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| Russian Su-57 Stealth Fighter Shoots Down Ukrainian Su-27 Fighter With R-37M Missile |
International Military - A Russian Su-57 stealth fighter jet has reportedly shot down a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter with an R-37M missile. If confirmed, this would be the first record "kill" by Moscow's fifth-generation fighter jet.
Russian local media reports quoted by the EurAsian Times on Thursday (20/10/2022) said the Ukrainian Su-27 was barely moving above a safe altitude to intercept the Geran-2 kamikaze drone when it was shot down by a Su-57 with an R-37M missile.
Read Also: Russia Confirms Already Using Su-57 Fighters in Ukraine, Capable of Reaching Air and Ground Targets
According to the report, the Su-57 was most likely responsible for firing the missile, as AWACS in Poland and Romania operating in 24/7 mode were unable to detect it. The report did not specify the date and location of the incident in question, but it allegedly took place on October 10 when a number of Ukrainians reported missile strikes with fighter jets on that date.
It is important to remember that the R-37M air-to-air missile can also be launched from the MiG-31 and Su-35 Flanker. It was previously widely reported that MiG-31 fighters used similar missiles to strike targets in Ukraine. In line with this, Samuel Ramani, foreign and defense policy expert, tweeted that Russian MiG-31 aircraft armed with R-37M missiles and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles recently landed in Belarus.
Read Also: For The First Time, Russian Su-57 Stealth Fighter Shoots Down Ukrainian Su-27 Fighter Jet
On October 9, Guy Pelosi, a defense analyst, also shared a photo of the MiG-31BM equipped with four R-37M long-range air-to-air missiles under the fuselage. "Interesting photo uploaded by the Fighter-bomber Telegram page showing crowd-sourced equipment displayed in front of a MiG-31BM.
Meanwhile, General Sergei Surovikin, Russia's new commander for the war in Ukraine, on Tuesday (18/10/2022), confirmed the use of the Su-57 fighter jet in combat missions. “In terms of the quality of combat use, I especially wanted to choose the Su-57 fifth-generation multifunctional aircraft.
The Sukhoi Su-57 fighter aircraft has a wide range of weapons, it accomplishes the multifaceted task of hitting air and ground targets in any sortie," he said. General Surovikin's comments indicate that the Su-57 is used in both the air-to-air and air-to-ground roles, and in both roles, it has scored a hit. General Surovikin did not comment on media reports that a Russian Su-57 had shot down a Ukrainian Su-27 for the first time.