In the spring of 2019, it became known that Russia had agreed on a package of documents that would allow export deliveries of a modern domestic fifth generation fighter. The export model of the Su-57E may be of interest to foreign customers who, for various reasons, cannot purchase the American fifth-generation F-35 fighters.
Potential buyers of the latest Russian fighter jet include countries in Asia and the Middle East. The most likely buyers are Algeria. It is quite obvious that the first "collision" of the F-35 and the Su-57E will take place on the international arms market. At the same time, I would like to believe that real military clashes involving these two aircraft will never happen.
The program for creating a fifth generation fighter is a very expensive pleasure; not all countries can afford such costs. At the same time, as noted in the American military-political publication The National Interest, the United States and China are able to cope with the colossal costs of developing combat aircraft alone, while the Russian Federation, most likely, will have to cover part of the costs of developing and creating the Su-57 fighter through the supply of aircraft to foreign customers.
At the same time, the assessment of the cost of programs is significantly different. The cost of the F-35 program is estimated at approximately $ 55 billion. Lockheed Martin and others have produced over 390 F-35 Lightning II aircraft. The Russian fifth generation fighter program was estimated at about $ 3 billion. Currently, Russia has built 10 flight prototypes of the Su-57 from an experimental batch. The Russian Ministry of Defense will receive the first two serial fighters by 2020.
Su-57 experimental batch
The Su-57 could become a fifth generation fighter for everyone. Traditionally, experts attribute to its competitive advantages a lower cost than American-made models. An important difference is also recognized that the United States at one time completely banned the sale of the first fifth-generation fighter F-22 to third countries, and is selectively approaching sales of the lighter F-35, supplying only to its allies. China is also not ready to sell its own fifth-generation fighter J-20. Against this background, Russia expresses its readiness to sell the Su-57 to all potential customers, and this is an excellent opportunity for countries that would like, but are not able to purchase other fifth-generation aircraft.
Potential buyers of Su-57
Currently, military experts are discussing the possibility of a price war on the world market between the Russian Su-57E fighter and the American F-35. The discussion discusses which countries can become buyers of the Russian fifth generation aviation complex and who is ready to consider the possibility of such a purchase. Among the potential buyers of the Su-57E, there is one NATO state - Turkey.
It is worth noting that Turkey is a member of the multinational program for the creation of the fifth generation fighter F-35 Lightning II, which is being implemented under the auspices of the United States. At least 10 Turkish industrial enterprises are involved in the supply of electronic parts and components for the aircraft. The F-35 fighter was supposed to be the first fifth generation aircraft in the Turkish Air Force. In total, Ankara was going to purchase at least 100 such combat vehicles. But in today's realities, the delivery may not take place. The problem is Ankara's purchase of the Russian S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile system. American congressmen have already said that they can suspend the sending of fighters to Turkey, if the latter does not refuse to purchase Russian air defense systems.
F-35 Lightning II
Sergei Chemezov, head of the state corporation Rostec, has previously said that Moscow is ready to negotiate with Ankara on the supply of the fifth generation Su-57E fighter if Turkey is forced to withdraw from the F-35 Lightning II fighter program. According to Chemezov, Turkey is an attractive sales market for a modern Russian fifth generation fighter.
Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu unequivocally hinted to Washington that in case of refusal to supply F-35 fighters, Ankara will acquire similar fighters from other states. And the Turkish state news agency Anadolu has previously prepared a comparison of the Su-57 with the American fifth-generation F-35 fighter, considering the Russian aircraft as an alternative. The corresponding material with infographics was released in April 2019. Among other things, the clear superiority of the Russian fighter in maximum speed and maneuverability stood out. The Su-57 is equipped with two engines, while the lighter American F-35 has only one. The maximum flight speed of the Su-57 is up to 2600 km / h, while its competitor can only accelerate to 1931 km / h. The Russian aircraft also surpasses the enemy in the mass of the combat load, which is estimated at 10 tons, and the American fighter's - 8, 16 tons. Also, the Su-57 can be in the sky almost twice as long - 5.8 hours versus 2, 36 hours for the F-35.
Still, Turkey is far from the most obvious buyer of the Russian fifth generation fighter. Egypt and Algeria are showing interest in the aircraft. But the Egyptian Air Force already has a motley fleet of combat aircraft, the Su-57E could become the 8th type of combat aircraft for Cairo, which creates a lot of logistical difficulties in servicing this fleet. At the same time, Egypt is actively buying Russian aviation equipment. The Egyptian Air Force is armed with front-line fighters MiG-29M and MiG-29M2 (contract for 46 aircraft). Also in March 2019, the Kommersant newspaper wrote that Egypt was acquiring from Russia several dozen heavy multifunctional Su-35 fighters, the cost of the transaction is estimated at two billion dollars. This makes Egypt one of the largest buyers of Russian aircraft, but it is still not clear that Cairo will now decide to reinforce its own air force with the Su-57E.
