In the context of a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in which Robert Palladino participated as head of the Near Eastern Affairs Office, the United States—through the State Department—said it is analyzing the imposition of sanctions on Algeria should it move forward with the purchase of new Su-57E stealth fighters from Russia. According to the official, Washington considers an agreement of this kind “problematic” due to its various implications, raising the possibility that the so-called Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) could be applied against the African country.
When senators asked what measures the U.S. government was taking to prevent Algeria from pursuing its plans to acquire the Su-57, Palladino stated: “We work closely with the Algerian government on issues where we have common ground. But we certainly disagree on many matters, and the arms deal is an example of what the United States considers problematic. We use the diplomatic tools we have, often in private, to protect our interests and stop what we consider unacceptable.”
It is worth noting that Algeria is reportedly seeking to build a Su-57E fighter fleet of around a dozen aircraft, which would represent a significant leap in capabilities for an air force that currently relies primarily on Su-30MKA, MiG-29S/M/M2, and Su-24MK2 aircraft; according to Russian publications, these would replace the MiG-25s that were retired in 2022. Moreover, senior officials from United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) stated last November that delivery of the first two fighters to the service had already taken place, and that they had even conducted their first flights to demonstrate their capabilities.
On the other hand, and directly related to the above, it should be noted that Moscow has been working on the development of new upgrades for the stealth aircraft. By way of a brief overview, these would include a new panoramic cockpit display developed at the request of pilots who took part in the war in Ukraine, who asked for a replacement for the two smaller original displays. In addition, recent mock-ups have shown new two-dimensional thrust-vectoring nozzles, whose main advantage would be improved maneuverability at the cost of a slight reduction in speed.
CAATSA and its impact through the Turkish case
Beyond the aircraft’s technical aspects, and returning to the potential sanctions the United States could impose on Algeria, it is relevant to consider that this would not be the only recent case involving CAATSA; Turkey is a highly illustrative example. Specifically, this refers to its removal from the F-35 program, in which it had participated with the intention of acquiring the fifth-generation platform to modernize its air force—currently composed mainly of F-16 fighters and increasingly complemented by the purchase of Eurofighter jets.
To understand the reason for that exclusion, it is worth recalling that Washington repeatedly voiced concern over Turkey’s acquisition of Russian-made S-400 air defense systems, with the main fear being that they could be used to gather data on how to detect and shoot down U.S. F-35s, thereby compromising their stealth capabilities. This occurred even though Ankara had invested around US$1.4 billion toward the purchase of 100 F-35s—an amount that was not reimbursed by the U.S. government after sanctions were applied.
As of today, both countries are negotiating different possibilities to resolve the situation, including the potential handover of the S-400 systems to address the issue at its root. In statements made in December, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, said: “I think these issues will be resolved in the next four to six months.”
On the modernization of the Algerian Air Force
Amid the latent possibility that the United States may decide to impose sanctions on Algeria, it should be recalled that the Algerian Air Force is not only awaiting the induction of its new Su-57s, but also the arrival of two other aircraft types. Specifically, this refers to the Su-35S fighters and Su-34 fighter-bombers, which—according to previous reports and documents leaked by hackers—would be in the process of being delivered to the African country.
In the first of these cases, as we reported yesterday, local observers even saw and photographed the aircraft conducting their first flights already wearing Algerian Air Force paint schemes and insignia. At least two aircraft appear to have been delivered, although it remains unknown how many are currently in Algerian hands and how many will ultimately make up the full fleet; there is not even official confirmation from the service regarding the aircraft’s arrival. As far back as March 2025, a set of satellite images captured by Maxar Technologies had shown a first example at Oum El Bouaghi Airport, triggering the initial speculation about the start of deliveries.
In the case of the Su-34s, leaks have also been recorded regarding requests for electronic warfare packages to equip around 14 aircraft, offering an indication of the fleet Algeria expects to build. In addition, images have already been published of the first aircraft conducting flights over the city of Zhukovsky in Russia, standing out for their distinctive desert paint scheme suited to the geographic environment in which they will operate, and reflecting their advanced state of production.
Images used for illustrative purposes
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