This fighter has a lot of traits that leave it behind Western stealth aircraft like the F-22: The Su-57 Felon is Russia’s fifth-generation fighter aircraft, designed to compete with Western jets like the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.
-Combining stealth features with traditional Russian emphasis on supermaneuverability, the Su-57 adopts a hybrid design philosophy. Its thrust-vectoring engines and agility make it formidable in close-range combat, but its stealth capabilities lag behind its Western counterparts, particularly from the rear aspect.
-Production issues and economic constraints, compounded by the war in Ukraine, have limited Russia to around 20 operational Su-57s as of late 2024. While it’s seen limited use in Syria and Ukraine, questions remain about its readiness for high-stakes combat.
Russia’s Su-57 Felon: A Stealth Fighter with Big Questions to Answer
Russia’s Felon is a fifth-generation multi-role fighter aircraft intended to compete with Western stealth fighters like the American F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.
Developed as part of the PAK FA program, the Su-57 combines stealth, advanced avionics, and supermaneuverability, reflecting an amended, hybrid philosophy rooted in traditional Russian combat doctrine that places a premium on supermaneuverability, particularly at low speed, but updated for the challenges of modern aerial warfare in an era increasingly defined by stealthy aircraft.
But, of course, being a Russian piece of military hardware, there are clear challenges the Su-57 Felon will need to overcome.
Stealth with Agility: a Blend
The Su-57 is Russia’s foray into stealth technology at a production scale.
To that end, the Felon aims to reduce its radar cross-section and improve survivability in heavily contested airspace.
However, unlike its Western counterparts, which prioritize extreme stealth and weapons engagement beyond visual range, the Su-57 retains typical Russian design characteristics. The
Su-57’s thrust-vectoring engines and supermaneuverability give the aircraft significant close-range agility.
The Su-57 Felon stealthy features include faced surfaces that redirect radar out and away from the jet, internal weapon bays, and radar-absorbent materials, with particular emphasis on reducing the jet’s radar cross-section from the frontal aspect, in part by burying the jet’s two engines within the airframe.
Still, the Su-57 is significantly less stealthy than the F-22 Raptor or the F-35, both American fifth-generation stealth jets. From the rear aspect, in particular, the Su-57 is likely considerably less stealthy and more akin to a fourth-generation fighter in stealth mitigation.
Though the trend in fighter jet design is pointing in the stealthy direction, Russia has still retrained a desire to place at least some emphasis on high maneuverability and adapting this blended stealth approach to fit within Russian fighter doctrine.
Image: Creative Commons.
Building on Russia’s strengths in fighter agility, the Su-57 Felon does take measures to reduce its radar cross-section.
However, the jet is unlikely to feature the same degree of radar mitigation as its Western counterparts.
Su-57 Felon: Air Superiority in Context
The Felon emerges from a military philosophy distinct from Western approaches. Western doctrines prioritize retaining energy and maintaining situational awareness to dominate the beyond-visual-range arena.
In contrast, Russian strategies historically emphasize adaptability and resilience, preparing for engagements in unpredictable scenarios where close-range combat may still play a decisive role. The Felon builds on this foundation by incorporating stealth as a countermeasure against Western sensor and missile technologies while still banking on its agility to outmaneuver adversaries.
The Su-57 Has Lots of Questions That Can’t Easily Be Answered
Despite the Su-57’s more advanced capabilities — especially compared to the aircraft that preceded it — Russia has struggled to field the jet in large numbers due partly to constraints on production.
Su-57 and Su-75 Side-by-Side. Image Credit: Rostec.
Economic pressure, essentially a lack of deep funding for the aircraft, has been compounded by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Questions remain about the ability of the Su-57 to compete in terms of stealth with other, more sophisticated fifth-generation aircraft from the United States and China.
Show Me the Numbers
As of late 2024, Russia has built around 20 Su-57s, beginning with prototypes manufactured in the early 2010s. Since production numbers have tapered, the Su-57 entered production in 2019, before the war in Ukraine.
Though the jet has not seen combat against a peer enemy nor a rival with robust air defenses, the Su-57 did see limited service as part of Russia’s recently ended intervention in Syria, presumably for testing and evaluation.
In addition, the use of the Felon during the war in Ukraine was limited. However, its use has been limited to a launch platform for long-range strike munitions rather than against other fighter jets, allowing the jet to avoid flight through robust air defenses and contested airspaces.
Su-57 Felon. Image: Creative Commons.
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
