Russia unveiled the Su-57E, the export version of its Su-57 fifth-generation fighter (NATO: Felon), on Monday at the Dubai Airshow 2025.
The Su-57 – currently operated only by Russia – is a fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter designed for air-superiority and strike missions, with its export variant likely aimed at competing with the US F-35 and China’s J-20 stealth fighters.
Russian state media TASS said the jet, piloted by the manufacturer’s chief pilot Sergey Bogdan, was showcased on Monday during Dubai Airshow 2025 set to run between Nov. 17 and 21.
The number “509” was visible on the Su-57 showcased in Dubai.
TASS said the jet was previously showcased in India and China.
India previously participated in the jet’s development but withdrew in 2018 due to its unsatisfactory performance, while Chinese visitors mocked the jet’s performance during the Zhuhai Air Show in November 2024.
RIA Novosti, another state news outlet, noted that the Su-57 was showcased in Dubai alongside the Kazan Ansat helicopter, powered by Russia’s VK-650V engine, and a modernized version of the Yak-130M training aircraft.
The display of the Su-57E in Dubai is likely a sales pitch to potential buyers based in the Middle East as an alternative to other stealth fighters on the market amid Russia’s war-strained economy.
Military outlet Army Recognition noted that while the Su-57 offers better kinetic performance than the F-35, it falls behind the US’s modern avionics and “software maturity.”
The US also tightly restricts exports of its advanced war technology, removing Turkey from the program over national security concerns after Ankara decided to acquire Russia’s S-400 air defense systems.
As such, the outlet wrote that the Su-57 can be appealing to buyers seeking standalone alternatives that do not entail heavy dependence on the US, with Moscow offering the jet’s “full sovereign use rights, customizable avionics suite, and lack of weapons integration limitations.”
Su-57 in Ukraine
To date, there have been no confirmed sightings of the Su-57 in Ukraine.
While the British Ministry of Defence asserted in January 2023 that Russia “almost certainly” used the jet to attack targets in Ukraine, some military analysts suggest that they were likely used to launch missiles far from the front to avoid being shot down and have their remnants be captured for Western analysis.
Ukraine confirmed that it struck a Su-57 at an airfield in Russia’s Astrakhan region in June 2024.
The precise number of Su-57s operated by Russia remains unclear. While Moscow has placed an order for 76 Su-57 to be delivered by 2027, known deliveries to date do not exceed three dozen.
Western sanctions have also likely complicated the logistics of obtaining the parts needed for the jets’ modern avionics, further casting doubt on Russia’s ability to produce and export the jets to foreign buyers.