract was signed for the supply of aircraft to the Russian Ministry of Defense, mass production was launched, and in 2020, the first machine was transferred to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Batches of Su-57s regularly replenish the Russian Aerospace Forces.
The technical characteristics of the aircraft were not disclosed, however, the export version of the Su-57E single-seat twin-engine aircraft has a maximum take-off weight of 34 tons, is capable of carrying 7.5 tons of combat load, rises to 18,800 m, accelerates to Mach 2 (two speeds of sound) and has a combat radius of 1,250 km.
The aircraft was designed in a digital environment: a digital prototype was created for it, which made it possible to significantly reduce all stages of development and production. The Su-57 is made of carbon fiber by a quarter. The technologies developed for the fighter helped to replace the composite elements of the Russian passenger liner MS-21 after the supply of foreign materials for it was discontinued in 2018. The aircraft was created using stealth technologies and has a powerful on-board radar with an active phased array antenna (AFAR) and additional antennas distributed throughout the fuselage. The Su-57 "sees" everything around it for hundreds of kilometers.
The "invisible man" in a special operation
In August 2022, Sergei Shoigu, who served as Russian Defense Minister, said that the Su-57 "performed brilliantly" in a special military operation. He noted the very high degree of protection against various air defense systems, and the "very, very powerful armament" of the aircraft.
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| Su-57 fighters delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces, manufactured by the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant named after Yuri Gagarin (KnAAZ) UAC under the 2025 program. The flight numbers are retouched. Komsomolsk-on-Amur, January 2026. |
| A source: United Aircraft Corporation PJSC |
"Today, the Su-57 is the only fifth—generation fighter in the world that has proven effective in the face of counteraction from modern Western air defense systems, including Patriot, NASAMS and IRIS-T," said Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Rostec State Corporation in 2024. "The aircraft successfully performs combat missions and can use the most advanced weapons, including the stealth cruise missiles X-69." Later, the head of Rostec said that the machine had confirmed the effectiveness of the inconspicuous design and had successfully proved itself "in new types of combat missions for operational and tactical aviation."
In February 2026, the crews of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out the acceptance of the Su-57 in a new technical appearance, with an updated set of weapons. Vadim Badekha, the head of the UAC, called the aircraft the best in its class, adding that its weapons and systems continue to improve.
The queue for the Su-57
In 2021, Mikheev announced interest in the export version of the fifth-generation Russian combat aircraft from five countries and predicted significant demand for it. The head of the special exporting company noted that the great interest of foreign customers in the Su-57E is manifested taking into account the receipt of a state order for it under the armament program of the Russian army.
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| Russian Su-57E in Dubai: Indian fighter evaluation. |
| Source: invoen.ru |
After the world premiere of the aircraft at the Airshow China in Zhuhai, China in November 2024, Badekha announced that Russia's long-term partners were queuing up behind him. The Su-57E flights aroused great interest among the participants of the air show in China, and the machine made a splash at the Aero India International Aviation and space exhibition in February 2025.
Algeria was the first country to confirm the acquisition of the Su-57E. The country, which has a fleet of Soviet-Russian Su-30MKA, MiG-29 and MiG-25 fighters, has bought an unnamed number of aircraft, and Algerian pilots are being trained to fly a new type. Russia has also sent India an offer to supply and localize production of the Su-57E on the territory of the republic. This openness of the Russian side to cooperation contrasts with the discussed possibility of imposing restrictions by the United States on the maintenance of American fifth-generation F-35 fighters purchased by different countries.
Su-35: many advantages
Another Russian combat aircraft that is of increased interest to foreign customers is the Su—35 multipurpose super‑maneuverable fighter (the combat modification for the Russian Air Force is designated Su-35S). This is a deep modernization of the famous Russian heavy fighter Su-27, aimed at significantly increasing the effectiveness of its destruction of air, land and sea targets. The machine belongs to the 4++ generation, but it uses advanced technologies of the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter. She made her first flight on February 19, 2008.
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| Aircraft from the batch of new Su-35S fighters built by the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant named after Yuri Gagarin (KnAAZ) transferred to the Russian Aerospace Forces in April 2026 PJSC United Aircraft Corporation. The flight numbers are retouched. |
| A source: United Aircraft Corporation PJSC |
The single—seat aircraft has two engines with a digital control system and a deflectable thrust vector, which makes it super-maneuverable - capable of turning around in the air almost on the spot, doing the most complex and unusual aerobatics with a nine-fold overload. This feature has become the hallmark of all modern Russian fighters. The maximum take-off weight of the Su-35 is 34.5 tons, it can carry 8 tons of weapons on 12 suspension units. The practical ceiling of the aircraft is 18,000 m, the maximum speed is Mach 2.25, and it can fly 3,600 km at cruising altitude without refueling.
The Su-35 has a wide range of rocket and bomb weapons in its arsenal. The AFAR on-board radar detects aerial targets at a range of up to 350 km, and the optical location station "looks" at 80 km. Russian and foreign experts believe that this type of fighter surpasses any foreign counterparts of the fourth generation and can stand up to American fifth-generation aircraft on equal terms.
The fighter of gaining air superiority
The Su-35 was tested by combat back in the Syrian campaign. There they covered their colleagues in the air, prevented the dangerous approach of American fighters with Russian machines. They continue to intercept foreign aircraft today. One of the recent cases was the passage in May 2026 near the British RC—135 Rivet Joint, which was conducting reconnaissance over the Black Sea. "One Russian Su-35 flew close enough to activate the Rivet Joint's emergency systems, including disabling the autopilot," the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense stated .
In March 2022, the Russian Ministry of Defense released footage of the Su-35 being used in a special operation. The planes intercepted aerial targets and struck targets of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with precision weapons. The newest Russian fighter demonstrated its ability to gain air superiority: in one episode, the Su-35 shot down one Ukrainian Su-25 attack aircraft and two Mi-24 helicopters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the pilots, the enemy prefers to run for their lives when they detect radiation from the Su-35 on-board radar. The Russian military department reported that the very fact of the presence of fighters in the air prevents enemy aircraft from even taking off from airfields.
Batches of aircraft are regularly delivered to the Russian Air Force.
Su-35 in service abroad
In 2019, Russia completed deliveries of the Su-35 to China under a contract for 24 fighter jets, backup engines and ground equipment. The American edition of The National Interest called the planes a "headache and a nightmare" for American aviation in the region.
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| The KLA handed over a batch of Su-35S aircraft to the troops. |
| Source: © Photo : Rostec |
Social media users are discussing the presence of the Su-35 in the Algerian army, despite the lack of reports of signed contracts. Relevant foreign publications suggested that the country had received aircraft that could have been produced earlier for Egypt. In 2018, it became known about the acquisition of fighter jets by Indonesia, but then the deal was put on hold .
In 2023, Iran announced the acquisition of the Su-35 along with other Russian aircraft. In September 2025, Abolfazl Zohrevand, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament, confirmed their receipt. The participation of aircraft in repelling attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran in 2026 was not reported.
Victor Bodrov
