This would mark the first time the stealth fighter has been exported to an international customer, as Russia has reportedly completed the delivery of the first two Su-57E aircraft to the Algerian Air Force, a country expecting a fleet of twelve units in total. The news was confirmed on November 17 by Vadim Badekha, currently CEO of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), during an interview with Russian television in the context of the 2025 Dubai Airshow.
Quoting some of his own statements: “Our foreign customer and our foreign partner have already received the first two aircraft. They have begun their combat service and are demonstrating their best qualities. Our customer is satisfied.” It is worth noting that Badekha did not provide further details regarding who the customer was; rather, it is an inference based on previous reports. As we noted in October of this year, there are several reasons to identify Algeria as the Felon’s customer, including leaked documents and the growing defense cooperation between Algiers and Moscow.
The Dubai Airshow 2025 is not an insignificant detail, considering that Russia has sent the Su-57 to participate in aerial demonstrations for potential future buyers of the platform. During these, a new series of noteworthy improvements could be observed. Among the most notable, analysts point to a new panoramic display in the cockpit, which UAC executives stated was integrated at the request of Russian pilots who took part in combat in Ukraine. This replaces the older pair of smaller screens, with the objective of providing greater comfort to the pilot and increasing the processing power of the onboard computer.
Another observable improvement — in this case as part of a model displayed at the event — is the integration of new bidimensional thrust-vectoring nozzles into the Su-57’s design to increase maneuverability at the expense of some speed; these were also seen in tests conducted in December of last year. As we reported recently, this is an important development that may go hand in hand with progress on the new AL-51F Izdeliye 30 engine, which the stealth fighter’s manufacturer intends to use to replace the NPO Lyulka-Saturn AL-41F1 engines powering pre-series models.
Thanks to these new technologies, Rostec’s general director, Sergey Chemezov, told the specialized outlet The Warzone: “I can highlight that we have enormous demand for this aircraft from many countries, and we expect this demand to increase even further. Modernization of the combat aircraft is a continuous process that we maintain as we advance in our special military operations. We receive feedback from our pilots in the war zone and adjust our equipment accordingly.”
It is important to note, however, that the Su-57’s presence on the Ukrainian front has been intermittent since the beginning of the conflict, with limited precise and verifiable information regarding its combat operations. In the early stages of the invasion, it is known that the aircraft took part in missions supporting ground troops, while sporadic participation in air-to-air engagements against drones and Ukrainian aircraft has also been reported. The fighter also made headlines last year when it became a target of Ukrainian attacks on the Akhtubinsk airbase, where at least one aircraft from the Russian fleet was damaged.
Images used for illustrative purposes
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