The 'Stealth' Problem: The Sukhoi Su-57 "Felon," Russia's 5th-generation stealth fighter, has seen a turbulent operational history since its maiden flight in 2010. Though designed to rival Western jets like the F-35, the Su-57 has faced production delays, sanctions, and limited combat success.

Russia Has No Easy Solution: Notably, it damaged Ukrainian targets in 2024 but has also suffered setbacks, including a drone strike on a grounded Felon. Production issues, worsened by Western sanctions cutting off key components, have halted further aircraft development. Despite its advanced specifications, the Su-57's real-world performance remains inconsistent, casting doubt on its role as a game-changing fighter.

Merriam-Webster’s Law Dictionary gives the etymology (that’s word origin) of “felon” as “Middle English, from Anglo-French felun, fel evildoer, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German fillen to beat, whip, fel skin.” So then, given the felonious nature of Vladimir Putin’s seemingly never-ending “special military operation” in Ukraine (gotta love that officious euphemism, eh), perhaps it’s apropos that Russia’s most prestigious and high-tech (on-paper, at least) 5th Generation fighter jet, the Sukhoi Su-57, has been assigned the NATO reporting name “Felon.”

Sukhoi Su-57 early history & specifications

The Sukhoi Su-57 made its maiden flight on 29 January 2010 – a whopping eight years after it initially entered the development phase(!) – but didn’t officially enter into operational service with the Russian Aerospace Forces until Christmas Day 2020. The warbird is manufactured by the PJSC United Aircraft Corporation, headquartered at Leningradsky Avenue, Khoroshyovsky District, Moscow. According to the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft (WDMMA), the Russian Air Force uses current year figures to have ten Su-57s in service, with an additional 75 supposedly on order. (So far, none have been allocated for Russian Naval Aviation.)

The Felon has the following specifications:

Fuselage Length: 20.1 m (65 ft 11 in)

Wingspan: 14.1 m (46 ft 3 in)

Height: 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)

Empty Weight: 18,000 kg (39,683 lb)

Max Takeoff Weight: 35,000 kg (77,162 lb)

Max Airspeed: Mach 2 (2,135 km/h; 1,327 mph) at high altitude

• Range: 3,500 km (2,200 mi, 1,900 nmi) subsonic, 4,500 km from 2 outboard fuel tanks
  • Supersonic Range: 1,500 km (930 mi, 810 nmi)
• G limits: +9
• Armament:
  • Guns: 1 × 30 mm Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-1 autocannon
  • Hardpoints: 12 hardpoints (6 × internal, 6 × external)
  • Air-to-air missiles:
    • R-77M
    • R-74M2
    • R-37
  • Air-to-surface missiles:
    • 4 × Kh-38M
    • 4 × Kh-59MK2
    • Kh-69
  • Anti-ship missiles:
    • 2 × Kh-35U
    • 2 × Kh-31
  • Anti-radiation missiles:
    • 4 × Kh-58UShK
  • Bombs:
    • KAB-250 guided bomb
    • KAB-500 guided bomb
    • Anti-tank "Drill" kg cluster-bomb + active homing

Su-57 Status Report I: Inauspicious Combat Debut

So, back to what I was saying about the Su-57 not being in terribly good standing thus far…its combat performance thus far has been, to paraphrase Shakespeare, “Much ado about very little.”

Now, for the sake of fairness & balance, it should be noted that back on 18 February 2024, a Su-57, escorted by a pair of Su-35 Flanker-E/M fighters, launched a successful missile strike against Ukrainian ground targets using a Kh-69 cruise missile, and safely returned to base (RTB, to use a popular military aviators’ acronym). In addition, earlier this month, in an ironic case of intentional “friendly fire” (AKA “blue-on-blue” incident), a Felon used an air-to-air missile to deliberately shoot down an errant Russian-owned Sukhoi (yet more irony right there) S-70 Okhotnik-B drone over Ukraine about 10 miles (16 km) behind Ukrainian lines!

On the other hand, Ukrainian forces scored a major propaganda victory – and the accompanying prestige points – apparently damaged at least one –and possibly two – of the Felons on the ground at the 929th VP Chkalova State Flight Test Centre in Akhtubinsk (approximately 370 miles [595.4 km]) from Ukrainian-held territory, in an attack  reportedly carried out by three one-way attack (OWA) drones. Though admittedly, official claims from Defense Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine (GUR) should be taken with a grain of salt, the GUR evidently has some satellite imagery to back up this particular claim. According to CNN’s Brad Lendon:

“The agency posted satellite pictures in a post on its Telegram channel to support its claim, writing, ‘The images show that on June 7, Su-57 was still intact, but on June 8, craters from the explosion and distinctive fire spots emerged near it as a result of the fire damage.’”

Su-57 Status Report Part Deux: Trouble in (Production) Paradise)

As if that weren’t enough of a black eye for the Su-57 program, there’s also this from RBC-Ukraine:

“Russia has suspended production of Su-57 Felon fighter jets, with Western sanctions being the primary reason, despite Russia's attempts to circumvent them, citing The Telegraph…After reviewing Russian documents, Frontelligence Insight identified several key bottlenecks, including the WA36 attenuator (an electronic device that reduces signal amplitude or power without significantly distorting its shape, - ed.) and power supplies. These components are part of the MPPU-50, a German device used to calibrate the communication system of the Su-57.”

This would be just the latest addition to a litany of once-vaunted Russian-made weapons systems with less-than-stellar performance records in the real world. Time will tell what the future holds for the flying Felon.

About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert  

Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ). He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch , The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS).

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