Russia had announced it would have 76 operational Su-57 Felon fighter jets in its inventory by 2027–2028. As of 2026, it appears to have roughly 32, including prototypes.
Lockheed Martin, which remains the world’s largest defense contractor, announced on Wednesday that it delivered 191 F-35 Lightning IIs in 2025, setting a new record in the process. There are now nearly 1,300 F-35s of all variants in the global fleet.
No similar announcement was made by Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), a subsidiary of the state-owned military industrial conglomerate Rostec, regarding the Sukhoi Su-57 (NATO reporting name “Felon”). By all accounts, UAC delivered just a handful of Su-57s, if any at all.
Russia Made Some Aircraft Deliveries—but No New Su-57s
Military analysts confirmed that UAC delivered new batches of the Sukhoi Su-35S (NATO reporting name “Flanker-E/M”) multirole fighter and the Sukhoi Su-34 (NATO reporting name “Fullback”) fighter-bomber strike aircraft. The total number of each aircraft hasn’t been disclosed. Still, it is believed to be fewer than a dozen of each, a reminder that the Kremlin continues to struggle to produce its combat platforms due to years of harsh sanctions that have affected its high-end aerospace supply chain.
The Russian Aerospace Forces also received new Tupolev Tu-160M White Swan (NATO reporting name “Blackjack”) strategic bombers, but again, the number delivered remains unknown and likely no more than a handful.
In 2019, the Kremlin announced that it would receive 76 Su-57s, produced by UAC, by the end of 2027 or early 2028. Though it has remained tight-lipped about the number it has produced since then, analysts estimate that 12 to just over 20 “combat-ready” models have been delivered—with approximately 32 built in total, including 10 prototypes and other non-combat models.
About the Su-57 Felon Fighter Jet
The “fifth-generation” stealth, multirole fighter was developed to combine the functions of an attack aircraft with those of a fighter jet and to engage and destroy various land, airborne, and maritime targets.
- Year Introduced: 2020
- Number Built: ~32
- Length: 20.1 m (65 ft 11 in)
- Wingspan: 14.1 m (46 ft 3 in)
- Weight (MTOW): ~35,000 kg (77.160 lb)
- Engines: Two Saturn AL-41F1 afterburning turbofan engines (future upgrade to Izdliye 177s)
- Top Speed: ~2,130 km/h (1,320 mph) / Mach 2.0 at altitude
- Range: 3,500 km (2,175 mi)
- Service Ceiling: ~20,000 m (65,617 ft)
- Loadout: Internal 30mm GSh-30-1 cannon and various internal and external missiles and guided bombs, including the long-range R-77M and extended-range R-37M air-to-air missiles, short-range R-74M2 missiles, and precision-guided munitions like KH-59MK2 cruise missiles and KAB-500 guided bombs
- Aircrew: 1
Few Foreign Customers Want the Su-57—Even at a Steep Discount
Serial production of the Su-57 began in 2022, but deliveries have repeatedly fallen short due to supply chain challenges and funding constraints. The aircraft is Russia’s most advanced fighter, but lso its most expensive, with a price tag between $50 million and $100 million per unit, roughly comparable with Western aircraft.
Rostec and Rosoboronexport, the sole state intermediary agency for Russia’s exports/imports of defense-related and dual-use products, have sought foreign buyers for the Su-57 to help subsidize the aircraft’s costs. That has required taking the novel approach of suggesting it is a more affordable fifth-generation fighter than the F-35. However, in reality, the Su-57 is not significantly cheaper than its Western counterpart—meaning that Rostec must sell it at a significant loss in order to gain traction in international markets. This isn’t exactly a sound business strategy, but the Kremlin has been willing to provide substantial government subsidies to offset the losses.
Even this, however, hasn’t worked. The Su-57 remains a crowd-pleaser at air shows, but those daring flight demonstrations haven’t translated to sales. That may explain why Su-57 production is at a low point, even as Algeria reportedly closed a deal to procure 14 Su-57E export models. There were unconfirmed reports that two Su-57s were delivered to Algeria in November. If true, it would mark the first delivery of a fifth-generation fighter, other than the F-35, to a foreign buyer.
Russia has also continued to seek a deal with India for the Su-57, including lucrative incentives like technology transfer and co-production inside India. Yet it remains unlikely that New Delhi will adopt the fighter.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-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. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Shutterstock / Vladimir Vozdvizhenskiy.