Experts believe that the most likely buyer of the Su-57E is Algeria, which is the largest buyer of Russian weapons in Africa. Algeria has been buying up the latest Soviet and then Russian models of military equipment, including aircraft, for a long time. The Air Force of this North African country is already armed with Russian multifunctional fighters Su-30MKA and Su-35. Most likely, Algeria also became the first foreign buyer of the Su-34 front-line fighter-bomber. Moreover, this country is showing interest in experimental Russian weapons, for example, BMPT, proving that they are ready to buy not the most popular equipment. Given the close cooperation between Algeria and Russia in the military-technical sphere and Algeria's readiness to be the first country to acquire and introduce new Russian military developments, it seems likely that the Algerians will become the launch customer of the Su-57E.
Potential buyers of the Su-57E, but already in another corner of the planet, include Malaysia, which already operates heavy Russian Su-30MKM fighters. In March of this year, the Russian fifth-generation aircraft was demonstrated to the Prime Minister of this Asian country. Considering the fact that Malaysia's neighbor in the Singapore region recently announced the acquisition of a small batch of F-35 fighters from the United States, Malaysia can speed up the process of acquiring its own fifth-generation aircraft by choosing the Russian option.
Su-57E for India and China
Traditionally, the largest buyers of Russian arms and military equipment are India and China. Both countries can also be considered as customers of the Su-57E. It was India that was Russia's partner in creating a promising fifth-generation fighter FGFA, which was developed on the basis of the Su-57 and was supposed to become an export version of the aircraft. Apparently, India finally abandoned this joint project in April last year. The media reported that India was unhappy with the stealth performance of the T-50 prototypes, and also expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the radars and avionics of the new aircraft. At the same time, in the joint project of the FGFA aircraft, which was planned to be exported to foreign customers, Delhi accounted for up to a third of the funding.
Su-35 PLA Air Force
Despite the rejection of the joint development of the fifth generation fighter, India can still become a customer for the export version of the Su-57. The Indian Air Force has accumulated rich experience in the acquisition and operation of Soviet and Russian-made military equipment. The Indian Air Force is armed with about 250 multipurpose Su-30MKI fighters. It is the world's largest operator of this model of Sukhoi aircraft. India still does not rule out the option of purchasing the Su-57E. Interest in the fifth generation aircraft could be fueled by the recent air conflict with Pakistan, in which the Indian Air Force lost a modernized MiG-21 without shooting down a single enemy aircraft.
China may also purchase fifth-generation Su-57E fighters from Russia, even though it has its own fifth-generation aircraft. True, the size of the purchased batch may be limited. Despite the development of its own fifth-generation J-20 fighter, China purchased 24 Su-35 aircraft from Russia in 2015, paying $ 2 billion for this batch and becoming the first foreign buyer of this aircraft. The planes cost China quite a lot - about $ 83 million for each Su-35. Based on this, one can imagine that the Su-57E on the international arms market will cost even more.
China was pleased with the Su-35 purchased in Russia. It is Russian fighters that often accompany strategic Chinese H-6K bombers in flight. The Chinese praise the long-range missiles of the Russian multifunctional fighter, the radar capable of simultaneously tracking up to 30 targets and firing at 8 targets, and the presence of thrust vectoring engines. Against this background, it is worth noting that the Chinese J-20 aircraft, which experts also consider to be more invisible than the Su-57, is inferior to the latter in engines. The Russian model surpasses the Celestial plane even with the first stage engines - AL-41F1, when the Russian fighter gets more advanced second stage engines, which are known as "Product 30", the combat capabilities of the Su-57 will increase even more. In this regard, China may be interested in the Su-57 precisely because of the engines, with the creation of which Beijing is still having problems. The danger of this deal may lie in the fact that China is using Russian technology for reengineering, literally disassembling the machines into cogs and then reproducing them at their own factories. In the field of copying and appropriating other people's technologies, as well as their improvement by making their own changes in the design, China has succeeded for a long time.
Su-57 experimental batch
Three Su-57 regiments for the Russian Aerospace Forces
On Wednesday, May 15, 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced an imminent contract for the purchase of 76 Su-57 fighters. The head of state made the corresponding statement at a regular meeting on defense issues. According to Putin, earlier, according to the state armament program until 2028, the Aerospace Forces were to receive only 16 such aircraft. At the same time, there was publicly available information about the contract for only 12 aircraft, a set for equipping one squadron. Such a small contract even allowed reporters from the Chinese news agency Sina to call the Su-57 the worst Russian combat aircraft in history. Based on this, the Chinese journalists concluded that the fifth-generation aircraft created in Russia is not needed even by the Russian Aerospace Forces.
Now the volume of purchases is seriously expanding. According to Vladimir Putin, a contract will soon be signed for the supply of 76 fifth-generation fighters to the troops, which will receive modern means of destruction. In addition, it is planned to create the necessary ground infrastructure for the new aircraft. The President noted that by 2028 it is necessary to re-equip three Aerospace Forces regiments with new fifth-generation fighters. According to Putin, the change in the situation with the volume of the Su-57 order is directly related to the readiness of aircraft manufacturers to reduce its cost and the cost of the weapons used by 20 percent. The President expressed hope that the plan, amended and announced on May 15, will be fulfilled.
