Russia Confirms Using Su-57 Fighters In Ukraine War

The Russian MoD finally broke its silence on using Su-57 fighters in the ongoing special military operations (SMO). General Sergei Surovikin, commander of the joint group of troops in the area of the SMO, told reporters on Tuesday, October 18, 2022.

“In terms of the quality of combat use, I would especially like to single out the Su-57 fifth-generation multifunctional aircraft. Having a wide range of weapons, it solves multifaceted tasks of hitting air and ground targets in each sortie,” he said.

Earlier, in June 2022, Izvestia had reported that Russia had deployed four Su-57 for the SMO, and the aircraft was being used to establish a tactical information network.

Earlier in 2018, Russia officially acknowledged using four Su-57 during the Syrian campaign.“The stay of our four Su-57s in Syria has certainly allowed us to obtain additional information about the capabilities of this machine to detect American F-22s and F-35s that are in the same theatre of operations.”

Syrian operational experience notwithstanding, many operational capabilities of the Su-57 likely remained to be tested before the start of the SMO on February 24, 2022. Therefore, Russian employment of the fighter has been cautious. Operational restrictions on its use likely include stand-off attacks and tactical information networking only.

eurasiantimes