When Will Russia’s Newest Stealth Fighter Take to the Skies?
Russia’s new stealth fighter is set to be unveiled at MAKS 2021, an annual Russian exhibition with a full name that translates roughly to the “International Aviation and Space Show.”
Related: CHINA’S J-20 STEALTH FIGHTER IS GAINING ON AMERICA’S TOP JETS
What will Russia’s new stealth fighter mean in terms of capability?
For some time to come, this new platform won’t really mean anything at all for Russia’s military, as they will almost certainly need foreign buyers lined up to fund continued development and eventual production. That really speaks to the UAC teaser video that highlights its potential value for wealthy nations like the United Arab Emirates or nations facing their own stealth fighter threats, like India.
Russia has struggled for over a decade to find a way to fund production of their Su-57, and today, they have an order placed for 76 of them in total. However, funding for that production run has still not been established, aside from an initial influx of funds.
“The $2.63 billion is likely to only cover an initial tranche—with the remainder of the 76 having to compete for stretched funding within the overall Russian military modernization budget,” Justin Bronk, an air-power expert at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, wrote in October.
In other words, Russia’s new stealth fighter is really nothing more than a paper plane at this point, but it’ll be worth keeping an eye on if they can land some foreign buyers.
This article first appeared at Sandboxx News.
Image: Wikipedia.
