Throughout the past year 2025, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) completed the delivery of combat aircraft and bombers to equip the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS). Among these, the delivery of Sukhoi Su-35S fighters and Su-34 fighter-bombers stands out; moreover, toward the end of the year, the delivery of Tupolev Tu-160M strategic bombers, a modernized version of the aircraft, was reported. However, among the deliveries officially reported through various channels, the absence—so far—of the most modern combat aircraft currently in service with the VKS was notable: the fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter.
Since the first production contract was signed in 2019, within the framework of the ARMY international forum in Moscow, the Russian Ministry of Defense has held a firm order covering a total of 76 Su-57 fighters produced by UAC, with 2027 set as the completion date for this first batch of aircraft.
As reported by various open-source intelligence (OSINT) sources, and based on information released by the Rostec consortium—which officially publishes equipment deliveries to the Russian Armed Forces—it has been estimated that ten (10) Su-57s were delivered in 2022, eleven (11) in 2023, while in 2024 the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it expected to receive a total of twenty-two (22).
As of today, the last official delivery of Su-57 stealth fighters took place in December 2024, as announced by the consortium, while throughout 2025 neither UAC nor Rostec has officially communicated the delivery of aircraft. Only through images that went viral in April was there speculation about the delivery of two aircraft that rolled off the production line at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur plant. Thanks to these images, it was possible to observe that the pair of aircraft carried the tactical numbers or serials “Red 25” (RF-81796) and “Red 26” (RF-81797).
The situation regarding the state of Su-57 production does nothing more than raise doubts and generate hypotheses concerning the stealth aircraft, as well as its potential export to third countries through a derivative version designated Su-57E, which would reportedly have the Algerian Air Force as its first operator.
Based on this, several conjectures can be put forward, ranging from the most optimistic—assuming that deliveries were made but not officially reported—to the more pessimistic, in which the Aerospace Forces did not receive any new units during the past year 2025.
This latter conjecture would only further cast doubt on the real capacity of the Russian industrial complex to sustain multiple aircraft production lines, where, as has been observed, manufacturing appears to have been focused on the main assets employed in the war against Ukraine—namely, the Su-34 fighter-bombers, essential for support and strike missions, and the Su-35S air superiority fighters, the most advanced members of the Flanker family.
At the same time, it should not be overlooked that last October it was reported directly from the Komsomolsk-on-Amur aviation plant that serial production of the aircraft had begun. In the words of KnAAPO Deputy General Director E. Korshikov, within the framework of a documentary marking the 40th anniversary of the Su-27, he stated: “We are already in serial production of the fifth-generation aircraft, primarily for the Ministry of Defense. And we have already begun manufacturing prototypes of the light tactical aircraft (Su-75) based on the Su-57.”
Finally, beyond the current number of Su-57 aircraft delivered—which pales in comparison to their Western and Chinese counterparts such as the F-35 and the J-20—over recent months progress has been reported in the development of new exhaust nozzles and propulsion systems for the Russian stealth fighter. This could suggest that 2025 was a year focused more on the development and maturation of the platform, leaving production in the background, which instead concentrated on other models such as the aforementioned Su-34 and Su-35S.
You may also like Russia announced that the new Oreshnik hypersonic missile system deployed in Belarus is now on combat duty
