Key Points and Summary – Russia’s Su-57 just flew for the first time with its new Izdeliye 177 engine, marking the latest attempt to turn Moscow’s troubled “fifth-generation” fighter into a credible counterpart to the F-22 and F-35.
-United Aircraft Corporation touts the test as a success and promises ramped-up production after years of delays, a 2019 crash and limited combat use in Ukraine and Syria.
Su-57 stealth fighter. Image Credit: Wikicommons.
-Analysts still question the jet’s true stealth and supercruise credentials, and planned exports to India have gone nowhere—raising the question of whether this long-promised flagship will ever match Russia’s rhetoric or Western rivals.
Russia’s Su-57 Just Flew With a New Engine – Does It Change the Game?
The Su-57, Russia’s fifth-generation stealth fighter, took off for the first time this week with a new engine, called the Izdeliye 177.
That’s according to a report by the Economic Times, which cited a press announcement from the state-run aerospace firm United Aircraft Corporation.
The engine was developed specifically for the Su-57.
“Specialists from the United Aircraft Corporation and the United Engine Corporation have begun flight testing the Izdeliye 177 engine as part of the fifth-generation Su-57 aircraft system. Honoured test pilot Roman Kondratyev took the aircraft into the air. The flight proceeded as planned, and the new engine performed reliably,” the release said, without divulging further details.”
The release also said that Russia plans to “ramp up” production of the stealth fighter.
A Troubled fighter
According to an Aviation Geek Club account, the test flight came after years of trouble for the Su-57 program.
“Despite being touted as a Russian fifth-generation fighter aircraft to rival its US equivalents (in the form of the F-22 and F-35), the Su-57 was plagued by development delays, a crash in 2019, and has contributed little to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to its manufacturer, serial production of the aircraft began in 2022,” the Geek Club account says.
In Development
The Aviation Geek Club story went more into the development history of the Su-57.
MiG-29. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
“A multirole fighter capable of aerial combat as well as ground and maritime strike, the Su-57 incorporates stealth, supermaneuverability, supercruise, integrated avionics, and substantial internal payload capacity,” the report said.
“The aircraft is expected to succeed the MiG-29 and Su-27 in the Russian military service and has also been marketed for export. The first prototype aircraft flew in 2010, but the program would experience a protracted development due to various structural and technical issues that emerged during trials, including the destruction of the first production aircraft in a crash before its delivery. After repeated delays, the first Su-57 entered service with the VKS in December 2020. The fighter is expected to have a service life of up to 35 years.”
The Su-57 in Ukraine
As CNN reported in the summer of 2024, a Ukrainian drone attack successfully damaged a Su-57 stealth fighter.
“The Sukhoi Su-57 fighter, nicknamed the ‘Felon’ by NATO, was struck on the tarmac of an airbase in the Astrakhan region, almost 600 kilometers (372 miles) behind the front lines of fighting in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency (GUR), the CNN report said.
“The images show that on June 7, Su-57 was still intact, but on June 8, craters from the explosion and distinctive fire spots emerged near it as a result of the fire damage,” the Ukrainian agency said at the time on Telegram.
Per that report, which cited TASS, Russia received the first Su-57 in 2020, but it had been “tested” in combat conditions in Syria two years before that.
Su-57 in the Ukraine War?
This August, Military Watch Magazine reported that the Russian Aerospace Forces had “significantly increased use of the Su-57 Felon fifth-generation fighter for combat operations in the Ukrainian theatre.”
“Whole formations of Su-57s have already been observed in action,” one Ukrainian-linked analyst told the outlet. He added that earlier operations had used smaller numbers of fighters.
“One aircraft provides cover using long-range R-77M air-to-air missiles while another pair conducts strikes with Kh-69 cruise missiles or precision-guided bombs,” the report added.
Russian Su-57 stealth fighter. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Military Watch Magazine added that “no other fifth-generation fighter class in the world is known to have had similar levels of combat testing over a prolonged period.”
A Medium blog post from Wes O’Donnell, back in August, asked the question of whether it was “too little, too late” for the Su-57 to play a major role in the war in Ukraine.
“If you believe Russian state media, the Su-57 is the aerospace equivalent of a magic sword: unstoppable, and naturally better than anything the West can build. If you believe the actual data, it’s a different story,” O’Donnell wrote.
“True fifth-generation fighters, like America’s F-22 and F-35, have two defining characteristics: Genuine low observability: Radar, infrared, and visual signatures all suppressed by having a low radar cross section or RCS,” he wrote. “Supercruise: The ability to fly supersonic without guzzling fuel in afterburner. The Su-57 has neither.”
Selling to India?
India, O’Donnell noted, had been a development partner with Russia on the jet, but pulled out of the project in 2018.
In recent months, there have been reports that Russia and India had been in talks for Russia to sell India Su-57s. However, after the leaders of the two countries met on December 4 and 5, there was no mention of any such deal.
Russian Su-57 and Su-57 Stealth Fighters. Image Credit: Russian Government.
“The lack of mention contrasts with multiple statements by Russian officials promising cooperation in strategic segments such as defence, civil aviation, and space technology,” the Economic Times reported. “Based on the MoUs and agreements signed, the summit largely focused on economic cooperation—trade, energy security, fertilizers, workforce mobility, etc.”
The 2019 Crash
The recent test flight appears to have gone much better for Russia than the one years ago, when an Su-57 fighter crashed during a flight.
According to a Moscow Times account, published six years ago today, the crash took place in the Far East of Russia.
“The Su-57 crashed during a test flight 111 kilometers from its home airfield,” United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said at the time. The civilian pilot ejected from the plane and survived.
“Russia has combat-tested the Sukhoi Su-57 in Syria and showcased it at military parades. The aircraft had been tested at least twice in Syria, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, said last week, according to a Moscow Times report in 2019. “An unnamed Russian military official told RIA Novosti that pilot error or a technical malfunction are believed to have caused the Su-57 crash.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
