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| Russia Confirms Already Using Su-57 Fighters in Ukraine |
Moscow - The Russian Ministry of Defense has finally confirmed the use of the Su-57 fighter in Ukraine. The country confirmed that the Su-57 was indeed being used in its ongoing special military operations (SMO).
General Sergei Surovikin, commander of the joint troop group in the SMO area, told reporters on Tuesday, October 18, 2022. “In terms of the quality of combat use, I especially wanted to choose the fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 multifunction aircraft. The Su-57 has a wide range of weapons, it accomplishes the multifaceted task of hitting air and ground targets in any sortie," he said, quoted by the Eurasian Times.
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General Surovikin's comments indicate that the Su-57 is used in both air-to-air and air-to-ground roles. Of those two roles, the Su-57 is thought to have scored. The Su-57 is believed to be easier to detect by radar than US stealth fighters such as the F-22 Raptor & F-35 Lightning.
Stealth characteristics, the sides and rear of the Su-57 are not outstanding, but the front stealth aspect is quite good. That means if the Su-57 were to fly at the same altitude as a US E-3 or E-8 AWACS and move straight at it, it would be difficult for the AWACS to track it.
As a result, ground radar and AWACS will not easily spot the Su-57 coming in air-to-air or air-to-surface attack mode. For air-to-air combat, the Su-57 is equipped with long-range R-37M (RVV-BD) missiles, K-77M medium-range missiles, and two short-range missiles – R-74M2 & K-MD (Izdeliye 300).
The R-74M2 is an upgrade from the R-74 adopted for the internal carriage, while the K-MD is a clean sheet design. United Aircraft Corporation CEO Yury Slyusar also acknowledged the greatness of the Su-57.
Quoted from TASS, the Russian Su-57 fifth-generation fighter aircraft demonstrated its best qualities in special military operations in Ukraine, he said at the Army 2022 international military technical forum. “The aircraft (Su-57) participated in special military operations and demonstrated its best qualities. I have heard reports from the Aerospace Forces and the Ministry of Defense and we have feedback and are very proud that the aircraft is already in the mass production stage," the chief executive said.
The Russian Air Force will receive 22 Su-57 fighters by the end of 2024 and their number will increase to 76 by 2028. The first Su-57 fighters will be delivered to the Russian troops in 2020.