Russia's Su-57E Felon Is Making History: Flying in China
Russia’s Su-57E fifth-generation stealth fighter debuted at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, aiming to impress attendees and attract international buyers.
What You Need to Know: Russia’s Su-57E fifth-generation stealth fighter debuted at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, aiming to impress attendees and attract international buyers.
-Despite grandiose claims from Russian officials about the Su-57's combat-readiness and "exceptional performance," the jet faced considerable skepticism, particularly from Chinese observers who noted visible flaws in design and stealth.
-Aviation analysts have questioned its actual combat utility, citing that the Su-57 has notably avoided deployment in high-risk zones like Ukraine, likely to avoid potential downing and further criticism. While it may captivate airshow audiences, the Su-57's reputation doesn’t align with the hype from Russian officials.
Russia's Su-57E Takes Flight in China
Rostec, the Russian state-owned military-industrial conglomerate, has put high hopes on the showing of its Sukhoi Su-57 (NATO reporting name Felon) at this week's 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, which kicked off on Tuesday outside the city of Zhuhai in the Guangdong province.
Russian state media outlet Tass reported that the Su-57E, the export model of the fifth-generation stealth fighter, "soared into the skies on the first day" of the international aerospace trade expo, and attracted "significant interest from airshow attendees." The aircraft had Hero of Russia and noted test pilot Sergey Bogdan at the controls while it took part in aerobatic maneuvers.
Tass also cited Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov's claims that "the Su-57 is the only fifth-generation aircraft globally that has demonstrated its exceptional performance characteristics in all combat scenarios. The fighter also boasts impressive survivability due to its low radar signature and advanced onboard defensive systems."
Rosoboronexport CEO Alexander Mikheyev also highlighted the Su-57's use in combat.
"Su-57E fully meets all requirements [of] fifth-generation aircraft. Its major competitive advantage is the real combat engagement experience. The Russian Defense Ministry said it excellently performed in combat. The jet is distinguished by powerful weapons with the latest missiles, as well as a high survivability due to low signature and modern onboard defense," Mikheyev said on the sidelines of the Chinese airshow.
What Wasn't Said – But We'll Say It on the Su-57E Felon
Though the purpose of presenting the Su-57 at Airshow China was to boost awareness of the multirole fighter, most aviation analysts and watchers would be forgiven for smirking (or outright laughing) at the statements made by Chemezov and Mikheyev respectively.
The aircraft received very public mockery last week when the prototype Su-57 arrived in advance of the airshow. Criticism from commentators quickly made the rounds on social media, yet, weren't from U.S. aviation buffs that might have a bias against the Russian warbird. Instead, they were from those in China who highlighted every shortcoming they could find.
At issue was that the aircraft was photographed in ways that Russia's adversaries might have once only dreamt of, and soon armchair pundits and aviation buffs weighed on every shortcoming they could spot. However, the photos of the prototype only allowed all its flaws to be seen by the world.
Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell may have uttered, "Paint me as I am, warts and all," when he sat for his formal portrait – but aviation buffs want to see the "pinup girl" version that is caked in makeup and airbrushed to look as fabulous as possible.
Moreover, it wasn't just that the Su-57 didn't look particularly "stealthy" when it arrived in China; it was the fact that the aircraft hadn't really lived up to all the hype that Chemezov and Mikheyev offered. Their claims of combat effectiveness are truly laughable given that the Kremlin hasn't deployed the Su-57 over the skies of Ukraine, and likely for good reason.
Moscow would not want the bad publicity should one be shot down, and therefore its impressive survivability isn't from its low radar signature but rather because the aircraft hasn't been used anywhere within range of Ukrainian air-defense systems.
In other words, it might remain an aircraft that does impress at an airshow, but that is unlikely to result in foreign buyers lining up, no matter how much the Russian comedy duo would like it to.
Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
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